Hello,
I work seasonally for a DOI agency. I am in a bit of a pickle trying to figure out the best way to proceed with my current situation with regard to my BI, here’s a cliff note version of the timeline:
-worked season #1 under interim clearance (SAC) (summer 2017)
-prior to season #2: Tier 3 investigation not completed in time for beginning of season (April 2018); waiver to begin work before Tier 3 is completed/adjudicated submitted (March 2018)
-waiver request denied (May 2018), citing drug experimentation within the last 7 years
-note from security office of DOI agency I work for (late August 2018): essentially says the investigation with OPM is closed and I should receive a correspondence from the adjudicator soon (within about 2 weeks).
Should I be worried about this? Am I to assume that I’ll receive a LOI to deny the clearance by the adjudicator? I contacted the HR office of my agency and they informed me that it’s uncommon for an adjudicator to directly contact an applicant in the event of a clearance approval. Here’s my problem: I’m going to be out of the country from 9/06-9/20, and I haven’t been able to find any concrete information on the appeal process/timeline. I’ve read in some places that SOR/LOI need to be responded to within 14 days, others say 20, and some say 30. My fear is that I will receive either a SOR or LOI while I’m out of the country and will not be able to respond within the prescribed/acceptable time frame. Should I contact a clearance attorney? Wait until/if I receive a LOI/SOR? Any help would be appreciated.