The Players
Adjudicators

The individuals responsible for granting or denying your application for a security clearance are called adjudicators. Adjudicators are specialized personnel security professionals who will review the results of your electronic record checks and Report of Investigation (ROI.) The results of your investigative case will be weighed against the 13 DoD Adjudicative Guidelines and the 14 OPM Adjudicative Guidelines. All adjudicative elements will be analyzed for any disqualifying and mitigating factors pertaining to your case.

Adjudicators are a very highly trained group of personnel security specialists. Being that they occupy a very crucial and sensitive position in the security clearance process, adjudicators undergo almost 18 to 24 months of on-the-job training, computer-based training and a formalized classroom instructional program. Adjudicators incorporate “the whole-person concept” in deciding security clearance cases. Simply put, they weigh the good with the bad when deciding your case. Truthfulness, honesty and candor go a long way with adjudicators; attempts to deceive, conceal, omit and obfuscate information in your background will do more harm than good. The SF-86 Security Questionnaire needs to be filled out truthfully and completely.

Government Contractor (Private Sector)

OPM will send your case to DOD CAF at Ft. Meade, MD. If you’re in the NISP, your case will go to a PSMO-Industry adjudicator. If PSMO-I can’t approve/grant your clearance, they will refer your case to PSMO-II for a decision. PSMO-II are the DOHA adjudicators. You never want to have your case get to PMSO-II, if you can help it.

Federal

OPM will send your case to the appropriate security office of the requesting federal department, agency or organization. Once there, adjudicators will decide on your security clearance and ultimately, whether you get hired for that job or not.