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FOURTH ESTATE PERSONNEL ACCOUNTABILITY AND 

ASSESSMENT SYSTEM (FEPAAS) 

DoD Civilian Employee Users Guide 

Version 1.3 

February 2012 

SPAWAR Systems Center Pacific 

53560 Hull Street, Code 53255 

San Diego CA 92152-5000 
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(THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK) 
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Change History 

The following Change History log contains a record of changes made to this document. Entries should be 

made in descending order, with most recent changes at the top of table. 

Published / 

Revised Date Version Author(s) Page or Nature of Change 

15 Feb 2012 1.3 SSC Pacific Update to reflect internal peer 

reviews. 

13 Sep 2010 1.2 SSC SD Terminology change (“SUPV”) 

03 Sep 2010 1.1 SSC SD Update to FEPAAS Version 1.0 

24 May 2010 1.0 SSC SD Initial Version for FEPAAS 1.0 

 
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Table of Contents 

1 WHAT IS FEPAAS? ............................................................................................................ 5

1.1 FEPAAS TERMS ................................................................................................................ 5 

2 WHAT DO I NEED TO USE FEPAAS? ........................................................................... 6

3 HOW DO I USE FEPAAS? ................................................................................................ 7

3.1 NAVIGATE TO THE FEPAAS WEBSITE ............................................................................... 7 

3.2 LOGIN TO FEPAAS ............................................................................................................ 8 

3.3 UPDATE-ONLY ACCESS (LOGGING IN WITH PERSONAL INFORMATION) ............................. 11 

3.4 ACCOUNT FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR DEPENDENTS ......................................................... 13 

4 HOME TAB ......................................................................................................................... 14

5 MY INFO TAB..................................................................................................................... 14

5.1 SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................ 14 

5.2 CONTACT INFORMATION .................................................................................................. 15 

5.3 EVENT INFORMATION ....................................................................................................... 19 

5.4 USERNAME & PASSWORD ................................................................................................. 20 

6 EVENT TAB ........................................................................................................................ 21

6.1 VERIFY AND UPDATE HOME INFORMATION ..................................................................... 21 

6.2 NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY (INTRODUCTION) ............................................................... 22 

7 REFERENCE TAB............................................................................................................. 23

8 HELP TAB........................................................................................................................... 24

9 ACRONYMS ....................................................................................................................... 25
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1 What is FEPAAS? 

FEPAAS is the Fourth Estate Personnel Accountability and Assessment System. It is 

accessed through a user-friendly website designed to help our DoD Civilian Employees and 

their immediate Family members who are directly affected by major natural or man-made 

disasters (e.g., fires, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc.). 

 FEPAAS allows you to report your current location, to update emergency personal 

contact information, and to request assistance (especially if you had to evacuate far 

away from your home or place of work). 

 Your reporting assists the DoD to know where you are, how you are doing, and to 

coordinate with applicable agencies in responding to your needs. 

 FEPAAS allows your supervisors to account accurately for all assigned employees 

and their family members. 

 Your reporting assists the DoD leadership and authorities to make better decisions in 

supporting you and your family, to maintain readiness, and to preserve National 

Security during a disaster. 

1.1 FEPAAS Terms 

 EVENT – A disaster, terrorist attack, or other event, large or small, where the DoD 

has determined the need for DoD Employees to provide the status (how are you), 

and whereabouts (where are you). 

 GAOI – Geographical Area of Interest – the area where the disaster or event 

occurred. Also known as the “affected area”. 

 AFFECTED – A DoD Employee is flagged as “affected” if they live, work, or are 

temporarily in the area where the event happened. Being “affected” by an event is a 

temporary status, for only as long as the DoD determines. It is possible that you 

were not physically in the area but were still flagged as in the affected area. If so, 

you can simply indicate that you were not in the affected area at the time of the 

event, and were not impacted by the event. 
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2 What Do I Need To Use FEPAAS? 

FEPAAS requires you to have access to a working computer connected to the public 

Internet. We understand that during a disaster, you may be displaced from your home and 

office, and may not have a portable computer with Internet capability. However, the 

following are a few alternative resources that may be used: 

 You may use a public computer available at community centers, emergency shelters, 

airports, schools, libraries, and select businesses (e.g., Internet cafes, copy stores or 

coffee shops). 

