Enable Attachment Type Security

There are a number of steps to take to set up the system to enable attachment type security.

Set up attachment types.
Use attachment type security to secure documents based on their associated attachment type. This allows you to restrict access to the HR Drug Test Results, HR Employment App, and other attachment types that are usually associated with documents that may contain sensitive information.
To effectively secure an attachment type, you must apply security settings to it. This page covers the four components to making attachment type security work:
  • Secure the attachment types
  • Set up security groups
  • Set up form security
  • Grant access by attachment type to users and/or groups

    You or others in your organization may have already set up some of these components.

  1. Secure the attachment types by selecting the Secured checkbox in the DM Attachment Types form.
    Note: By default, these attachment types are already secured:
    • Audit reports attached using the HQ Batch Control form are assigned the HQ Sensitive attachment type.
    • PR Ledger Update audit reports are assigned the PR Sensitive attachment type.
  2. Set up security groups.
    Generally attachment type security isn't applied to specific users. Instead, we recommend that you set up security groups for attachment types and then apply security to those groups. For information on setting up security groups, see About the VA Security Groups Form.
  3. Set up form security.
    Even though users may have access to an attachment type, to view documents associated with a data record, users must have permissions to the form which houses the data record. For example, a document may exist for a record in the AP Vendors form and have an associated attachment type named "AP". Any users which have access to the attachment type, but do not have access to the AP Vendors form, cannot view the document. For information on form security, see About the VA Form Security Form.
  4. Set up attachment type security.
    For more information, see About the VA Attachment Type Security Form.