What type of positions does the Background Investigation (BI) target?

• A. High risk public trust positions with no position sensitivity
• B. Low risk positions with no sensitivity
• C. Moderate risk positions with noncritical sensitivity
• D. Nonpublic roles with special access

Answer: (A)

Background Investigations focus on roles that carry a high risk to public trust and do not involve access to classified information. These positions require an unusually high level of honesty, integrity, and reliability because the duties can affect the public and the organization even without handling classified material. The BI is designed to uncover any personal history or conduct—such as financial problems, past misconduct, or criminal activity—that could undermine trust in those high-risk public-trust roles. If the job is low risk or has only noncritical sensitivity, or if it involves special access to nonpublic or classified information, other types of screening or clearance processes apply instead of a BI for high-risk public-trust positions.