 If you have a cell phone or telephone available, you may contact other family 

members or friends, and ask them to access FEPAAS on their computer on your 

behalf (they will need your Social Security number and date of birth). 

 You may request assistance from various groups (e.g., local authorities, community 

service organizations, relief agencies, volunteers, etc.) to relay your status to your 

chain of command. 

 During a major disaster, if you are unable to log in to FEPAAS, contact your 

immediate supervisor or call any of the below numbers: 

DoD Civilian Personnel Management 

Service (CPMS) Emergency Contact: 1-877-688-1654 

Hearing Impaired TTY/TDD: 1-877-681-6194 

 

 DLA, Customer Interaction Center: 1-800-334-3414 

 Commercial: 1-269-961-7625 

 DSN: 661-7625 

Hearing Impaired CIC Numbers 

 TTY/TDD: 1-866-605-6566 

 Commercial: 1-269-961-7800 

 DSN: 661-7800 

Other Phone Numbers 

 DoD Civilian Hotline: 1-888-363-4872 

 1-888-DOD-4USA 

 Military OneSource: 1-800-342-9647 
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3 How Do I Use FEPAAS? 

3.1 Navigate to the FEPAAS Website 

a. Get access to a computer connected to the Internet. 

b. Open a web browser (e.g., Internet Explorer). 

c. Type the following address into the browser’s address field and press the Enter key: 

https://fepaas.whs.mil (Note: “https” is required in the web address) 

d. You should see the “FEPAAS Login Page” (shown below) in your browser window. 
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3.2 Login to FEPAAS 

a. On the FEPAAS Login Page, click the Click Here button under the “Fourth Estate 

Civilians, and their Families” heading. 

b. The Login page appears (shown below). 

c. Choose a login method 

If you choose Common Access Card (CAC), you will need a CAC reader attached to 

your computer and your CAC and PIN. 
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For Username and Password, your username is the employee’s .mil email address. 

Unless you have previously logged onto the system and changed it, the initial 

password is the employee’s date of birth, in the YYYYMMDD format (e.g., Dec 25, 

1985 is entered as “19851225”) AND the last four digits of the employee’s SSN. 

For Personal Information, enter your Social Security Number without dashes (e.g., 

123-45-6789 is entered as “123456789”). Enter your date of birth and last name. 

d. Click the Login button 

e. You will be logged into FEPAAS and taken to the Event tab. 

Note: 

If you logged in with the third option, Personal Information, you will have 

Update-Only Access. Skip to section 3.3.
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f. If DoD records indicate that you or one of your dependents are currently affected by 

an event and required to account for that event, you will see the page below on the 

left. Please skip to section 3.4.

g. Otherwise, you will see the page below on the right. 

 

h. If you see the page on the right, click on the My Info tab and follow the instructions in 

this guide to update the personal information recorded there. 

Note: 

 If you see the page on the right, but you believe that you ARE directly 

affected by a current event, contact your command, or call the FEPAAS Help 

Desk at 1-866-946-9183. 

Affected by Active Event 

& Required to Account

Unaffected by Active 

Event 
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3.3 Update-Only Access (logging in with personal information) 

To protect your privacy, logging in with personal information will not allow you to view any 

of your current information in FEPAAS; you can only update it. 

a. If you login to the system with personal information you will see the following: 

b. Click Next> and update your Personal Contact Information: 

c. Click Finish and the following page will appear: 
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d. As it says, you can click one of the tabs, or click Logout when you’re finished with the 

site. 
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3.4 Account for Yourself and Your Dependents 

a. If you login to the system and are affected by an event you will be presented with the 

“Account for Event” pop-up window and prompted to account for yourself and your 

family members. 

b. Click to pull down the “Accounting Status” menus for the Employee and any 

Dependents and select an accounting status for each one. 

c. Selecting “Same as Employee” will attribute the Employee’s accounting status to that 

Dependent. 

d. Click the Save button to submit the selected accounting statuses. The “Account For 

Event” pop-up window closes and you are prompted to update your location and 

contact information. 

e. Proceed with updating your location and contact information. 
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4 Home Tab 

a. Click on the Home tab. The Home page appears. 

b. The Home page provides a general overview of any current events and related 

accounting efforts, Online Training, Hot Topics, and Useful Links. 

