Been around 90 days since we have the new updated guidance on telephone testimonies, specifically their requirement to be in person or document the refusal, how are everyone’s metrics? It honestly hasn’t affected me too much in all reality. I work next to, insert largest navy base in the world here, and 99% of my caseload is active duty so I just spend 4 hours on base and leave with 9-11 SUs a day. Wondering if the CACI or Peratons of the world have any new thoughts on now that they are running more behind on SUs.
I am not in the same org as any of the military bases in my state, and all of the Federal contractors (like Lockheed) are mostly remote still, so this has been hard. Ton of driving, not the best production. Until the post Covid requirement for everything to be done in person came out, I was a level 6 investigator who exceeded all metrics every month. Currently, I am just under production goal. In 8 years, I have never missed production once. I have missed every month since this guidance came out.
I am finding the hardest thing with the guidance is that office workers are still hybrid. I used to be able to get the subject interview and two sources for the employment done in one day. Now the Subject is in the office one day, the supervisor is in on another day, and the co-worker comes in on another day as well.
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the craziest part is DCSA took none of this into consideration before throwing everyone back into the field.
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The really craziest part is that we were heading towards more video interviews and telephone interviews for clear cases before Covid - and timelines improved.
Now the timelines (which seems only DCSA is held accountable - not the IC arena) are shortening because the Senate (and their industry sponsors) insist.
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I totally feel you, I’m like well I do need to hear that you refuse. And people get very defensive and say well I’m not saying no but I’m only available (insert terrible hours here)
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When I did civilian cases and not military, I agree. I had that same issue. “Well my boss is remote Monday-Thursday, I’m only here wednesdays, etc.”
And DCSA SAs like that’s fine, they also don’t have production requirements / deadlines. Contractors get treated like crap, and nobody has adjusted the SU expectation.
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Yep. I just had a source tell me that they are willing to meet in person, but it has to be when they are at work because they work nights and need the day time for sleeping. They really wanted me to come to their job at midnight for a source interview. I even asked if I could meet them first thing in the morning when they got off work before they went to bed and they said no, but still would not say they refused to meet in person. Wild.
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Do the phone interview and write the I-note that the interview was done telephonically based upon source unavailibilty during reasonable business hours.
If a reviewer asks you for more specific clarification to your I-note tell the reviewer to take a hike and tell Peraton or CACI to send out your local FM, CL, Level 6 Investigator extraordinaire to do a midnight source interview.
What a crock of crap. From 2018 until the time of COVID, TESI’s could be done by phone due to decreasing a backlog and all of a sudden we are restricted from interviewing someone by phone because a source requests a unreasonable and unbelievable midnight interview. We live in an asinine world with OPM/DCSA at the helm.
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So true, us gold badges get paid for doing nothing! You should really apply to be one of us, youll never work another day in your life!
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I am a level 6 investigator extraordinaire and I’m still not going out at midnight. Hahahahaha
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I honestly do no understand all the hand wringing over telephone testimonies. A source cannot be made to meet in person for an interview. If they want to speak by phone, get their reason, document it in your notes, and write a good inote. The re-interview letter, if the source gets one, will confirm that the source wanted to be interviewed by phone.
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I routinely suggest and ask the Subject if they can have a supervisor and/or coworker come in the same day that we meet for the ESI. Or call the supervisor before the ESI and tell them I will be in the office meeting with the Subject on a specific day and I could interview you both that day. They are often quite willing to accommodate.
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yup, its ridiculous to force a source to meet in person if they don’t want to. It’s not like they’re getting paid for their time.
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Had a case once on a contract military base security guard. He worked 10 to 6 at night. I went there at 10 and left at 2a.m. with SUBJ interview and source and record. Of course I spent 20 years in the military which kinda makes that scenario not so unusual. You do what you have to do.
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That just sounds like a bad idea all around. This is Subject’s investigation and Subject’s or their supervisor’s can accommodate a normal reasonable hours work schedule if asked nicely. At one point in the past this request resulted in the Supervisor arranging for me to fly on a military plane to a remote military base to meet with a Subject. This job doesn’t pay enough or come with an option of real authority (ie a weapon) to do things like meet with strangers at midnight. Thinking we have to “do” things like that is part of the horrible high turnover that is difficult for all.