I was approved for cleared work last year, yet I am currently not visible in Scattered Castles. In 2017, I applied for a position with a company and received a contingent offer based on my ability to get cleared and placed on a contract. Once I was notified that my clearance was approved, I also found out that the Prime on the contract had conditions too. In particular, that they would not put my information into Castles until my resume was selected from a pool of resumes by the client and I was briefed by the Prime. It has been several months now and I still have not been selected. I am now looking elsewhere, but I am missing out on opportunities because I am not in Castles. What options do I/ or a FSO have to verify that I am cleared, or the results of my BI and adjudication?
Sounds like you are in a contract situation, where the contract company has IC cleared contracts, but you are not on one of them. You need not be visible in SC to apply for these positions. You are likely listed in JPASS. If you apply elsewhere and are convinced you have eligibility and have been briefed or read in (it doesn’t sound like you have been), they easily cross over up to 24 months after clearance granted. You likely have clearance eligibility, and a BI was completed. If both are in scope and A OK…you can get crossed over. But you do not show up in SC until you are on a contract, and the COTR for the contract signed the form acknowledging you as on contract. When that form is returned tot he contract FSO, they in turn, with HR call and give you a start date.
Not unusual to exist in a pooled of BI completed people, ready to be tasked on a contract, but not yet on a contract. Lots of influencing factors there. Time to get the clearance is most prevalent. I conduct 10 to 15 security interviews and screenings monthly. This results in roughly 4 to 5 getting an SF 86, maybe 3 get returned. ! will be hopelessly full of errors or other misconduct they did not speak to during the screening. The remaining two require lots of tweaking, and back and forth between the applicant and out office before scanning to the government. We may get 2 or 3 out of the system each month.
Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I am in a pickle as I have not been briefed or read on. Also, I am not in JPASS either from what I have been told from other employers. What I do not understand is how come there isn’t any record of my BI and adjudication results that a FSO can use to as verification. As you can see, I am new to this whole process and did not think that anything could be worse than the administration at my graduate school… but boy was I wrong.
That’s funny. I guarantee the cleared world is full of…well…interesting quirks. If you are not showing in JPASS, then you are not cleared at this point. Are you saying the FSO informed you that you were indeed cleared? Scattered C is a tad quirky in and of itself. By design it was intended to list all the clearances of the scattered…castles, where each IC member had their own database. Some still hold off and wont’ list folks or share info on clearances even though reciprocity is fed law. Most domains (castles) still maintain their own systems as well, the SAP world has one, the SCI world has one, State has their own unique one and doesn’t’ play well with any others. At times an FSO or HR person misspeaks and will confuse the issue. Normally the company does not put you into SC, the Client will, as they are the repository of approval granting you access to their info. Your company MAY have access to read SC, and verify clearances, but it is on the high side. The name isn’t classified, but accessing the system requires classified access.
Did you complete an SF86 or equip submission? Did you meet with an investigator? If it was for a Secret clearance you may not have met an investigator. But for TS you will certainly sit with one. A Secret BI can run 3 to 6 months. TS can run 12 to 18 months with ease. So if you are less than that…I would not think you are cleared yet.
Footnote: Secret clearances aren’t reflected in SC
I completed the SF86 last early spring 2017. Meet with my investigator in during the summer of 2017, took ploy in fall of 2017 and was told I was approved in winter 2017. Currently, I am applying to CSR’s that the prime puts out to their subs and if selected, I will then be briefed and read on by the prime. So, I would assume that there is nothing left holding me back other than the gotcha the prime toled me after I was approved. The sub says that they do that to prevent people from running off with their clearances.
Also, I was told by another company that I applied for that I was not in JPASS, and that JPASS and Castles do not play nice with each other. So, until I get selected, it looks like it is next to impossible for someone to verify my approval. However, another FSO from another company told me that they could query DSS as long as they have my investigation dates and approval date, is that possible ( assuming the Prime will give me that info, which I doubt it) ?
