Thats great news, congrats!
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Wow, every step of your process was fast. Did you already have a clearance?
Found this thread after learning my projected clearance will take 15 months. This after having a top clearance with another agency for 20+ years. Glad to see that those waiting have a support group.
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Do you mind if I ask what your meeting with your investigator was like?
Donāt mind at all. Will preface by saying that I was not granted clearance. Not formally denied but the employer said the gov suggested withdrawing my application as they were āuncomfortable with something on my SF-86ā. FSO would not talk to me so Iām not sure how true that is.
My investigator was from Peraton. I worked on a military base at the time so he came to my building. The interview lasted roughly two hours and the investigator was generally friendly and willing to chat. I tend to be the same way and he was willing to engage my questions so I felt perfectly comfortable throughout. Ultimately it seemed like a waste of time as he simply just went over my SF-86 line by line and I just reiterated my answers. He told me my case was pretty easy relative to others he had where the interviews lasted multiple days due to long lists of foreign contacts.
Directly after my interview, in the same room, he separately interviewed a co-worker and the government civilian who had direct oversight of my day to day work on the contract I supported.
I have a pretty vanilla background with excellent references. Only red flag was a drug-related issue I disclosed where I experimented with an illegal substance as an alternative treatment for depression. No one knew other than my wife and close friends so my disclosure was completely voluntary. This occurred just within the 7 year cutoff so I hoped time would have been a mitigating factor. Sadly, after waiting almost 16 months it all went nowhere. In a way Iām happy I can move on and not wonder anymore, but it does blow my mind how broken this process is.
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Did you use the substance while holding a job that prohibited it?
No. At the time I had quit my job to go back to school full time in pursuit of a career change. Have never held any clearance.
I finished school with a 4.0 and have had an unblemished career in engineering since.
Got it. But I wasnāt specifying holding a clearance. There are jobs that prohibit drugs to include marijuana which is why some have you pee in a cup prior to starting.
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I think the āas an alternative treatment for depressionā is the operative issue there, not that you smoked weed once or twice. Experimental drug use in lieu of medical treatment is a big no no
Itās also a good lesson that, regardless of what he or she may say, your background investigator has no special role or insight in the process beyond their relatively narrow role of verifying information on your SF-86. Sometimes theyāll try to be helpful by giving you their take on the rest of the process moving forward, but thatās pretty irresponsible to do in my opinion because theyāre only there to collect information.
Ah, understood. I had held a job several years prior to that that required periodic drug tests but never used anything illegal during that time.
Hey man, did you end up passing? What did they tell you at the end of your second poly?
Yooo on your last polygraph, how did you figure out that you passed? Did they tell you at the end of it? Or they left you hanging and you found out later?
Secret Clearance Process so far:
7/24: Applied
8/18: Interview
8/19: Phone Call from local division chief
8/26: TJO
9/8: Drug Screening
9/11: Email asking me to fingerprint, complete forms, and fill out SF-86
9/13: Forms sent in, SF-86 completed
9/15: Fingerprinting completed
And now we wait (again!).
I am a contractor just an fyi
3/25 - Applied and received CJO
4/25 - SF86 Completed & Investigator reached out, Fingerprints
5/25 - References contacted, additional questions, Poly (failed)
8/25 Poly again (failed, or dont know yet)
I really really hate that polygraph. Its for the Agency in which I see people taking it 3+ times. He told me I resolved one section but didnt really have time to finish the other supposedly. So I guess im waiting for a third one.
Hi - Has anyone been cleared since the shutdown? Iāve read on this platform and others that adjudications and investigations are still going on; yet I havenāt heard anyone posting a timeline with a clearance coming in since the shutdown on 10/1
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TS-SCI periodic reinvestigation. Active Military.
APR 2024 - SF86 Submitted.
OCT 2024 - BI Interview conducted. No follow-ups.
NOV 2024 - BI completed NOV2024, passed to DOD CAF for adjudication .
Current status (as of OCT 2025) in DISS is still Pending Adjudication.
I donāt know if this is normal or what I should do (if anything), but Iām starting to freak out. My Security Manager seems unbothered; he said just wait, or he can withdraw the request and submit a new one. Does that sound like a good idea? Frankly, Iām realizing how ignorant I am of the whole process, and the more I read, the more worried Iām getting.
Iām not an FSO but have worked with many over the years supporting different agencies and Iāve NEVER heard of this approach.
Remember, your investigation is sponsored by your service and as far as they are concerned, you are cleared and active and good to go. This probably puts you at the bottom of the pile.
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I just assumed that no such activities were happening during the shutdown. If youāve seen somewhere that some are still being processed Iād like to read about it
TS/SCI with FSP APPROVED!
EQip completed-May 2025
EQip accepted-May 2025
Meeting with investigator+fingerprints-June 2025
References interviews began- June 2025
Polygraph- June 2025
Second polygraph (three days later)- June 2025-passed
Second meeting with investigator- July 2025
Background investigation completed- July 2025
Decision date- 27 October 2025
Notified of approval- 30 October 2025
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Thereās still some movement, my initial FJO was sent today with four potential start dates..
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