IC Poly and Adjudication Process

“I have found when there is clear cut violations preventing clearance they act fast and deny it.”

This is very helpful & what I have been hoping was true for a long time. Doesn’t make sense to string someone along for 12+ months to ultimately deny them.

Thank you very much for your insight. What you said was very interesting.

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@lilrob94. My investigation started in Dec 16 with IC organization. I, and others I have contact with, had face-to-face interviews Jan-Mar 17. I was contacted via email and spoke to an adjudicator on 20 Apr 17.

I go to great lengths in my security interviews with prospective hires. Every subject on the SF86 gets discussed along with our requirement for Poly. I make clear I do not want to make a liar out of anyone. So it is imperative they are honest with me concerning recreational drug use and their finances. If I sense hesitation I keep probing. If I hear drug use within the recent 12 months it is a no go. All systems stop. If their credit score is sub 600 I give advice on tuning it up, getting in a repayment plan etc. If they are at 650…chances are they will be fine if all else is good. As long as you were honest on the form and open about any derogatory info, there is no worry. If you tried making a bad situation seem less so…you will have a problem.
Keep us posted.

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Is this the norm for the IC or DoD CAF and for contractors or federal government employees? I’ve read that the IC has their own process/adjudicators. Thanks.

They do. But I can tell you it doesn’t make them any more efficient or less efficient than all others. I actually had a reinvestigation come back 2 years and 8 months to the day later from date of submission. BI closed in Jan of 2015. Where they get stuck is the question. Now I have a policy of following up on anything in the system. Prior, our HR person handled that aspect. And they weren’t doing a good job. They felt it would anger the “clearance gods” if they dared ask. I take a different approach. I like to establish a good working relationship and see if I can get some movement. Or an explanation as to where it sits. I’m not entitled to know the specific investigation reason it isn’t moving, but I can get info as to where it is and what is left to accomplish.

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@amberbunny. You set the example for the type of person we all want on our team! I salute employees like you! I just hope your extra efforts don’t go unnoticed.

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Like @amberbunny, I track investigation submissions that have been pending beyond a reasonable amount of time, gather the factual timelines and pending items, and then ping my liaison at OPM for a status. He knows I won’t bother him unless there was a need and is more then happy to check it out and lets me know what is holding the case up. Unfortunately, not all involved in the process have that sense of purpose.

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@amberbunny thanks for all the insight. In your experience, when do you usually see or do you know the typical timeframe of when the denial/rejection gets brought up or sent out after the BI and poly? It’s been pretty much over a month since those (I know, I haven’t been waiting as long as others), and my contact told me it appears nothing is off course and at this point no news is good news. Kind of hope that is the case.

Thanks @marko.hakamaa. Also, thanks @sbusquirrel and all the others that take the time to help clear the muddy waters of the security clearance process. You are all wonderful!!

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Honestly my own personal (and equally agonizing) experience last go around went like this: We had the usual 25 or so in re-investigation. As a side note, my PM who has been cleared full poly 17 years has only been re-investigated one time, so no rhyme no reason, but I was at 4 years cleared, and I guessed they wanted to start early. I completed the form, met with investigator 4 months later. 2 months after that I was told I was one of the 15 or so requiring a new Poly. Nobody likes Poly. Security office folks who were polygraphers by trade don’t like Poly. It just isn’t pleasant. So I dutifully get my mind geared up for a Poly in 30 days only to get it rescheduled 30 days later. Momentary relief, de-stress, quickly followed by thoughts of “Well, dang had I poly’d by now I would either be re-polying…or done.” Stress. More stress. Then Poly. Of the 15, perhaps 5 needed re-poly that week. Over the next 2 weeks 3 or 4 more were called back. 6 weeks later we had a cal back. I’m thinking I am good to go. Each person in the group started clearing one by one. Not me. 4 months later I get the call to return. And this time I need go to their “house” to accomplish this. 30 days of intense stress. Complete Poly. Same as all other Poly’s. Unpleasant. Aggravating. Bothersome. Searching my mind for what wasn’t there. Poly done. 3 weeks later a follow up call to “clarify a few points.” Several days later I finally clear. See, my point is this: We are all in this together. Once we decide the cleared life is what we will do until we grow up and choose differently…we then live with the nagging stress and sword of Damocles hanging over our heads. Hopefully for the vast majority it directs our path and shapes us to make the very best ethical choices along the way. For some of us…we don’t do that. We lose those employees. Just today in meeting with my deputy chief of Security (my poc) I asked clarification for who requires a full TS with Poly. We have 340 people growing to 380 on this contract. The previous HR pushed for as many full scope cleared people as possible. She didn’t care if we lost good and faithful people, salt of the earth, along the way. If it provided a large pool of full scope cleared people…this made her job easier to move people around and promote from within to positions absolutely requiring the full scope. I lean the other way. Put folks in process if they seem to have the ambition to grow, manage, supervise etc. But those housekeepers who have worked diligently for 30 years and make a huge difference in the lives of our conferees and the like just by being great, caring people…leave them at full TS…but not Poly.

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I say respect their time and case load. Only so much they can say but over time you learn to read between the lines and understand more. Make the calls rare and productive with a case laid out on facts and timelines…you gain a friend.

Short answer is: I now see two Poly’s and up to 2 personal interviews, and that can takes months. I have never seen a one and done Poly. Unless they quit mid Poly. I have seen that several times. So a 5 month wait is not unusual to get recleared or initially cleared from date of Poly.

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I wanted to add my own story to this interesting thread. Went for the dreaded Full-Scope. Thought it went well… guess it didn’t… found out they wanted me to go back for another try.

And they did… THREE YEARS LATER!!!

In the end everybody lived happily ever after. I should add that I was already cleared and working the job so this was for an update (previously I had only a CI poly so they had to redo that… after seven years… and add the rest of the scope).

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Holy schnorkies…3 years waiting to go back and “resolve” any issues?

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“Holy schnorkies”

I gonna borrow that one. Sounds like a mix of a schnauzer and a yorkie. :rofl:

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Wow! So many of us with IC clearance processes taking a very long time. I accepted a CoE/submitted SF-86 document in March 2015. Went through the psych/2 polys (single visit) and meetings in July of 15 and met with a background investigator in March of last year. I am in adjudication currently from what I am told. I call once a month to check on my status. Same ol same ol “actively being processed” news. 2.5 years and counting from the beginning to now. Just keep up hope that any day could be the day.

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Jeez. You have to be one of the longest ones on here. I’ve been in adjudication for 13 months with probably the same IC agency. How long have been in adjudication?

It’s been since early this year, Feb or March I believe. Tick tock tick tock :slight_smile:

I have seen a few re investigations go out to 27 months. And the close date of the BI sets the new date for the next one. So in roughly 24 months this person goes back in the hopper for re-investigation. The FSO can call and talk to the case manager. They will be vague but can at least ensure it isn’t sitting on someone’s desk as they simply move through easier packages. That does happen.

Hi all. Hope all is well. It’s been a little bit. Just wanted to see if anyone had any movement on their end in this whole process.
Also, just wanted your thoughts on something. I am going through the whole security process right now with an IC agency (poly and BI have been completed months ago). I just recently for the hell of it just applied online to another agency in the IC community. Applying to other agencies during the whole security process won’t affect my current situation, right? Like agency A wouldn’t pull a COE just because I started to apply elsewhere while waiting just for the hell of it? I know. All the crazy things I think about while I wait haha.