Initial and reinvestigation the same?

SECURITY CLEARANCE Q&A
1

Are they both the same or is the reinvestigation less rigorous or cover less? Example- T5 v T5R, T2 v T2R

2

My understanding is that they are the same.

3

All sections of the form are covered according to the timeframe required.

In basic summary of the difference between an initial investigation and a reinvestigation:

The initial will cover issues (police, drugs, alcohol, court, finance) gaining all detail for resolution.

The reinvestigation will ask if any changes or updates are needed to the issues covered during the previous investigation- if no updates, regurgitation isn’t required for the most part.

Now, keep in mind, not all prior investigations had interviews where the issue in question was discussed even if the issue in question took place years prior to the first or baseline investigation. By example issue coverage for your 2009 T2 FDA investigation may have been minimal or non existent. Now, for your 2014 T5 NSA investigation, the coverage had to be exhaustive. Your T2 report would have been reviewed and compared to the T5 form in prep for your T5 interview. The T5 report would have regurgitated and updated any detail. Reason: going from T2 to T5 basically means a brand new investigation process took place for the more in-depth clearance.

Now in 2020, that 2014 T5 has become a T5R - this go round prior investigation reports are reviewed and compared to the current form. Should everything match, your interview will cover issue updates, if any, but not by specific detail. If info doesn’t match, you will be required to discuss issue details again with the reason why info doesn’t match the prior investigation report.

One of the few sections that require discussion no matter the type of investigation is foreign national interaction- that will always be reviewed and reported as if it’s the first time spoken of.

If you as the subject know you way around the process and you are sure you already discussed issue details in a prior interview, you can tell the investigator that the issue in question was discussed during a prior investigation (give the date) and there are no updates.

1 Like