DoD CAF Unique Question?

SECURITY CLEARANCE Q&A
1

Good Morning All,

So, I added the question mark because, despite all my searching on this forum I just could not find anything that could offer some clarity to my situation.

To provide some depth and color for my story I will bring up some details from an earlier post I listed; here is yet another shout out too sbusquirrel, thanks again for all your feedback.

So, I went through a 2 plus year wait during my T5 investigation for DHS. While waiting I had pending applications with other agencies, and I ended up accepting another job with a higher GS while waiting. This position I accepted required a public trust and was NOT a cleared job. So, I went from one Federal agency to another federal agency with no break in service while my T5 investigation was being concluded.

Weeks before I made this decision I reached out to my local congressman and asked if there was anything, he could do to “Speed things up”. He mentioned that he had dealt with several folks going through my same situation: that being 2 plus years into an investigation and not hearing anything. What came from that was a signed letter from the Director of the NBIB that stated my “investigation on file of 01/2017 supports a Top-Secret security clearance determination”.

That was cool! Before accepting the job offer with another agency, I contacted DHS and kindly asked for my package to be withdrawn as I was accepting an offer with another agency, and no offer was being extended to me at that time.

Fast forward to present day. It is August 2020. All I have adjudicated and on file is a NACI with added child coverage as I worked for the VA as an ER Nurse. That was adjudicated June 2016.

I got my dream job offer with the Department of Defense that requires a Secret security clearance with a National Security caveat. When HR submits a request to open an investigation this was the response, they got.
“The Personnel Security Investigation Center of Excellence (PSI-CoE) validation reflects the Applicant, has an investigation on record equivalent to or higher than the requested investigation. A new investigation is not required at this time.”

I was confused but happy. So, I started my new job with a Final Secret, no interim and no new SF-86. I remember thinking this was odd and updated my timeline post from earlier and if I recall some of you stated this was becoming the new normal. That folks who had T5 investigations already completed but not adjudicated were being given Secret clearances based on those investigations. At the time it made sense because that would save a lot of time and money.

So, I am 7 months into my job, and I submit a DD-2875 for SIPR access. Everything is going fine until my acting security manager investigates JPAS, DISS, etc… and I have nothing on file? He shows me all the printouts and we cannot see any investigations. So, no worries we file another request to open an investigation and get the same response as above. So, my acting SM says, “What? You have an invisible investigation on file?” With everyone at the CAF working remotely he is not able to call the helpline and has submitted two requests thus far to provide my investigation that is supposedly on file that meets or exceeds the requirement so he can adjudicate my Secret for my SIPR access. I even went so far as to submit a FOIA request that took 3 months and what I received was of no help at all.

Can anyone advise me what we can do? Unfortunately, my acting SM is filing in to cover this role and is not as savvy as a typical RSO or SM. So, he is not certain what he can do. Meanwhile, my work on a project I created is at a standstill over this. I have been assured by my command that I have nothing to worry about and it will in no way affect my job and we will get through this. It is just frustrating because were doing everything right and going nowhere.

If any of you can offer some help, I would be grateful. Thank you in advance for taking the time to read all this.

2

You sure it was a T5 at dhs?

My T4 at DHS took 2.5 years and doesn’t show up since it’s a public trust.

3

It appears that while you have been investigated for a clearance that was never “granted”. Those are two separate steps and it is possible to be investigated without actually being granted any clearance. Thus there would be no clearance to show in JPAS/DISS. Someone with clearance granting authority needs to adjudicate and actually grant the clearance.

4

Agreed with everything you just said. Fortunately, my acting RSO/SM can adjudicate. He just needs to see the investigation and for some really weird reason, The CAF/DISS is not allowing him to see it. At present I think he formally requested a copy of the investigation. I have NO idea how long that might take as FOIA is suppose to be 30 days from receipt and mine took 3 months and yielded nothing. It’s all so odd because they will NOT even let him open a new investigation because they say I already have one on file that exceeds the requirements, so we can’t even go that route.

5

Yes, it was definitely a T5. The way it was described to me was this; “We are going to investigate you for a Top Secret level security clearance, however, you will not be issued a clearance unless it becomes necessary.” It had to do with the overall sensitivity of the job. And, I have a letter signed by the Director of the NBIB confirming the investigation. Sounds like we were in the same boat for time though. Congratulations on making it!

6

Isn’t that what they do for investigators? They all go through the T5 investigation but only a few (as I understand it) are ever actually given a clearance, if only because they do not generally require access to classified info to do their job.

7

Interestingly enough, I have heard that. The position I was going out for was in communications. So, my “Access” would have been to very sensitive elements for sure, just not classified. While your on my thread, any advice?

8

This is accurate. Most investigators do not actually fit the “need to know” requirement for the clearance. Some investigators will be given the clearance because they need one to visit a physical location.

9

This is very common for many jobs and positions. The military is a good example where everyone goes through the Tier 3 whether they will ever have access to classified information or not.

Many federal law enforcement positions are Tier 5, but don’t have access to TS.

The sensitivity and risk drives the background investigation. This is also part of the argument in the Trusted Work Force initiative to reduce the investigation types to just three. Low, medium, high.

10

Thank you for your response. That makes sense. Any guess as to a solution to my particular problem?