DC Security Clearance Consultants

Security Clearances

In today’s times, security clearances have become commonplace in relation to seeking employment with private sector companies/firms performing classified contract work for the federal government. Additionally, in most cases, seeking employment with the federal government also requires passing a background investigation in order to obtain the requisite security clearance. Generally speaking, there are three levels of clearance: CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET and TOP SECRET. CONFIDENTIAL clearances are almost obsolete. They are rarely issued anymore. SECRET & TOP SECRET clearances are the ones that are issued most frequently. SECRET and TOP SECRET clearances are the main clearances needed to secure federal contractor work or a position with the federal government. There are approximately 1 million security clearance holders in the U.S.

Personal Security Clearance FAQs

Q. What is a personnel security clearance?
A. Personnel security clearance is an administrative determination by competent authority that an individual is eligible, from a security standpoint, under national security standards for access to classified information.

Q. What is the process for obtaining a personnel security clearance?
A. The personnel security process has three parts:

  • The request for investigation. The Security Office of each military unit, government agency or cleared contractor facility is responsible for requesting the appropriate investigation on their personnel.
  • The personnel security investigation (PSI). In most cases, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is responsible for conducting the PSI.
  • The adjudication. The DoD Central Adjudication Facility will make the adjudicative decision.

Q. Who conducts personnel security investigations?
A, OPM currently conducts the majority of the personnel security investigations (PSIs) performed in connection with granting access to classified information. The Director of National Intelligence, as the “Security Executive Agent” per Executive Order (E.O.) 13467directs the oversight of investigations and determinations of eligibility for access to classified information or eligibility to hold a sensitive position made by any agency. The Director of National Intelligence in concert with the Director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the “Suitability Executive Agent” per E.O. 13467, now issue Federal Investigative Standards in coordination with representatives across the Federal Government.

Q. How often are investigations updated?
A. Current policy states that individuals with Top Secret clearances will have a reinvestigation every five years. Those with Secret and Confidential clearances will have a reinvestigation every ten years.

Q. What kind of investigation is conducted to make this determination?
A. The kind, or type, of investigation conducted depends on the access level that the individual is required to have to perform his or her official duties. For access to Confidential or Secret information by contractors and military personnel, a National Agency Check with Local Agency Checks and Credit Check (NACLC) is completed. For access to Confidential or Secret information by federal employees, an Access National Agency Check and Inquiries (ANACI) is required. Access to Top Secret or SCI information requires a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI), regardless of whether one is a civilian, contractor, or military service member.

Q. What is the difference between a NACLC and a SSBI?
A. NACLC is comprised of:

  • National Agency Check (e.g., a check of the FBI criminal history repository).
  • Credit check for all locations at which the applicant has worked, been employed, or attended school for six months or more for the most recent seven years.
  • A check of local law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over the areas where the applicant has lived, worked, or attended school for the most recent five years.

SSBI is comprised of:

  • A National Agency Check (e.g., a check of the FBI criminal history repository).
  • Credit check for all locations at which the applicant has worked, been employed, or attended school for six months or more for the most recent seven years.
  • A check of local law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over the areas where the applicant has lived, worked, or attended school for the most recent ten years.
  • Corroboration of the most recent or most significant claimed attendance, degree or diploma at an educational institution.
  • Verification of all employments for the past seven years to include personal interviews of supervisors and/or co-workers.
  • Corroboration of unemployment.
  • Four reference interviews.
  • Interview with former spouse (s).
  • Confirmation of all residences.
  • Verification of public record information.
  • Interview of the individual.

Q. Does everyone adjudicate to the same standards?
A, Yes. All executive branch CAFs adjudicate PSIs using the same national security standards, found in the Adjudication Guidelines for Determining Eligibility for Access to Classified Information, which were issued pursuant to Executive Order 12968, “Access to Classified Information,” dated August 2, 1995. These national security adjudicative guidelines were revised in December 2005.

Federal Investigative Services

All private-sector companies/firms performing defense-related classified contractor work for the federal government become members in the National Industrial Security Program (NISP.) The government watch dog for the NISP is the Defense Security Service (DSS) of the Department of Defense (DoD.) DSS executes the NISP on behalf of the DoD. DSS is composed of a wide array of security professionals. DSS provides security, education & training services in addition to industrial security and counter-intelligence expertise. DSS formerly had their own personnel security investigations (background investigators) division. DSS no longer performs background investigations. DoD got out of the background investigations business and transferred all of its investigative functions (background investigators) to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM.) A newly created background investigations division was established in February 2005. The primary federal background investigative agency is now OPM’s Federal Investigative Services Division or otherwise known as FIS or FISD. All the former DSS background investigators, at least the ones that stayed, are now OPM investigators. OPM’s FISD investigators are federal investigators because they are simply, federal employees. FISD's investigative staff of approximately 2,500 is deployed around the country in 3 regions (Western, Central and Northern). The former Capital Region included the Washington, DC metropolitan area (DC, MD & VA).

 

 

The bulk of OPM’s investigative services are provided by contract investigative services companies such as USIS, CACI, Keypoint, Omniplex and Dyncorp. OPM’s contract investigator work-force is 3 or 4 times larger than its federal FISD force. Supposedly, contract investigators receive the same training as federal investigators in the performance of personnel security investigations. Contractors make up about 6,800 investigative personnel contracted out to OPM to perform background investigations.

Which investigator will be running my case? Should I hope for a contract investigator or a federal investigator? Is one better than the other? Our experienced professionals at DC Security Clearance Consultants have all the answers; answers that many individuals/organizations would rather you not have.