Hmmm. In order to submit you for the clearance, you required a specific form, signed by a COTR for a contract. Reason being no company has carte blanche approval to simply clear people. It isn’t their clearance, it is a federal clearance, granted by the government, particularly those who conducted your Poly. Now the Poly may have been conducted at a company site, a hotel, or a client primary location. Making it muddier…DSS is an authority on inspections for the Industrial cleared contractors for sure…but certain clients have a bigger stick than they do. Bottom line anyone submitting you for a clearance…and you will show up in a database somewhere reflecting what was already accomplished, preventing duplicity, or repeating what is in scope. I can tel you my client returns the cover form to us directly, as I am the signatory on the the form submitted through our COTR (returned to me and I send to clearance division). So when a person clears for our effort, I get the returned form. I am assuming you took a CI or lifestyle Poly or targeted and specific directed Poly…as I have never seen anyone clear in under 12 months if getting a full scope Poly. Heck, some Secret clearances take 2 years, just got one approved from 2015 submittal. But if your company you worked with claims you are cleared…then proof of the clearance resides in a system on the government side. Doesn’t matter if it is OPM or not, it would be visible to the government in determining if you had a BI. I have endlessly worked with State in attempts to cross over their clearances and they have been the worst to get reciprocity. It took several rounds of elevation to my government client to get visibility in SC for one of their clearances. They just do not play well with others. When I submit for Crossover (which is what you would have happen if applying elsewhere) they first check their system, if no record they check JPASS, as a separate system as the two do not cross pollinate. And as I said earlier Secret clearances in the IC rarely show up in their system. But each IC member has their own proprietary systems as well. And even those with access may not have the depth of knowledge required to interpret the client codes…designed to further hide clearance info.
I took the ploy at the CIA, and it was a two day poly. I never asked what type it was, so I am not sure but from what I read online, the questions covered the FS. So, based on what you said, I really have three options:
- Wait it out and hope I get selected ( also, they are TS/ISSA positions if that helps clear up anything - I heard that issa is the same as sci?)
- Apply to the government and hope they can verify my clearance approval
- Have another company resubmit my SF86 and wait till they get a ping with results from some federal database saying that this has already be completed.
For that particular client I would be amazed you are cleared. Sounds more like you are in adjudication and waiting. I’ve never seen a person clear faster than 12 months for that clearance. You may get a follow up interview request 5 plus months out from last Poly. Once that agency clears you I am confident you show up in their system. Period. Your FSO doesn’t put you in SC, you simply clear and are then listed in there…but you need read in or it never takes place.
That is the thing, I haven’t been briefed/ read on yet and from your last statement, if I am not read in, it would be like it never took place. Furthermore, that briefing will not happen until my resume gets selected by the client for one of their IT positions per the prime’s FSO. So, fingers crossed I get selected for my most resent submission.
Your situation is directly in line with CMarko’s post on eligibilty vs active clearance. As I said, if not read in and I will add his comment “a wet signed NDA,” you do not possess a clearance actively.
Any luck? I am in the exact same positions as you right now I’ve started speaking to other companies and they don’t seem too worried about my situation but I haven’t had them check sc or jpas yet though I know my clearance like yours won’t be there.
Yes, they just need to get off their buts and put in a little work. There were two companies who did this and verified that I was in the system… I am now in both SC and getting it transferred to JPASS too. Also, there is a possibility of yours going inactive if not activated by a certain time.
Thank you! I just got my approval earlier this month and am starting to look at other companies because the one who did mine doesn’t have positions that match my skillset open on their contract right now.
How were they able to get you to appear in sc and jpas before being accepted and read on with them?
No Prob… if t is approved, then it is there at the agencies headquarters for sure. The company needs to have competent security personal to be able to find your info. Just be sure to let them know that up front so you are not wasting time looking, because I was told that I had six months or I risk it getting deactivated.
Your have to be tied to a project.
So a different company found your approval information and transferred it over and read you on themselves?
I’ve seen you post on a couple different forum websites, and this has nothing to do with what you asked I’m sorry but could you tell me your timeline from COE to favorably adjucated, would
be much appreciated, thank you
Yes. two companies were able to verify that I was approved for cleared work. Next, the company that I accepted an offer for crossed it over and I was read-on onsite at a 3 letter agency a few weeks later.
So, there is hope for you… you just have to put in a little work and make them do a bit more than just checking SC. Oh, this type of stuff happens more than you think and I was lucky that one of the companies had a procedure
for that type of situation.
For me my timeline was
January 2017 submitted sf86
BI spring 2017
Poly fall 2017
Approved spring 2018