TSA Notice Concerning Reporting Non-Receipt of Mailed TWICs

Today the Transportation Security Administration posted a notice concerning persons who have enrolled for a TWIC card, received notification that the card has been mailed, and then fail to receive the card through the mail. The notice is at http://www.tsa.gov/stakeholders/transportation-worker-identification-credential-twic. This is the "down side" of the TSA one-visit program. It remains to be seen how many of the cards will fail to reach the end receiver.  Persons who have received the card through the mail tell me that the envelope is clearly marked "Transportation Security Administration".

The notice is printed in its entirety below.

NEW! Reporting Non-Receipt of Mailed TWICs: TWIC applicants who request to receive their TWIC card by mail will receive a phone or email notification that the card has been mailed.  After notification that the card has been mailed, applicants have 60 days to report non-receipt of the card by contacting the Universal Enrollment Services (UES) Call Center at: (855) 347-8371. Failure to report non-receipt of the card within 60 days will result in a $60 fee to replace the lost card.

Truncated Last Name on TWIC Card: Names Limited to 19 Characters

Recently, TSA posted the following information of concern to persons with lengthy last names, at http://www.tsa.gov/stakeholders/transportation-worker-identification-credential-twic. (TSA does not date the bulletins on its website so I am unable to state the exact date of this posting.)

Truncated Last Name on TWIC Card: Since TSA began issuing the new version 2.03 TWIC® cards in May 2014, only the first 14 characters (including spaces, hyphens, and apostrophes) of the applicant’s last name are printed on the card.  The last name is always followed by a comma.  If a person’s last name exceeds 14 characters, all after the 14th character are not printed, and a comma follows immediately after the 14th character.  This has caused some Transportation Workers to have their credentials questioned at facilities because the name on the card does not match the person’s full name.

On October 17, 2014, a system change will be made to extend the last name as printed on the TWIC® to a maximum of nineteen (19) characters, followed immediately by a comma.  Last names containing fewer than 19 characters will continue to be followed immediately by a comma.  TSA is looking into ways to include full last names, regardless of the number of characters, given the limited space available on the card for printing.  Until a satisfactory solution is developed and implemented, the last name printed on TWICs® beginning October 17, 2014 will be limited to the first 19 characters of the last name.

New Information on TWIC Program from TSA TWIC Website

On May 31, 2014 the Transportation Security Administration posted new information on the TSA TWIC website.  The information is reproduced in its entirety below.  MTSA stakeholders should visit the TSA TWIC site and examine the two technical bulletins that are referenced.  The new information includes the card production delay and several other important issues, including new card features (that makes theses new TWICs slightly different from older versions);  the upcoming “One-visit” initiative; important changes to accessing the Certificate Revocation List (CRL);  and new information that may be given during pre-enrollment (biographical). 

PLEASE NOTE: PERSONS WHO ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A VALID TWIC BEFORE ASSUMING THEIR DUTIES (FSOs, FACILITY PERSONNEL WITH SPECFIC SECURITY DUTIES) WHO ARE ADVERSELY AFFECTED BY THE CARD PRODUCTION DELAYS SHOULD CONTACT THEIR LOCAL COTP TO DISCUSS THIS ADVERSE IMPACT AND TO SUGGEST EQUIVALENT SECURITY MEASURES.

The “One-visit” initiative is required by Congress.  The TWIC Program Office has completed the pilot test phase of mailing TWIC cards to applicants in Alaska and parts of Michigan.

Will offer the choice to receive cards by mail as this capability is added to enrollment centers throughout the summer. 

• Applicants choosing to receive their card by mail will only be required to make one visit to an enrollment center to complete the enrollment process. 
• The card will be mailed to the applicant’s home, or other address of their choice. 
• The card will be activated and ready to be used.
• A mailer with the card’s PIN will be sent separately.

Latest News! From http://www.tsa.gov/stakeholders/transportation-worker-identification-credential-twic%C2%AE

1)   Card Production Delays:  TSA is upgrading its technology to more effectively support TSA’s mission.  However, TSA has experienced a temporary delay in the production and delivery of some TWIC cards.  This delay is impacting some new enrollments, card replacements and Extended Expiration Date (EED) cards.  TSA is working diligently to ensure the delays are minimized and efficient processing of applications and card production is achieved.  If you are experiencing a longer than usual processing time, you may continue to check your application status online here or via the UES Call Center at 1-855-DHS-UES1 (855-347-8371).

2)  New Card Topography Features:  TWIC enrollment centers are beginning to receive and issue cards produced by the Government Printing Office (GPO) through the Technology Infastructure Modernization (TIM) system.  The general appearance and security features of the new cards are similar to previous versions, but contain several changes:

Card Front:

•             Expiration date format is now YEAR MONTH DAY (YYYYMMMDD) example:  2016APR22

•             Card front:  A period “.” follows the middle initial, example:  W.

