Submitting a Freedom of Information Request

SECURITY CLEARANCE Q&A
1

Hey guys,

Once again Im here! After a year of having my Secret I was upgraded to Top Secret and thus the journey continues.

Backstory:
I initially had an internship and submitted the SF86 in 2015. The internship ended before any investigation continued. It likely expired or was on pause due to the backlog in 2015. I then came back and worked fulltime in 2017. It needed a secret so I routinely submitted and waited. When meeting with my BI he actually had my old internship SF86 (the date of the SF86 confirmed) so I gladly handed the newer 2017 SF86 copy I had in hand. He added information that differed from the two and that was that. A couple months afterwards I got my secret.

Question:
Given the information, the background investigator had to re-submit missing info since he was assigned with my older SF86 from 2 years ago rather than the one submitted earlier that year. I am now doing my TS and upon looking at the OPM’s online archives of SF86s, it looks like I cannot see his version or comments/changes made. This indicates to me that the archives are only stored on OPM at the initial part of my investigation (when I hit submit) rather than the latest SF86 (which contains comments/updates from an interview that occured somewhere in the middle of the investigation timeline). Okay fair enough.

TLDR / BLUF:
I have to submit my Top Secret SF86 but the online SF86 (from my previous Secret didnt show the edits made by the BI during the interview). Is the FOIA a proper use case for this? How long must I wait for my investigation findings? My security POC said “even then an investigator’s notes may not be included.” How valid is this statement?

Sorry if this post sounds rushed. I have until mid november to submit my TS SF86.

2

We don’t update your SF86. The notes we take during interviews are used for investigative reports. Your form will auto-fill from the last one you filled out yourself.

2 Likes
3

Understood. So clarifications were made last time. Some of these included listing foreign relatives that I did not speak to since 10 years now. The investigator stated I did not need to put them down if it was not continuing contact or a long period of time, which holds true in my case. I over cautiously listed everything in my form in my internship back then.

If the Background investigator said I didnt need to list the foreign relatives, should I remove them from my SF86? I fear differences in my SF86 will just prolong my TS… any guidance? What do I do for changes from a previous SF86?

4

The biggest mistake Subjects make is to “let 'er ride” when it comes to the eQIP. Read every question every time to see what needs to be added, erased, or corrected.

You sign the questionnaire at the end. This is a legal document and no one else can change your responses. The investigator writes the report with the corrections, omissions, additional clarifications, etc — but will not correct your eQIP.

5

Thanks for the clarifications as always. That was very helpful!