5 My Info Tab 

5.1 Summary 

a. Click on the My Info tab. Your “Full Profile” Summary page appears. If you were 

already on the My Info tab and browsed elsewhere in your Full Profile, you can return 

to the Summary page by clicking the “Summary” menu item to the left of the page.

b. Verify your Rate/Rank and Organization. (Note: Only Administrators can change 

your Rank/Rate or Organization) 

c. Click the Edit buttons to make any changes. 
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5.2 Contact Information 

a. Click on the “Contact Information” menu item. Your “Contact Information” page 

appears. 

This page consists of three panes covering your location and contact information. 

The Displaced Location pane should contain the address that you evacuated to as 

a result of being affected by an event. 

The Employee’s Contact Info pane should contain your home address and contact 

information. This pane also provides you with a snapshot of the last import of data 

from the DEERS system. 

Note: 

 Using the provided link to update your DEERS information at the 

DEERS site will NOT update the DEERS information displayed in 

FEPAAS immediately. FEPAAS reflects the last data import received 

from DEERS which is dated as such. Updating your data in DEERS 

will help future data imports from DEERS to be accurate. 

The Emergency Contacts pane contains location and contact information for any 

person(s) not necessarily a family member but who can serve as a “Point of Contact” 

for you if the DoD is unable to reach you or one of your family members directly. 

Clicking the respective Edit/Add button for a specific pane will allow you to edit the 

data displayed in that pane. 
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5.2.1 Editing “Displaced Location” 

a. Click the Edit button in the top-right corner of the “Displaced Location” pane. 

The “Edit Displaced Location” page appears. 

b. Add and/or edit your Displaced Location information as required and click the 

appropriate button to either Save or Cancel the updates you made. 

c. If you enter a displaced location, you will find that a Returned Home button 

has been added next to the Edit button in the “Displaced Location” pane. 

d. Click the Returned Home button when you are no longer displaced. This 

will clear any displaced location information displayed in the pane. 
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5.2.2 Editing “Employee’s Contact Info” 

a. Click the Edit button in the top-right corner of the “Employee’s Contact Info” 

pane. The “Edit Employee's Home Address and Contact Info” page appears. 

This page displays your home address and contact information on the left and 

contrasts it against the latest DEERS data pull on the right. 

b. If needed, edit your last, first, or middle name at the top of the page. 

c. Edit your FEPAAS Information in the box to the left of the page. 

d. If your FEPAAS location and contact information is incorrect and the displayed 

DEERS data is correct, you may use any of the three < Copy buttons to copy the 

displayed DEERS data over the corresponding FEPAAS data instead of 

manually typing in the information. 

e. If the displayed DEERS information is incorrect, you may use the provided 

DEERS link to log onto the DEERS site and update your DEERS information. 

Note: 

 Using the provided link to update your DEERS information at the 

DEERS site will NOT update the DEERS information displayed in 

FEPAAS immediately. FEPAAS reflects the last data import 

received from DEERS which is dated as such. Updating your data 

in DEERS will help future data imports from DEERS to be 

accurate. 
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f. Click the appropriate button to either Save or Cancel the updates you made. 

5.2.3 Editing “Emergency Contacts” 

a. Click the Add POC button in the top-right corner of the “Emergency Contacts” 

pane. The “Add Point of Contact” window opens. 

b. Add the name, address and contact information for the new POC and click the 

appropriate button to either Save or Cancel

c. Clicking Save results in the “Add Point of Contact” window closing and the 

“Emergency Contacts” page refreshing to display the newly added POC. 

d. Clicking the Edit button for a specific emergency contact will open the “Edit Point 

of Contact” page for that POC. 

e. Clicking the Remove button for a specific emergency contact will delete that 

emergency contact. 
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5.3 Event Information 

If you have been affected by an event, you will see an “Event Information” menu item. 

a. Click on the “Event Information” menu item. 

This page consists of four panes all related to the status of having been affected by 

an event. 

 The Displaced Location pane is a duplicate of the “Displaced Location” 

pane on the Contact Information page, under My Info tab. See section 

5.2.1 for more information. 

 The Accounting Status pane contains the accounting statuses for you 

and all of your dependents in the system for a particular event (if required 

to account). 

 The Event Information pane provides further event-related information. 

