IC Poly and Adjudication Process

Hello,
I have received a COE and just recently completed my poly, mental health, and background interview. Everything went well except for the poly. I did it twice, and the examiner said that the results were inconclusive and that they will submit it to the adjudicator for their decision. My background interview was the next day, and they said they will still conduct the phone calls and due diligence even though my poly was inconclusive. Just wanted to get any input you may have. Since the poly was inconclusive, does that mean my offer is automatically getting rescinded? Or is the poly only one part (a large part) of the whole process, and adjudicator bases their decision based off the poly and background and references interviews? Any thoughts or input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Well now begins the anxious waiting phase. The LONG anxious waiting phase.

Did they say anything about coming back for a retest?

Hard to say for sure where you stand at this point. Just have to wait and see. Which kinda sucks.

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Thanks. They haven’t asked me to do a third poly yet. I just recently completed the first process. I guess my question is, do I automatically get my COE rescinded because of the inconclusive poly result? Or is that basically up to the adjudication to decide? From what they told me, they are still moving forward with the BI and reference checks and they’re just submitting my inconclusive result.

Sorry for the rambling. But I guess what I’m really trying to see is, if anyone out there knows or has heard of anyone get the final offer of employment even though their poly was inconclusive?

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I got my BI started in 4/2016 Polygraph done 2 times in Jan 2017 (first one being inclonclusive) and it moved on to Adjucation in April 2017 . Got the clearance in May 2017 . FYI This for a contracting position . so you get the idea .

Good Luck

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Thanks for sharing. Can I ask, did they say you passed the 2nd poly?

once a clearance is in adjudication after poly, the poly is most probably fine .
I don’t think they explicitly say the poly is passed ( all they said to me was will be sent to Quality control)

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Hey fingers. If you’re able to say it, did everything get approved and you make through clearances? I just saw your older post.
If you can’t say, no biggie. Just curious. Thanks for your responses though.

Polygraphers are very careful with wording. They do not use the word “lie”. They say resolved and unresolved. It is a neutral term meaning it may require more probing before they consider the information resolved. Adjudication branch using the whole person concept can feel it is without merit. I have had a few employees called in for a third Poly and even a private interview afterwards, followed by a call from Adjudication. All part of the process. And waiting up to 5 months in between Poly’s isn’t unheard of. But once it moves to Adjudication I expect an answer/determination within 3 weeks.

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Is it really the case that most people are “adjudicated” in around 3 weeks? I myself have waited longer than that and have yet to hear anything.

I find clearance packages move forward in buckets for lack of a better word. They move along the approval line until finally in adjudication. One never knows if their package was slower due to a person on vacation, something extra needed scoped, or the degree of difficulty with something. My personal experience after taking a full scope Poly in August of 2015, getting called back in December for a January 2017 second Poly was nerve-wracking and stressful. But within 3 weeks of the second Poly, and after a follow up call from Adjudication, the renewed clearance came through roughly 3 days later. It is absolutely not unusual to get a call back. It is less common to get called for a third but I have seen it enough over my last 7 years in this position (340 person contract, roughly 60 to 70% require full scope Poly), to know it happens more than a handful of times.

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I find that very hard to believe that adjudication takes 3 weeks. I have been told for 10 months that I have been in adjudication for the entire time.

Is that for an initial or a periodic? Who was the sponsor?

Happy 4th all
Just curious. How do you know when you get into the adjudication part? My poly is done (inconclusive and all they said they’ll send it to quality control), completed my background investigation interview, and they’ve contacted all my references already. Does that mean it is now in adjudication?

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Hard to tell from where you’re sitting. CIA does not use JPAS, but in JPAS you can see when the investigation completed (assuming you know someone who can check JPAS for you). But we really don’t know when it gets assigned to an adjudicator and when they start looking at it.

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It’s for an initial clearance.

You’ll have to call your POC, they will be able to tell you if the investigation is complete and whether you’re in adjudication or not.

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I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I also had to do 2 polys, and it seems this is very common. The polygrapher did however congratulate me on mitigating my poly, I don’t know if this was a front or if it was actually was mitigated. Even if your poly was indeed inconclusive, I doubt they would send you a denial immediately. You would probably still go through adjudication which the adjudicator would use the “whole person concept” to base you as a potential clearance holder.

So far I have been waiting in adjudication for 13 months now. Poly was completed 16 months ago.

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Yes this is correct. An inconclusive poly would not facilitate a denial but rather let the adjudicator decide if it can be mitigated with the whole person concept and take the background investigation into consideration. The question probably most of us have, who had an inconclusive poly, is whether or not you could be denied after being in adjudication for months on end. It would be horrible to have someone wait that long just to deny them after a 1 year+ wait in adjudication. It also seems that people who make it this far are guaranteed to sit in adjudication for at least 1 year+

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Hey @anon47 @TopSecret,
Hope all is well. Just curious… have you guys had any movement on your ends with the clearance and adjudication all? If you can, let me know. Thanks!