Description:
Learn to perform suitability adjudication and fitness determination required for federal employment. This course provides detailed guidance for federal agencies on how to assess an individual's suitability for sensitive positions and positions of public trust. Participants will learn the statutory and regulatory framework outlined in Title 5 CFR, Part 731, including criteria for suitability determinations and fitness adjudication using specific examples. By the end of the course, participants will also be able to apply both traditional methodologies and those used by the Office of Personnel Management for designating position risk and making suitability determinations. Course content also includes the role of national security and evaluating a person's conduct, integrity and reliability. Participants will apply procedures for managing appeals, ensuring efficiency and promoting informed personnel management decisions across the federal government.
Duration:
3 days
Level:
Intermediate
Who Should Attend?
Adjudicators who are authorized by their agencies to handle suitability case processing and adjudication as delegated by OPM under Title 5 CFR, Part 731.
Credits:
1.8 CEUs
Learning Outcomes:
- Use Title 5, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 731 to identify responsibilities for the suitability and fitness process.
- Describe how to complete position risk designations and conduct the investigations process.
- Apply the suitability and fitness factors and additional considerations to suitability and fitness issues.
- Describe how to perform pre-employment screenings for suitability and fitness issues.
- Apply the traditional suitability and fitness adjudication determination guidelines to suitability and fitness issues.
- Apply OPM’s suitability and fitness adjudication determination guidelines to suitability and fitness issues.
- Describe the evidence needed to support adjudication determinations.
- Identify merit fraud and the adjudicator’s role when merit fraud is found.
- Discuss how to take action when unfavorable determinations are made in suitability and fitness cases.
- Discuss significant precedent-setting cases that can be cited as case law.
Available Sessions:
| Guaranteed-to-Go | Session Code | Start Date | End Date | Location | Tuition | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Guaranteed-to-Go
|
Session Code STAF8020-001 | Start Date Aug 19, 2025 9:00 AM EST | End Date Aug 21, 2025 4:30 PM EST | Location Virtual | Tuition $1,299.00 | |
| Guaranteed-to-Go | Session Code STAF8020-002 | Start Date Sep 16, 2025 9:00 AM EST | End Date Sep 18, 2025 4:30 PM EST | Location Virtual | Tuition $1,299.00 | |
| Guaranteed-to-Go | Session Code STAF8020-003 | Start Date Nov 12, 2025 9:00 AM EST | End Date Nov 14, 2025 4:30 PM EST | Location Virtual | Tuition $1,299.00 | |
| Guaranteed-to-Go | Session Code STAF8020-004 | Start Date Feb 24, 2026 9:00 AM EST | End Date Feb 26, 2026 4:30 PM EST | Location Virtual | Tuition $1,299.00 |
- Module 1 Introduction to Suitability and Fitness Adjudication
- Module 2 Position Risk Designations, Reciprocity and Subject Engagement
- Module 3 Suitability and Fitness Factors
- Module 4 Suitability and Fitness Preemployment Screening/Vetting Process
- Module 5 Traditional Suitability and Fitness Adjudication Determination Guidelines
- Module 6 OPM’s Suitability and Fitness Adjudication Determination Process
- Module 7 Evidence – Supporting Your Determination
- Module 8 Identifying Merit Fraud
- Module 9 Taking Action in Suitability and Fitness Cases - Unfavorable Determinations
- Module 10 Significant Precedent-Setting Cases
Other Recommended Courses:
- Advanced Suitability Adjudication (STAF9101)
