Case reviewer vs adjudicator?

SECURITY CLEARANCE Q&A
1

Hello everyone,

i just recently came across this site and it looks great. I am confused about something and hopefully someone can help. I have been in the process for a Q clearance with DOE for over 15 months now. Long story short I had my SI with the field investigator early in June. He finished the field work and told me he “sent it up” around June 12th. The other day he called to ask one small question and told me that my “my case was approved by the reviewer and he just needed to make sure about the issue he asked.”

I asked him what this meant and he said it was good news because after he was done with the field work he sent it to a reviewer and now since they approved it, it will now go to adjudication and I should hear something soon because my case had no issues: legal, financial and so on.

So my question is this… what is the difference between the reviewer and adjudicator!? to me it makes no sense to have some one look at everything and “approve” the case without granting clearance. How would the adjudicator find something different then the reviewer?

any thoughts?

2

A case reviewer is the investigative service provider’s quality control to ensure all investigation requirements on the case have been met and all issues, if any, are fully covered. Once the reviewer certifies the case meets all requirements it is sent to adjudication. The adjudicator reviews the case for adverse or derogatory information and applies the guidelines for wither a favorable or unfavorable determination.

3

Ok so if there is no adverse or derogatory information found in the case by the field investigator and other areas of the case then being adjudicated shouldn’t be an issue right?

4

In theory, however, field investigators only see the part of the case they are assigned to work on and won’t know the status of other items covered in the investigation. That is why the adjudicator reviews the entire case for a decision.