I’ve been following along this thread for a while, but I thought I would jump in here. For my TS/SCI:
Jan 21 2019 - Submitted SF-86
Mar 07 2019 - Interview with investigator, who tells me all my references have already been interviewed.
My BI has seemingly gone quite quickly - maybe because I’m in the Midwest? It’s been a few weeks without contact, I’m waiting for a call to set up my poly/medical/etc.
My current timeline for Secret clearance, waiting to start work with a DoD contractor. I can’t start any sort of work without an interim or full clearance.
Aug 2018 - Went out for job interview
Sept 2018 - Accepted conditional job offer, SF-86 filled out, fingerprints done, submitted to OPM
Oct/Nov 2018 - Credit checked (had to pull full report to see the soft-check)
Dec 2018 - Contacted FSO and found out that interim was ‘pending’, suggested to contact congressperson
January 2019 - Tried to contact congressperson’s office, they said they were taking care of it.
March 2019 - Contacted different congressperson’s office, they actually took care of it. Heard from investigator a few days later.
April 2019 - Met with investigator who said, “I am surprised you didn’t get an interim” and sent me on my way after a half hour of talking.
Current - Waiting for adjudication, presumably. Investigator said the report would be done and submitted the day after my interview.
I had a similar response from investigator (mine is TS btw so it varies), but just keep being patient since there is not much you can do. My investigator told me she would send the report it in the next day and investigation will be closed, but it didn’t close till 4 months later. Im not sure if mine had any additional things they needed, but she said no issues.
I don’t think that an investigator should be saying any such thing.
As my investigator put it, all of the checks had been done other than the interview, which they stated would simply need to be typed up. I can’t say whether they stuck to their schedule exactly, I think they just wanted me to know where I was in the process.
Does anyone know when the “adjudication phase” starts? I’m undergoing a TS/SCI and I was interviewed in Jan 2019. I originally submitted my SF 86 in Jul 2017. Am I in the adjudication phase or does that occur after the poly?
If a polygraph is part of the required steps then they cannot complete adjudication without it. Now, can they take a look at everything else and make a decision that once they get a nice clean (ie,successful) poly it is good to go?
Your guess is as good as mine.
I’ll share my timeline for my T3 Reinvestigation done for a civilian contracting job but also used for my Air Force Reserve job.
May 2017 - Submitted SF-86
June 2017 - Investigation started
June 2017 - Credit pulled
June 2018 - Enhanced Subject Interview
July 2018 - Follow up meeting with investigator and then another meeting with initial investigator’s coworker (Had to redo a form for an alcohol assessment release from my initial meeting…twice)
Dec 2018 - Investigation phase complete
March 2019 - Adjudication complete, security clearance granted.
I had disclosed a DUI/reckless driving charge on my SF-86 as well as an alcohol counseling session as part of my sentencing. I also indicated alcohol had caused an issue as a result of the arrest. I also had previously disclosed the incident to both my civilian and military security managers and supervisors. During the interview I took complete ownership of the incident and expressed honest regret in what happened. Most of my interview revolved around this event with the exception of a few random questions. One was why I had made a money order for $11K at a Fred Meyer (sold a car and wanted to convert the cash quickly) and another was a question about a deployment overseas but I couldn’t figure out where the investigator was going with that one so I answered I had been on a deployment and that was the end of that.
Overall, followed a lot of the good advice posted here since my 7 years since the arrest and my eventual reinvestigation. Glad to have that behind me now.
You must have followed the instructions on the form and answered the questions accurately! Great job! That’s what majorly slows down the process - answering questions incorrectly. I admit that the SF86 is definitely NOT an intuitive form. Some questions are just mind-numbing and people just put an answer, or “I don’t know”. Each of the unanswered questions, Estimated dates, “I don’t know”, Unknown responses have to be researched by the Investigators. This takes time that could have been avoided. Good luck!
A colleague of mine recently left for a DOD contract job requiring Secret clearance. He told me he filled out the SF86 in January 2019, got interim pretty quickly, and final Secret clearance granted in April 2019 - THREE months from start to finish, including the month where govt. was shutdown. This seems too good to be true, but he’s not the type to fabricate something like this, and he wouldn’t be leaving his current role until he’s got the clearance approval in hand.
It happens. The numbers that are often cited are averages (typically for fastest 90%), and they have long tails toward the long-wait extremes. However, there are still a few people on the front end who pass through insanely quickly. I would assume that your colleague also had his clearance processing expedited, probably had very little to investigate, and didn’t move around much in the last few years. I would expect good credit, no crimes, no foreign contacts, minimal foreign travel, and no drug usage.
