Title: Missing, Stolen or Damaged Property
Effective date: 04/18/08
Lead author(s): Natalie Ochs
Authorizing Official: Tracy A. Shahan, PhD, MBA / Approval date: 5/31/2011
Updatedby:SASOP / Review date: 02/16/2016
  1. Purpose:This standard operating procedure (SOP) outlines the process for reporting a missing, lost, or stolen government-issued BlackBerry, laptop, or other electronic device containing sensitive information.
  2. Scope: All NIAID SRP staff and contractors.
  3. Definition(s): OTIS (Office of Technology Information Systems)
  4. Key contacts: Ken Grossman, NIAID ISSO; Kim Singleton, Servicing Administrative Officer (AO); Jo Hubert, NIAID Property Custodial Officer (PCO) Danielle Payne; Lucy Dickson, SRP Point of Contact (POC).
  5. Related documents/links:Form HHS 342, Report of Survey

The Guide for Identifying Sensitive Information, including Personally Identifiable Information (PII) at the NIHdiscusses what constitutes sensitive information, discusses the necessity for encryption, and gives information on reporting a suspected or confirmed breach of personally identifiable information regardless of the manner in which it might have occurred.

Reporting Lost, Stolen, or Damaged Property

  1. Procedure:
  • WITHIN ONE HOUR of discovering that your government-issued BlackBerry or laptop, etc. is stolen, call the NIH IT Service Desk (301-496-4357).
  • Report the incident to yoursupervisor, servicing AO Kim Singleton (240-669-2917), and PCO (240-669-2792). If the property was stolen, notify the appropriate authorities (i.e., local or NIH police) and obtain a police report.
  • Submit a written statement to the servicing AO describing the circumstances surrounding the loss, theft, or damage. Note the last known location of property, measures that were taken to prevent the loss or damage, and actions that were attempted to recover the property.
  • If the property was stolen, attach a copy of the police report to the statement. Without a police report, the item must be processed as a loss.
  • Any other relevant incident reports relating to the loss, theft, or damage also must be attached.
  • Prepare HHS Form 342 and submit to the servicing AO within 5 days.
  • When the NIAID Property Accountability Officer has a minimum of three cases together, he or she submits the documents to the NIAID Board of Survey, which makes recommendations to the NIAID Deputy Director for Science Management on the responsibility for costs associated with property loss, theft, or damage.

−If it is determined that the employee was negligent, the employee will be responsible for paying the acquisition cost, not the depreciated cost, for the item.

−If it is determined that the employee was not negligent, NIAID will treat the property as a loss.

  • The lost, stolen or damaged item will be transferred to a disposal code within the NIH Property Management Information System. This action removes the items from the NIAID inventory list.