What is a Level of Assurance?
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has defined 4 separate levels of assurance. Level 1 would be equivalent to a self registration. The web site or application does not really need to know who you are, just that that you are the same person that registered and is using the account. Level 2 credential requires a certain amount of confide or “level of assurance” that you are who you say you are. This is why in person proofing is required for level 2 credentials. This is the level of assurance needed to access most VA participating applications. Levels 3 and Level 4 require additional technology besides a user id and password to provide the additional level of confidence that is required for highly secure application requirements. This level of security would be common in military or national security situations.
