Having a Security Clearance vs. Being Eligible for a Security Clearance

Your situation is unclear and it would have been better to have started a new thread rather than add to the end of this one . . .

Do you have a cleared job right now? If you were investigated and cleared back in 2016 but you never started the job, your investigation has expired and you would have to start over from scratch. That may be the “flag” that you were told about.