I work for a government contractor. I was going through a really tough time with depression earlier this year. I confided in my supervisor that, although I was not suicidal, I viewed suicide as a viable option. My supervisor had concerns about my well-being and reported me to someone within our organization. I was escorted to Medical for a Fitness for Duty evaluation and also made to meet with an EAP counselor. The doctor and the counselor agreed I was not suicidal and the doctor cleared me for duty with no restrictions. The next day, I was notified by my manager that my clearance was being revoked, but I could reapply for a clearance. My clearance wasn’t revoked, but was downgraded from ‘Q’ to Building Access Only. My employer notified me that I was going to be terminated since I was “unable to maintain” the clearance which was required for my job. I learned that my employer asked the government to downgrade my clearance and the government did so. Since the government did not investigate any derogatory comments or revoke my clearance, I was not able to appeal the downgrade. Is an employer-requested downgrade a common occurrence?
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The clearance goes with the seat, the position, not the person.
Sounds like your employer contract company duly notified your security office of a concern. It isn’t your company’s clearance to downgrade. Its up to the government security office to act.
I’ve known several people with a mental health crises in their life. They had to take a knee, seek counseling. Get help. Once under treatment and off the X…all is well even under medication. Sometimes the government security office
wanted to meet with them. But they were able to move forward and keep working.
I would think you have grounds for wrongful termination.
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