 The Other POCs pane is similar to the Emergency Contacts pane on 

the Contact Information page. See section 5.2.3 for more information. 

b. Click the Edit button in the top-right corner of the “Event Information” pane. The 

pane contents become editable and the Edit button (just pressed) will be replaced by 

a Save button. 

c. Update the pane contents as required and click the Save button. The pane contents 

will be saved and the Save button will be replaced by an Edit button.
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5.4 Username & Password 

a. Click on the “Username & Password” menu item. At the top is your username, which 

should be your .mil email address. If not, choose it from the “Select Username” menu 

and click Save. 

b. Your default password is set to your birth date in the YYYYMMDD format followed by 

the last 4 of your SSN. This page provides you with the option to change it to a 

password of your own choosing. 

c. Type your new password in the “New Password” and “Confirm Password” fields. 

Make sure that the new password meets the criteria described in the “Password 

Rules” section. 
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d. If the new password does not meet the password rules, a message in red will be 

displayed above the text fields. 

e. Click the Save button to submit your password change. You will receive confirmation 

of your password being successfully changed. 

NOTE: If you forget your password, any of your Supervisor Representatives (SUPVs) 

can reset it back to the initial password based on your date of birth, or you can call the 

FEPAAS Help Desk and ask them to do it. 

6 Event Tab 

6.1 Verify and Update Home Information 

a. The Event tab takes you through a three step process to obtain your current location 

and contact information and to assess your needs as a result of being affected by an 

event. 

b. Review all the location and contact information fields and make any necessary 

updates. 

c. Click the Continue button to submit your location and contact information updates 

and proceed to Step 2 of the assessment process (if required). 

Note: 

 Not all events will have a Needs Assessment survey. If there is no 

Assessment, after you click the Continue button, you are done and can 

go to the other tabs such as Home, My Info, or Reference. 
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6.2 Needs Assessment Survey (Introduction) 

a. After updating your location and contact information you will see a brief introduction 

to the Assessment Survey. The Needs Assessment Survey is designed to help 

sponsors and dependents identify disaster related needs. By reviewing the 19 

disaster categories, sponsors and dependents are able to specify needs to ensure 

the best possible disaster assistance. 

b. Take a moment to review the survey description frequently asked questions. 

c. Click on any of the questions you may want answered. 

d. When you have finished, click the Continue to Survey >> button to be taken to the 

survey itself. 

e. If later in (or after completing) the assessment process, you would like to return to 

the Introduction to the Assessment Survey, you may click the “Introduction / FAQ” 

menu item on the left at any time. 

NOTE: If you are affected by an event that does not require an Assessment, you will 

see the following page: 
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7 Reference Tab 

a. Click on the Reference tab. Several scrollable panes of information are displayed 

b. Clicking on links will either open another window with that website, or give you the 

option to view or download files – indicated with “(PDF)”. 

c. You can click the small icon ( ) in the upper-right corner of a pane to “detach it” so it 

appears in its own browser window. 

 
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8 Help Tab 

a. Click on the Help tab to display the Help page. 

b. Click on the links in the User Guides and Other Downloads pane to download 

documents. 

c. The Contact Info pane contains the phone numbers and email for the FEPAAS Help 

Desk. 

d. The Release Notes pane contains information on the latest changes made to the 

system. Click on the small icon ( ) in the upper-right corner of this pane if you want to 

“detach it” so it appears in its own larger browser window. 

e. Complete the Feedback survey in the Feedback pane by clicking on the radio buttons 

to answer the survey questions and adding any comments. 

f. Click the Submit button to submit the survey. You will receive confirmation that your 

feedback was submitted. 

Remember, your feedback will help us improve the system, not just for you, but for 

all future FEPAAS users. 
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9 Acronyms 

CAC Common Access Card 

CIC Customer Interaction Center 

CPMS Civilian Personnel Management Service 

DEERS Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System 

DLA Defense Logistics Agency 

DoD Department of Defense 

DSN Defense Switched Network 

EFM Exceptional Family Member 

FEPAAS Fourth Estate Personnel Accountability and Assessment System 

GAOI Geographical Area of Interest 

PDF Portable Document Format (Adobe Acrobat file format) 

PIN Personal Identification Number 

POC Point of Contact 

SD San Diego 

SSN Social Security Number 

SUPV Supervisor Representative (FEPAAS user type) 

TDD Telecommunications Device for the Deaf 

TDY Temporary Duty 

TTY Text Telephone