Card Back:

 •             Version moved to above the magnetic stripe (“TWIC v2.3 MM.YY”).

•             The smaller 1D bar code above the magnetic stripe has been replaced by a card stock identifier sequence.

•             The label “ID One PIV (1107253)” has been added above the magnetic stripe.

•             The printing below the larger 1D barcode now includes the System Code (7099), example:  70991234

The Technical Advisory with details on card topography changes is available here.

3)  New Card Technical Features:  As a result of the transition to the TIM system, the TWIC Certificate Authority (CA) changed.  TWIC readers programed to check the TWIC Certificate Revocation List (CRL) must be redirected to the new CA.  The technical advisory for this change was also previously posted to the TWIC website.  The direct link to the advisory is here.

4)  TWIC “OneVisit”:  The TWIC Program Office has completed the pilot test phase of mailing TWIC cards to applicants in Alaska and parts of Michigan and will offer the choice to receive cards by mail as this capability is added to enrollment centers throughout the summer.  Applicants choosing to receive their card by mail will only be required to make one visit to an enrollment center to complete the enrollment process.  The card will be mailed to the applicant’s home, or other address of their choice.  The card will be activated and ready to be used.  A mailer with the card’s PIN will be sent separately.

5)  Pre-Enrollment:  TWIC applicants may now begin the enrollment/application process by entering biographic information online before visiting an enrollment center. To pre-enroll, please visit the Universal Enrollment Services website here, click on the TWIC program icon, and select the “Pre-Enroll” link from the list of available services.

6)  Extended Expiration Date TWICs:  If you are a worker holding a TWIC that expires on or before December 31, 2014 and you are a U.S. citizen or U.S. national you will be able to replace your expiring TWIC with a 3-year Extended Expiration Date (EED) TWIC. To order an EED TWIC or a card replacement, you may contact the UES Call Center at 1-855-DHS-UES1 (1-855-347-8371) Monday through Friday from 8 AM - 10 PM Eastern. Alternatively, click here to order your EED TWIC or card replacement online.

TSA issues notices about affects of contractor change-over: mobile enrollment and EYO, center hours

The Transportation Security Administration has issued two notices about the change-over from contractor Lockheed Martin to contractor MorphoTrust. This changeover will affect  mobile enrollment and Enroll Your Own (EYO) arrangements and enrollment center availability and hours.  Both notices are reproduced below.

 UPDATED 05/23/2013: Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) – Mobile Enrollment and Activation Services TSA has been contacted by a number of stakeholders interested in establishing mobile enrollment and activation services at their facilities. TSA understands the flexibility that mobile enrollment and activation services provide, not only for TWIC renewals but for Extended Expiration Date (EED) TWICs.

 TSA has been contacted by a number of stakeholders interested in establishing mobile enrollment and activation services at their facilities. TSA understands the flexibility that mobile enrollment and activation services provide, not only for TWIC renewals but for Extended Expiration Date (EED) TWICs.

In April 2013, TWIC enrollment services began transitioning to a new contractor, MorphoTrust, under a Universal Enrollment Services (UES) contract. The UES contract includes enhanced mobile enrollment services, Enroll Your Own (EYO), and bulk payment arrangements.

Mobile enrollment services include the following options below:

 Mobile Enrollment Only – Mobile enrollment service without a mobile activation service

 Mobile Enrollment Plus Activation - Mobile enrollment and corresponding activation service

 Extended Expiration Date (EED) Bulk Order/Activation - Mobile service available via bulk orders, which includes the mobile activation service

MorphoTrust is now accepting orders for these services and will begin service in mid-summer 2013. Please submit mobile enrollment requests to Win Noble, MorphoTrust UES Communications Manager, at wnoble@morphotrust.com

Further details about mobile enrollment services and EYO capabilities will be available on the UES website – https://universalenroll.dhs.gov/ 

Please note that Lockheed Martin’s capacity to provide mobile enrollment and activation capability has been filled through the end of their contract. Please consider alternate plans such as utilizing fixed enrollment centers or requesting mobile services after completion of the UES transition (scheduled for end of June 2013). 

(Available at http://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/twic/mobile_enrollment_and_activation_05_23_2013.pdf)

_____________________________________________________________

TWIC Stakeholders:  

The following TWIC enrollment centers will be closed on the date noted in an effort to assist their transition to a new enrollment provider as part of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Universal Enrollment Services (UES) initiative.  

