Just got my secret clearance. I have been told that I will need a SAP prior to starting my new job with this defense contractor. Anyone been through this process? How long it normally takes after getting security clearance?
The process involves 2 main components.
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The sponsor submits a justification statement that goes through the chain of command and the approving official for the program decides whether or not the justification is good enough.
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You fill out some forms they use to re-adjudicate your background investigation. At minimum, you fill out 2 forms. The Personnel Security Questionnaire (PSQ) and the SF-86C. Depending on your answers on the SF-86C, you may need to fill out additional supplementary forms.
The PSQ is just a few Yes-or-No questions that ask you if there has been any changes in your status regarding things such as criminal conduct and foreign associations. To be frank, if you answer “yes” to any of these questions, it is going to make the process longer and puts you at risk for denial. Some programs are more picky than others about what they will let slide, so there is no cut and dry formula that determines whether or not you will be denied based on these answers.
The SF-86C asks you if there are any sections on your current SF-86 on file that need updating. If you indicate “yes” on any of the sections, you will be required to fill out a corresponding supplementary form that they will use to update your SF-86 for you.
If the approval authority decides the justification statement is sufficient and you are favorably re-adjudicated, your local security officer will be informed and they will schedule you for a read-in.
I’m no longer in the SAP world but I was at my previous job and went through this process several times. In my anecdotal experience, it usually took 4-6 months after the initial submission for me to get read in. For context, I was working at the Secret level and my background was squeaky clean other than a few speeding tickets.