2 years awaiting adjudication, can’t reach sponsoring company

SECURITY CLEARANCE Q&A
#1

About 3 years ago I was recruited by a company for an overseas linguist position. They agreed to sponsor me and the investigation began in June 2018. My recruiter told me I was being sponsored for a secret level clearance and to expect the process to take around 8 months. Since then I would call in and check once every 3 months or so, several times I would be told my point of contact no longer worked for the company, and that there was a new program manager and FSO. Each time they told me there’s nothing I can do but wait. Eventually, one of the new program managers tells me that I’m actually being processed for a TSI, and that my investigation had been closed since April 2019, and is awaiting adjudication. He says that he wants to set up a polygraph for Spring 2020. Then covid hits and the polygraph can’t be scheduled, at this point it’s been years since I began the investigation but I’m thinking it’s a TSI with poly, that’s normal and it will be worth the wait. Eventually I call back because it’s been several months since we last spoke, I find out he no longer works for the company and I have a new FSO, and program manager. I only find this out because I called the main office and asked to speak to my previous point of contact. The person who picks up the phone tells me that the entire office is working remotely and he can not provide me their phone numbers. I email them 6 times since November 2020, without a single response. I tried contacting their support team on Facebook, and continue to call the main office, each time they only give them their emails. I can not talk to anyone from the company related to my project.

Started investigation in July 2018
Closed investigation in April 2019
Last contact with company July 2020

At this point I have no idea what I can do. I’ve considered calling the previous program manager on his personal cell, or asking my current company to run a JPAS on me.

If I clearance is approved is the individual notified by OPM, or only through the FSO?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

#2

Unfortunately, a friend is having a somewhat similar experience with a large linguist contractor. His only point of contact for months has been with someone outside the contracting company but who is still involved in the process.

Did you have to update your SF-86 when you were told that your clearance was being upgraded?

Have you done a CI screening?

There are a few other linguists on this board who have been waiting on polygraphs for over a year too. When I did mine last fall, it was very last minute and I feel that I was lucky to be able to get in. My contractor told me that that was the first polygraph they had done in about eight months.

A roundabout way you can check your status is to apply elsewhere. I’ve applied to other companies as a backup for my current one and a few have checked my status and told me where it’s at.

#3

The only answer I can offer is that the government will not contact the individual directly, they will only contact the organization that sponsored/requested the investigation, so that means you would be contacted only after the FSO hears something.

Note that OPM is no longer involved in this, investigations have moved to DoD… except for the various “three-letter” agencies which do their own adjudication though they may use DoD to run investigations on contractors.

#4

As I understand it, linguists are “priority” security cases, and first one through with a favorable generally has the job. Most places put in a handful of applicants per position in case some are denied.

Some times, applicant processing falls through the cracks simply because the HR/recruiting side doesn’t relay up to date information to the security side.

Also, COVID put a big delay on a lot of polygraph processing in 2020 and has led to a backlog.

There will always be backlogs (despite what the government and industry like to say) and lag times getting out of those backlogs can be long.

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#5

Sorry, missed that part. If your current employer has an FSO that can check your JPAS status, I’d definitely ask them to.

#6

By the way, I don’t know what your language is, but as you may be aware the situation in Afghanistan is very fluid right now, so people in processing for that region may (and I only say “may”) be shifted to a lower priority while they wait for things to sort themselves out.

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#7

Thank you everyone for the replies.

For a little more context, my language is Korean which seems to be a high priority right now, especially in the past couple of years. In terms of the upgrade, I was never told it was upgraded, I was told it was actually a TSI even though my recruiter told me I was being processed for a secret.

The only reservation I have about contacting my current company’s FSO is that I’d have to ask my manager to connect me with one and it might give the sense I want to leave.

With Korean linguist positions, they almost always require a TSI, until I get cleared I can’t move to another job or move up to a higher position within my current company. I’m fortunate enough to work on an uncleared position but if I were to lose my job I’m not sure I could find another uncleared linguist position. I’ve even considered joining the army reserves to get it expedited, but I probably won’t do that.

#8

Aha! Well that is not quite what I envisioned when I read “overseas linguist position.”

Depending on what agency you are being processed through, JPAS (or DISS as it is now known) may not offer much info. Some agencies don’t use it at all, others may not update your record until it is finally adjudicated.

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#9

You must be processing by “my” contractor - welcome to the club! Almost a year since by BI closed and I can’t get a reply from them either on the phone (nobody picks up) or by email. My case can’t move into adjudication until a polygraph and CI is scheduled. So the wait continues…

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#10

Can you elaborate please? Or send me to an article that describes what you are talking about. (Afghan “fluid” situation)

#11

The ongoing “peace process” which seems to be going nowhere. If the US withdraws its military forces by 1 May (according to the current agreement) it could lead to chaos. If the US does not withdraw all its military forces by that date it could lead to chaos. Are we staying? Are we going? What about the rest of NATO? All that stuff

check out tolonews.com which is an English-language Afghan web site

#12

Oh ok. I get what you’re saying. I would think contractors working security at the embassy are probably good for now, at least I hope so.