As enrollment centers transition, their individual web pages will be updated to reflect any new logistics (e.g., location updates, new hours of operation, payment details, etc.).  Current information on enrollment centers can be found at:   

           http://www.twicinformation.com/twicinfo/schedule.jsp  

Below is a schedule of enrollment centers for the week of May 27-31, 2013, in which a Center will need to be closed on a given date to assist its transition.  Please note that during the week a site is transitioning, appointments will be blocked and the site will likely be busier than usual.  For appointments following a site’s transition, applicants can call the UES Call Center at 1-855 DHS-UES1 (1-855-347-8371), Monday through Friday: 8:00 AM - 10:00 PM EST.

Enrollment Center	Date Closed for UES Transition (Wk. of May 27-May 31)
American Samoa	05/28/13
Cedar Rapids, IA	05/29/13
Eureka, CA	05/29/13
La Plata, MD	05/29/13
Longview, WA	05/29/13
Pasco, WA	05/29/13
Port Fourchon, LA	05/28/13
Portland, ME	05/28/13
Providence, RI	05/28/13
Traverse City, MI	05/29/13

*Note: Following a site’s effective transition closure date above, check or money order payments for enrollments should be made payable to 'MorphoTrust USA', check or money order payments for card replacements and Extended Expiration Date (EED) services should be made payable to 'Lockheed Martin'.  For additional information and updates on the TWIC program, please visit http://www.twicinformation.com/twicinfo/.  

(From TWIC Stakeholder communications email)

TWIC Renewal

Yesterday I began the steps to perform the 5-year renewal of my TWIC. I have the following to report:

Positives:

1. Both TSA HelpDesk personnel that I spoke with were extremely courteous, apologetic about the wait, and seemed to be informed about the process.

2.  I received email notification about the transaction within minutes of its completion.

Negatives:

1.  I was unable to use the website to pre-enroll, as directed by the TSA TWIC FAQs. When I entered my personal information, I was moved onto a screen that informed me that I already have a TWIC and needed to enter a UserID and password. I could not recall whatever it was that I had selected 5 years ago.  I attempted to use both the “forgot UserID” function and the “forgot password” function. Clicking on these links led to a screen in which I was required to enter the answer to two challenge questions. The screen would not accept my answers, although I know they were correct.  I tried mis-spelling combinations and even that was unsuccessful. I also got an error message once as I was moving between screens. There is no moving forward from the challenge question screen so I was stuck. The option to use the website to pre-enroll was now closed to me.

2.  I then called the HelpDesk and experienced a combined wait on hold of one hour.  When an agent came on the line, she advised me that you cannot enroll for a 5-year renewal via the website.  She stated, “We need to help you with that.”  She asked me if I had ever contacted the HelpDesk before. I had, and she pulled up a case number and my card information. She said I would need to remember the case number as she was going to transfer me to another agent for payment and he would need the number.  There was a second lengthy wait and another agent came on the line and to take my ID and payment information.  This agent stated that the only way to renew the card for 5 years was to walk into an enrollment center, but that he could renew my TWIC for 3 years under the EED program. I did opt for the 3 year EED although I disagree with its basic premise because it excludes the background checks. Later I asked the agent for clarification about the procedure for renewing for 5-years and he stated that you can pre-enroll online but it is just as quick to walk into the enrollment center. I told him about the problems I was having with the website.  He was apologetic but stated that the website was a different branch of the program. So I basically got two answers as to whether one can use the website for the 5-year renewal: “yes” and “no”.

3. It appears to me from my experience that you cannot use the HelpDesk for the 5-year renewal, and that the website is experiencing problems so you cannot pre-enroll via the website. This leaves open the question: is possible that TSA is funneling many renewal requests into the EED option? This would greatly speed up and streamline  the renewal process but it defeats the purpose of the card.  We need at least an every-five-year snapshot of the backgrounds of the people who are being granted unescorted access to the secure areas of regulated facilities and vessels.

Legislative change to TWIC enrollment process

On Dec. 12, 2012, the United States Senate agreed to the United States House of Representatives amendment to Senate amendment by Voice Vote on amendments to H.R. 2838, the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act of 2012. This is the process for the final reconciliation of two versions of the bill. It will now go to the President for his signature. Among several significant provisions, the following section, if implemented, may make a substantial change to the TWIC enrollment process:

SEC. 709. TRANSPORTATION WORKER IDENTIFICATION  CREDENTIAL PROCESS REFORM.

Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall reform the process for Transportation Worker Identification Credential enrollment, activation, issuance, and renewal to require, in total, not more than one in-person visit to a designated enrollment center except in cases in which there are extenuating circumstances, as determined by the Secretary, requiring more than one such in-person visit.