DIA Rescission Letter

Hi,

I received the following letter from the DIA:

“The letter is to advise you that based upon a thorough review of your qualifications, we have determined that you do not satisfy the Agency’s conditions of employment at this time. Therefore, we are unable to continue the pre-employment processing of your application.”

I believe that my offer was rescinded as I was completely candid about past drug use - having used a drug 11 months and 25 days ago (almost 1-full year).

My question is as follows: Can I re-apply to the DIA next month? Especially considering that in 5 days it will have been 1-year drug free?

Is this a letter which shows I am unsuitable for employment OR a letter which shows I have been denied a security clearance? As these are two very different things.

Does this affect my applications at other agencies negatively?

Thank you,

If the letter did not specifically state a time period of ineligibility then you should be able to apply at any time. However, it being an intelligence agency and having higher thresholds for drug use, one year of abstinence is not necessarily going to help you get a job.

My rule of thumb has been two years of abstinence. The more the better. I’ve heard other say one year.

I don’t think you have technically been denied a clearance so it should not affect other applications… but I think you will have to wait longer than a month to reapply.

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Marko is correct. Age comes into play regarding drug use. Since you were eliminated in a pre screen you are not required to wait 12 more months. As a rule of thumb once past age 23 or 24…2 years to 3 years should elapse to mitigate drug use. Amount used is also a factor. If it was heavy use, definitely 3 years. In theory one can move tractor trailers of drugs if you stopped doing it 5 years earlier. That is theory…doubtful theory, but theory none the less. As you become a responsible adult you need make responsible decisions. Another factor to consider is if you were in school and the type of drug used. MJ, Ecstasy, Ritalin, Adderall and the like are considered college drugs they expect to see with experimentation. If one moved regularly into cocaine or meth…it changes the discussion significantly. But again if one lived clean for 3 to 5 years, has a solid job, married, does not associate with the former friends…it can be mitigated. I did have one rejection for a person at age 19 who last used 11 months prior. Had I known the use was less than 12 months I would not have submitted but I was over ruled by an HR person.

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Thank you everyone for these replies! They are all very helpful.

Hey @epeebrothers,
Can I ask, how long was it between your poly or background investigation to the time you received that denial letter? Did they keep you hanging for a while before sending it?

Hi,

I submitted my SF-86 around August 1. I was informed nearly 2 weeks later of them cancelling my COE. They did not even start the security clearance process. They simply found me ineligible for unemployment.

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