Linkage between IC and OPM investigations?

SECURITY CLEARANCE Q&A
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I had an SSBI-PR completed by NSA in June 2012. This followed losing my SCI clearance five years earlier.

At the time I lost the SCI clearance, DISCO suspended my collateral clearance. Eventually, an SOR was issued with several ‘reasons’. After a long, drawn out process, all the ‘reasons’ were mitigated except one- that NSA had denied me a clearance.

After the SCI clearance was restored in 2012, I was contacted by OPM to do an SSBI-PR for my ‘collateral’ clearance. That investigation was completed in 2012 but it was never adjudicated. In 2015, my company requested the status of the investigation and was told to re-submit the paperwork. Went through the entire process again and, once again, OPM never sent the investigation to the CAF for adjudication.

This was never an issue as I had clearance and access through the NSA SSBI-PR.

In late 2017, I resigned and was debriefed by my company.

I am now applying for civil service positions with a combatant commander staff, or a support contractor with personnel supporting the staff directly.

Somebody looked at JPAS for me and the 2012 NSA SSBI-PR isn’t documented in JPAS. There is a reference to the NSA clearance in an OPM entry, but no specific entry on the NSA clearance.

I spoke to the IG office at Defense Security Service and was told it was fairly common for there to be a lack of documentation on an IC clearance in JPAS.

Very confused about what is going on with OPM. Why did they start a collateral clearance investigation twice if I already had a current NSA clearance? The DSS website says that reciprocity of clearances should preclude an investigation being started when there is already a current clearance in place.

Has anybody heard of this happening before? Can you give me any advice to getting my NSA clearance properly documented in JPAS?

Appreciate comments, feedback and advise.

Best regards/RetSq

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First myth - OPM/NBIB initiates background investigations. NBIB is a service provider, we only initiate our own background investigations. What ever agency you were working for requested/initiated (then paid NBIB for ) your various background investigations. (pssst, Sounds like DSS started both your “collateral” BIs.)

Second myth - OPM/NBIB adjudicates everyone. OPM adjudicates their personnel and others as a service. Security clearance (National Security Positions) are adjudicated by the requesting agency or the agency giving access.

Third myth - all Agencies share their background investigation reports. This is a simple Google search - enough said…

Fourth myth - OPM/NBIB owns/manages JPAS or Scattered Castles. The information for these databases originate from the original agencies and owned by DoD and the IC folks…

So, I think someone is misleading you by blaming OPM/NBIB. OPM does not get “paid” for the service until the investigation is turned over to the Agency. There is no incentive to sit on your case or make it disappear. You need to redirect your hunt back to DSS and NSA.

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Thanks very much for taking the time to write such a thorough, and informative, response!