Employment Certification

After agreeing to the Confidentiality Statement, you complete the Employment Certification form. The form accommodates the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) policy involving federal employees as reviewers.

Reviewers click on one of the 5 radio buttons to specify in what capacity they are serving as reviewers. The options and the specific certification language are presented here:

• I certify that I am not a Federal employee.

  • Certification language: None

• I certify that I am Federal employee (full- or part-time) who is employed by HHS.

  • Certification language: I am a Federal employee/hold a Federal appointment (full- or part-time) with HHS or an HHS component and I certify that I have received approval from my supervisor to participate in NIH peer review committee meetings and related activities as part of my official duties.

• I certify that I am Federal employee (full- or part-time) who is employed by an agency other than HHS who is serving as part of my official duties.

  • Certification language: I am a Federal employee/hold a Federal appointment (full or part-time) at a non-HHS Federal agency and I certify that I received agency approval to participate in NIH peer review committee meetings and related activities as part of my official duties. As such, I am NOT entitled to receive reviewer reimbursements, such as honoraria, flat rate, and travel.

• I certify that I am Federal employee (full- or part-time) who is employed by an agency other than HHS who is serving as part of my personal capacity as an outside activity.

  • Certification language: I am a Federal employee/hold a Federal appointment (full or part-time) at a non-HHS Federal agency and I certify that I will not be engaging in peer review committee meetings and related activities as part of my official Federal duties, but rather in my personal capacity as an outside activity. I understand that I must comply with the requirements of my employing agency regarding outside activities, and I will not attend peer review committee meetings or perform related activities while on official duty time or using the resources of my employing agency, except to the extent allowable under the agency's de minimis use policy, if applicable. As such, I am entitled to receive non-Federal reviewer reimbursement which includes honoraria, flat rate, and travel.

• I certify that I have a dual appointment with a non-HHS Federal agency and a non-Federal organization or institution and that I will attending the peer review committee meeting and performing related activities on behalf of my non-Federal organization or institution.

  • Certification language: I am an individual who has a dual appointment (Federal employee & non-Federal organization or institution) and I certify that I will be attending peer review committee meetings and performing related activities on behalf of my non-Federal organization or institution (duties to be performed will NOT be under my Federal responsibilities and I will NOT use federal time or resources). As such, I am entitled to receive non-Federal reviewer reimbursement which includes honoraria, flat rate, and travel.

Non-HHS federal staff can:

• Serve as reviewers in their official capacity if approved by their agency

• If not approved by their agency, serve as reviewers as a 'personal' or 'outside' activity

• If they have a dual appointment with a non-federal institution, serve as reviewers from their institution

HHS federal staff may:

• serve as reviewers if approved by supervisor(s) (previously they could not).

Certifying the Employment Form

Once you agree to the Confidentiality Statement in IAR, the system will open the Employment Certification form. If you are unable to complete the form at that time, next time you log into IAR, click the three-dot ellipsis icon to open the action menu and select Employment Certification.

When the form opens, select one of the five options that specifies in what capacity you are serving as a reviewer.

Depending on the option selected, a blue text box appears. Read the text and click the I Certify button when done.

NOTE: If your circumstances change after the initial certification, you can return to the List of Meetings screen and from the three-dot ellipsis icon, select the Employment Certification link to update your status.