B

BA – Breathing Apparatus OR Business Agent (B.A.) OR Business Associate

Breathing Apparatus –

A piece of equipment that provides breathable air to the user.

Business Agent (B.A.) –

The position title some unions give to their local union representative to represent their members.

Business Associate –

A person or entity that performs certain functions or activities that involve the use or disclosure of protected health information (PHI) on behalf of, or provides services to, an entity covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

BAA – Business Associate Agreement

A legal contract between a healthcare provider and a person or entity that performs certain functions or activities that involve the use or disclosure of protected health information (PHI) on behalf of, or provides services to, an entity covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

BAC – Blood Alcohol Concentration

The percent of alcohol present in the bloodstream. Also noted as Blood Alcohol Content.

BAH – Basic Allowance for Housing

An allowance to help offset costs for U.S. military member’s living quarters when government quarters are not provided. 

BAIID – Breath Alcohol Ignition Interlock Device

A device installed in a vehicle’s ignition that measures a driver’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to ensure it is under a certain threshold before allowing the car to start.

BALCA – Board of Alien Labor Certification Appeals

A group of administrative law judges (ALJs) at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) who handle appeals related to the certification of immigrant workers.

BAM – Benefit Accuracy Measurement

Refers to the U.S. government’s Benefit Accuracy Measurement (BAM) program, which helps states and the federal government audit for fraud and errors in unemployment insurance (UI) claims.

BAP – Brief Adjudicative Proceeding

A legal hearing that is shorter and less formal than a full adjudication process.

BAPCA – Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act
A federal law enacted to make it more difficult for higher-income people to file for personal bankruptcy by using a means test based on monthly income, among other measures.

BARS – Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scales

A type of employee rating system that focuses on the critical behaviors and skills needed to successfully perform a specific job.

BAS – Base Allowance for Subsistence

A non-taxable allowance for U.S. military members to defray a portion of the cost of members’ meals.

BASD – Base Active Service Date

The date when a U.S. Army (USA) soldier began service.

BASS – Breath Alcohol Sample Simulator

A device that provides an alcohol-in-air test sample to help calibrate breath alcohol measurement devices.

BAT – Biometric Automated Toolset OR Breath Alcohol Technician

Biometric Automated Toolset –

A system that collects and compares fingerprints, iris images and facial photos to protect U.S. national security interests.

Breath Alcohol Technician –

A person who instructs and assists employees in the breath alcohol testing process.

BAU – Business As Usual

Describes the continuation of business operations despite any unusual circumstances in the business environment.

BBA – Bipartisan Budget Act

A law signed into effect in 2018 that increased limits on the U.S. government’s defense and nondefense discretionary spending.

BBAN – Basic Bank Account Number

A formatted number that links a bank account to a specific country based on its own standards.

BBSS – Benefits Biometrics Support System

A database of biometric information used and operated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

BCC – Bilingual Certificate of Competence OR Border Crossing Card

Bilingual Certificate of Competence –

Official certification that an individual is highly skilled in a second language.

Border Crossing Card –

A U.S. identity document that authorizes qualified travelers to visit the United States temporarily.

BCG – Bacillus Calmette-Guérin

Refers to the Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which is used in some countries to help protect against tuberculosis (TB).

BCIR – Business Conduct Incident Report

A document with information about a work-related event that possibly violated conduct standards or laws.

BCLAD – Bilingual, Cross-cultural, Language and Academic Development (California)

An authorization, based on certification, to provide specialized instruction to individuals for whom English is a second language. 

BCMR – Boards of Correction for Military Records

A board within various U.S. military branches that performs administrative reviews to correct errors or remove injustices from personnel records.

BCP – Business Continuity Plan OR Business Continuity Planning

Business Continuity Plan –

A document of the necessary steps and other information needed to help ensure a business can recover after a disruption to its operations and return to a normal operating state as soon as possible.

Business Continuity Planning –

The act of deciding the necessary steps and other information needed to help ensure a business can recover after a disruption to its operations and return to a normal operating state as soon as possible.

BCR – Binding Corporate Rules (European Union)

Rules that must follow European Union (EU) data protection regulations when multinational and international organizations transfer personal data from the European Economic Area (EEA).

BDD – Benefits Delivery at Discharge
A program of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that provides eligible service members on full-time active duty (AD) who have an illness or injury that they believe was caused or made worse by their AD service to file a claim for disability benefits at 180 to 90 days before they leave the military.

BDR – Backup and Disaster Recovery

Actions taken, including setting up data backup, to return an organization to a normal state after a disruption to its operations.

BEA – United States Bureau of Economic Analysis

As part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, this bureau provides national economic statistics on U.S. production, consumption, investment, exports, imports, income, savings and more.

BEER – Beneficiary Earnings Exchange Record

Earnings and employer data sent from the Social Security Administration (SSA) to states requesting the information.

BEI – Behavioral Event Interview

A type of interview that focuses on a job candidate’s past behavior in various workplace situations to help predict future job performance. Often noted more simply as a behavioral interview (BI).

BENDEX – Beneficiary Earnings and Data Exchange

A batch exchange of information relevant to eligibility for certain state assistance programs sent from a Social Security Administration (SSA) centralized computer.

BEP – Business Enterprise Program (various states)

A type of program that typically assists people with visual impairments to do business with various levels of government and/or in the private sector.

BEPS – Base Erosion and Profit Shifting

A type of tax avoidance strategy whereby companies shift profits to low or tax-exempt jurisdictions.

BEST – Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool OR Border Enforcement Security Task Force

Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool –

An online tool from the U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) to help people find Social Security benefits and whether they may be eligible to receive them.

Border Enforcement Security Task Force –

As part of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), an investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), this task force targets and fights Transnational Organized Crime (TOC).

BFOQ – Bona Fide Occupational Qualification

An employee quality or attribute (except for race) that employers are legally allowed to request when making hiring and retention decisions, but that otherwise would be considered discriminatory under the law.

BI – Background Investigation OR Behavioral Interview OR Business Intelligence

Background Investigation –

A review of several aspects of a person’s history, which may include employment, education, criminal record, credit history or other areas.