ALCOAST 190/20 - MAY 2020 COVID-19: TEMPORARY CHANGES TO IDENTIFICATION CARD RENEWAL POLICIES DURING COVID-19 – UPDATE – CAC/LAC CERTIFICATE REKEYING

R 221246 MAY 20
FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//CG-1//
TO ALCOAST
UNCLAS //N05300//
ALCOAST 190/20
COMDTNOTE 5300
SUBJ: COVID-19: TEMPORARY CHANGES TO IDENTIFICATION CARD RENEWAL POLICIES DURING
COVID-19 – UPDATE – CAC/LAC CERTIFICATE REKEYING
A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 171554 APR 20/ALCOAST 139/20
B. Under Secretary Of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Memorandum, Exception to
Policy Allowing the Temporary Acceptance of Expired Department of Defense Credentials
during the COVID-19 National Emergency, 16 April 2020
C. Under Secretary Of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Memorandum, Additional
Procedures for Department of Defense Identification Cards for COVID-19, 16 April 2020
D. Trusted Associate Sponsorship System (TASS), COMDTINST 5500.18 (series)
1. This ALCOAST announces temporary policy changes, in addition to those announced in
REF (A), for renewal of Common Access Cards (CAC) and Logical Access Cards (LACs) in
response to COVID-19. These changes are mandated by the Department of Defense (DoD) in
REFs (B) and (C), and apply to all military services, including the Coast Guard. Policy
changes, such as use of expired CACs with updated certificates, is an example of
additional efforts available to minimize in-person visits to DEERS/RAPIDS offices to
ensure the health and safety of all personnel and beneficiaries. The following guidance
is in effect for CAC and LAC holders through 30 September 2020.
2. Although REF (B) allows use of expired CACs to access DoD facilities, further guidance
is still pending for non-DoD facility access, including DHS facilities. Some of these
locations will not authorize the use of expired CACs; it is recommended that members
contact such locations prior to attempting to access.
3. CAC procedures for Coast Guard military and civilian employees are as follows:
    a. CACs expiring on or after 16 April 2020 may have the certificates updated within
30 days of expiration to allow continued use for accessing DOD facilities and computer
systems through 30 September 2020. To update certificates the following requirements
must be met:
        (1) The CAC must expire within 30 days. For example, a CAC that expires on 30 May
2020 can be updated starting on 1 May 2020.
        (2) The CAC must not have expired when attempting to update the certificates.
        (3) The CAC holder must have an active affiliation with the Coast Guard extending
beyond the ID card expiration date. CAC holders can use ID Card Office Online
(https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/self_service) to verify their affiliation end date.
              a. Coast Guard military members and civilians with no defined affiliation end
date (“UNKNOWN”) will automatically be eligible to use ID Card Office Online to update
their certificates.
              b. Members with a defined affiliation end date must first request an update
via their Servicing Personnel Office (SPO). The SPO must update the member's affiliation
before they can use ID Card Office Online to update their certificates. Cardholders
typically must wait two business days following the date of the update before using ID
Card Office Online.
    b. CACs which expired on or after 16 April 2020 are authorized for continued use to
facilitate access to benefits through 30 September 2020, provided the cardholder’s
affiliation and eligibility for benefits are unchanged.
4. Trusted Associate Sponsorship System (TASS) procedures are as follows:
    a. Contractors, Auxiliarists, volunteers, and other eligible employees issued CACs
or Volunteer LACs (VoLAC) through TASS need the following information:
        (1) Every 6 months (180 days), a Trusted Agent (TA) must verify a cardholder’s
continued affiliation with the Coast Guard with the Sponsor or Contracting Officer
Representative (COR) per REF (D). This verification will permit cardholders to take
advantage of the remote options to update their certificates.
        (2) Cardholders eligible to rekey may use ID Card Office Online to update their
CAC or LAC certificates through 30 September 2020, or the affiliation end date, whichever
is sooner.
        (3) The CAC or LAC holder must wait one business day following the date of TASS
verification before using ID Card Office Online. Further instructions can be found at:
https://www.cac.mil/Coronavirus.
    b. CORs and TAs must continue to oversee eligibility for contractors, Auxiliarists,
Volunteers, and other TASS-Sponsored cardholders via TASS.
        (1) This policy does not grant authority to extend contract end dates without
appropriate documentation (e.g., new or updated contract).
        (2) CORs/TAs must ensure that contract end dates align with the end of the contract,
including any unfunded contract options. Contractors and other TASS-sponsored cardholders
typically have the same affiliation and card end date.
        (3) CORs/TAs must first update the cardholder’s affiliation with the Coast Guard
before the cardholder can use ID Card Office Online to update their certificates.
    c. Additional information regarding TASS can be found at:
https://cg.portal.uscg.mil/units/dcms34/tass/Pages/default.aspx. Questions may be directed
to TASS.Program@uscg.mil.
5. Detailed instructions for updating certificates are located at:
https://www.cac.mil/Portals/53/Documents/cert-update-Cardholder-guide_final-detailed.pdf?
ver=2020-04-16-152935-713, and here are some guidelines for getting started:
    a. Use Internet Explorer from a Coast Guard workstation when
following the instructions provided at the link above.
    b. If updating certificates from a remote location, the following computer configurations
are required (Coast Guard laptops should already be properly configured):
        (1) CAC reader with ActivClient 7.1 or higher
        (2) Java 8 - Update 144 or higher
        (3) Internet Explorer 7 or higher
    c. Updating CAC certificates does NOT work with Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI).
If using a Coast Guard-issued laptop, ensure laptop is connected to the Internet, but do
NOT sign into Virtual Private Network (VPN) before attempting to update CAC certificates.
    d. Users experiencing issues when attempting to update their CAC/LAC certificates should
submit a CGFIXIT request via the CGFIXIT icon on their desktop and proceed to:
I Need Help With > My CAC or Login > Request Now > I am having other CAC issues not
identified above. If unable to log into a Coast Guard workstation to submit a request,
contact the Centralized Service Desk (CSD) at 1-855-CG-FIXIT (1-855-243-4948); then,
select Options 1, 1, 3.
    e. If CSD is unable to assist users with updating CAC certificates online, they should
schedule an appointment at the nearest available DEERS/RAPIDS site (ID office) to complete
this action. DEERS/RAPIDS locations can be found on the RAPIDS Site Locator at:
https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl/.
6. Technical or procedural questions can be addressed to DEERS/RAPIDS site managers or
DMDC at: https://www.cac.mil/Contact/.
7. Due to the dynamic operational environment, reference the Defense Manpower Data
Center’s (DMDC) guidance at: www.cac.mil/coronavirus for the most current policy information.
8. RADM J. M. Nunan, Assistant Commandant for Human Resources (CG-1), sends.
9. Internet release is authorized.