Question about TS to Secret

I was an investigator so I had a “favorably adjudicated SSBI” in 2017 and I was told I had a TS clearance but no “access”.

I recently left the investigator position for a different position that only required a secret clearance. Am I still TS eligible since it hasnt even been 3 years since my investigation was completed?

If you had a break of greater than 24 months, no.

In other words if you went 24 months without an agency “owning” or “servicing” you.

1 Like

I know a guy who was in a similar situation… left defense industry for over two years, returned and got his clearance back. It isn’t supposed to happen that way but sometimes it does. I don’t know if he got some kind of ‘interim’ but he didn’t think so.

At any rate, hopefully an employer would see that you were cleared ‘recently’ and should have little problem getting cleared again and based on that, make you an offer… but strictly speaking, what @Defender66 is correct and you should plan accordingly.

Okay thanks for the info, I left the investigator position a couple weeks ago and slid into a position only requiring a secret clearance, but it’s a temp position so it’s good to know I have 24 months to find another position requiring a TS

Did you receive a favorable “determination” or “adjudication”? There is a big difference. Determination means your investigation still needs to go to the CAF which can take awhile.

1 Like

As far as I know it was a favorable adjudication, I worked as an investigator for over two years up until last month

All federal background investigators must be determined eligible to hold a critical sensitive position, but not all are granted eligibility for access to classified information. In terms of future access eligibility it’s a distinction without a difference. A person who is determined eligible to hold a critical sensitive position goes through the same background investigation and is evaluated based on the same adjudicative standards as a person who is determined eligible for access to Top Secret information. A person determined to be eligible to hold a critical sensitive position does not need any additional investigation or adjudication to be granted eligibility for access to Top Secret information, provided the time limits for recertification have not been exceeded: 24 month break-in- service and 6 years since last investigation.

1 Like