So I have resigned from DOS effective 04/12/19. I was scheduled to have a psych eval for my periodic reinvestigation on 04/17. I really think things would have gone really bad had I gone through with it. Instead, I will be starting law school in August and I don’t have to worry about a security clearance denial/termination/thousands of dollars on legal fees to worry about. What are everyone else’s thoughts? Do you think I made the right choice?
Is this routine for State Dept? I’ve heard of a psych eval for an initial, as well as if any specific issue arises.
I’m in the same situation. I graduated college last year in April and took polys in August. I know the first one was “inconclusive” and apparently I showed a reaction on the major crimes section for the second one, but I think its entirely possible I passed both. Any thoughts? Does an inconclusive make a denial very likely?
No, this was not standard, at least in my case. I did have some previous issues that need to be mitigated. I’ve been seeing a Psychiatrist at the VA every 3 months for the last 3 years and have been taking antidepressants. This likely spurred the order for the eval. But I was admitted to 2 law schools early last month. A security clearance denial would have put my prospects of law school in grave jeopardy. So I just chose to resign and forgo the appointment rather than risk a lengthy appeals process and thousands of dollars I don’t have in legal expenses.
Good on you for seeking treatment. We all need support anyone trying to address and resolve or come to an understanding regarding our own mental health. I don’t see where a security clearance denial would impact law school applications though. I sought counseling in the midst of a divorce, attended for about 18 months and I am a better person for it. It is insightful having a trained person force you to see things from different angles.
The federal and individual state bars, and to a lesser extent, law school admissions offices, have character and fitness requirements for admission to the bar of their jurisdiction and to the law school. A security clearance denial, particularly if it is on the basis of substance abuse or a mental health condition, would call into question one’s fitness to practice law. I am even aware of a few bar jurisdictions that specifically ask if an applicant has ever had or been denied a security clearance.
As I mentioned before, I did have an alcohol related incident 2 years ago, and I was seeing mental health provider at the VA. The State Department knew all of these facts long before my periodic reinvestigation was initiated. Yet for some reason, they only chose to refer me for evaluation when it came time for the PRI.
Given what was at stake, I chose to resign and walk away. From what I understand, this means my case goes into loss of jurisdiction.
I’ve been trolling on this forum since i started my bi journey about 10 months ago so i thought i would take the time today to share my story thinking it will give hope to someone else in the way that all of your stories have helped me. About 11 months ago I worked for a large corporation that wasn’t affiliated with the government. The majority of my career was spent with them. One day i was called into a conference room and questioned about a possible policy violation. Two weeks later i was told the company was “ending the employment relationship” without any other explanation. While i disagreed with the termination because i was following my supervisors instructions, i understood that my actions violated the company unwritten policy. Shortly after being fired, i was offered a DOD contractor position that required a secret clearance. I fiilled out the sf86, received an interim at some point and 4 months later had a phone interview with an investigator. Much to my suprise, he asked about the circumstances behind the termination but didnt seem overly concerned. He was way more concerned with my in-law aunts that live in The Philippines that i havent seen in 6 years but didnt think to list on the sf86. I gave all of the information i had for them in the interview and he said someone would be in contact to look in-person at my passport. I never heard from anyone after that day. Fast-forward to today, i received an email from my fso that she needed to do an in brief for my final clearance. My advice is to be upfront and honest. That’s your best shot at getting your clearance. Below is my timeline:
Aug 2018: reviewed/ submitted sf86/fingerprints with my FSO
December 2018: notified interim approved
December 2018: phone interview with investigator
May 2019: notified final clearance issued
Outside of the termination and foriegn in-law relatives, my sf86 was squeaky clean.
Hope this helps…goodluck!
Great info, congrats! Concur, be honest. Getting fired or released doesn’t mean you are a bad person. I tell my applicants to look at it as an honesty test. They will find the info, so be up front and use the same language as the company. If you disagree with circumstances, just state so with no emotion.
Hey brother, exact same termination circumstances with yours. Only mine involves fake charges conjure up by a retaliatory supervisor. After I was terminated, I got in touch with a good lawyer who settle all of my charges with the Govt. The termination was rescinded, the suspensions was rescinded, and I resigned voluntarily. Also I would have to dropped all of my MSPB, Arbitration, and EEO cases, and I did.
During my T5 investigation a few years later, I told the truth on everything and even gave the investigator my settlement agreement so he can see for himself.
A couple of weeks ago, I learn my T5 was adjudicated with favorable result. So just be honest is my best advice.