I just received my interim secret notice this week, 13 months since filing my last eQIP. This question is about where I am in the process and what happens moving forward. Eleven months ago (to the date) I was informed by my FSO that my investigation had begun as shown in JPAS. However, the interim notice I just received stated that the interim is granted concurrently with the beginning of the investigation. OK, so has the investigation been ongoing for the past 11 months or is it just beginning now? To add to the confusion, another contractor I work with also received his interim notice this week but his references have already been contacted and he already underwent his interview. I haven’t seen a credit pull in the past 11 months, haven’t heard from any of my references, and haven’t had the interview that every other person with an interim clearance has already had. On the surface, it appears that nothing has been going on with my investigation since it supposedly started 11 months ago. Does anyone here know exactly when an interim is granted? Is it at the beginning of an investigation or the end? Or possibly, anywhere in between?
Used to be, an interim was granted shortly after the SF-86 was submitted. They did a quick name check and if nothing came back, you got your interim.
Now even that name check is horribly backlogged, and I believe they take a closer look at your SF-86.
The investigation may be underway, they may have developed their own sources and spoken to people you are no longer in contact with. Or it may still be sitting in a queue somewhere. The whole thing is a mess (it used to be a hot mess but it has congealed into an oily gooey mass).
13 months from submittal to interim is a new record, at least from what I’ve seen. That is, a record long time til interim, which is not the kind of record you like to set.
Thanks for the feedback sbus. This is my third interim in 19 months - the previous two went into loss of jurisdiction within a week of being granted due to administrative errors. The previous two interims were granted quickly as suggested in your first paragraph but this third one? Who knows what took so long…
I do see a pattern emerging where I work. New grads coming out of college are getting S and TS clearances fairly quickly (3-6 months) but those of us with many years of experience (aka older) are taking much longer. I now join the ranks of a few other experienced people with interims, all of whom are still on hold nearly a year after their interims were granted. I assume that the longer we’re around, the more complicated the investigation so by that theory, I’m easily a year or more away from a full clearance. The whole process will end up being moot if I retire within a couple of years as planned.
Evening Mr. Squirrel,
Well I guess there are exceptions that prove the rule, submitted my SF-86, took 3 tries but in it went with no worries. 39 days & a few hours later I got the word my Interim had been granted. So off I went to Baghdad, in Jan on this year got a rather nice email from a RSO wanting to set up my interview for the granting of my full clearance… now the FUBAR hits the fan. The RSO was in Manila where I’m home based from & at the Embassy in Baghdad… go figure. I called and she said they would try to do the interview there, no joy in Mudville and still have my Interim Secret.
The question is as I am now oi the on deck circle for another company, what is the average wait time for the DoS to approve me for work in Kabul?
Many thanks in advance … Semper Fi
About all I can offer is that almost every RSO I ever ran into considered himself (or herself) to be swamped with things that could get them fired, and I suspect that a request to do what amounts to a courtesy interview does not rank very high on that list.
Are you still working under that same interim clearance from DoS that got you to Baghdad? Won’t that be enough to get you to scenic Kabul?
State Dept does their own thing so maybe that’s why the timeline was a little faster.
Good luck over there and let us know how much crap has accumulated in the shell of what was going to be the Kabul Marriott 
Morning Squirrel,
To answer your questions:
#1 Yes I am still working under the same Interim that I had for PAE & yes you’d figure it be enough to gain yet another ride to Kabul. again 
#2 That lighting fast entry to Baghdad was with the blessing of the DoS… silly wabbits right.
The folks at DynCorp back in Fort Worth did send me the E-Quip printout of my bonafidies and it shows that my clearance is active and good to go… show I guess it is just hunker down and wait.
I shouldn’t complain nor am I as they do have me on full Salary & Per Diem here in DBX & are footing the room/full board as well 
I’ll keep you all posted on yet another chapter of my Adventure Tour