Here’s my problem with what you’re saying, Loach: Over the past thirty years I have known hundreds of people with high-level security clearances. As far as I can tell, none of them have ever done deliberately stupid financial things which put them so far in debt that they couldn’t get out except by declaring bankruptcy. In fact, as far as their financial affairs go at least, they are some of the most solid, reliable, risk-adverse (and incredibly boring) people I have ever met. Furthermore, the federal government decided a few years ago that if they want to keep their clearances, they must fill out an incredibly detailed financial disclosure statement each year. It includes the amounts of money in their bank accounts and in other investments, the value of their houses, cars, and any other significant things that they own, and all their sources of income. If they lie about any of these things, they would lose their clearances. The government would also notice any oddities about the amount of money they have in any of these things.
I don’t think your case counts as being an example of being someone who borrowed a stupidly large amount of money. You had to trust your wife because you weren’t around when she was looking for a house. Your wife may be naive, but she didn’t deliberately try to put the two of you into a situation where you could never hope to pay your debts. You got taken by a con artist (just like a lot of people did in the last decade). The people who granted your clearance looked at the situation and decided that you were not really to blame, other than being a little too trusting. Also, my condolences to you and your wife for how badly you got screwed over. I think the security people were correct in giving you the clearance. You didn’t throw away your money on drink, drugs, and other sorts of carousing. You didn’t buy a car that was far too expensive. You didn’t run up your credit cards on expensive clothes or whatever. You just bought a house that was too expensive, and, alas, so did too many other people.
Wendell, can I ask what part of the government these people worked for? (that had to fill out the detailed financial statements) As I said before, I was a govt contractor for over 15 years and have never heard of this. I did contractor work for the FBI, DEA, Air Force, Army and Navy. We had to be re-interviewed about every 5 years, that was about it, unless there was an incident.
I appreciate all your responses to my original questions about obtaining an interim security clearance. Turns out that I will not lose the job offer if I am denied an interim; however, I’ll have to wait three months until the final Secret Clearance is granted. If Granted.
I just finished and mailed in my SF 86 and now Ill have to wait about two weeks to here anything back.
Unfortunately, while I was filling out the form I discovered that I failed to file my federal and state Tax Returns when I was a senior in college. I truthfully don’t know why I didn’t but I took immediate action to rectify the issue. I filed both State and Federal tax returns and attached photo copies of the “IRS stamped” returns with the SF 86. I will end up not having to pay any taxes back (I was actually owed a refund that year), however, I am ready to pay any fees or penalties due to my late filing.
My chances of getting an Interim were already slim and after the tax thing I’m pretty sure the chances are damn near 0%. ** Given all the negative facts that I listed in the first post and the failed tax return situation in this one, what are my chances of acquiring a Secret Security Clearance?** I was completely honest on my SF 86 and provided as much mitigation info I could in the continuation space and on additional pieces of paper for every issue I saw as potential disqualifying factor.
BCP10 - I am not a DISCO adjudicator, only someone who has held a clearance at various levels for a long time. As such, I can only offer opinion rather than any kind of factual answer. I personally think you’d be considered a risk and would be denied a clearance. While no one thing you listed is enough to get you denied, the combination would be in my opinion. I think the DUI is going to be the most problematic, followed by the foreign national girlfriend (though it wasn’t clear, but I assume she is not a US or naturalized citizen), and then the tax issue. The debt is probably the next biggest concern only because of its size, along with marijuana use less than seven years ago, but by themselves, neither of those would be a real issue in my experience. The public urination and other traffic tickets are of near zero concern. I’m not sure how the interviews work. When I had my Secret done well over 10 years ago, I had a near spotless record. In fact, I think the only issues were that my wife’s father holds a green card, and my parents travel all over the world, including to restricted countries as part of medical/humanitarian missions (Iran, Libya, Cuba, etc.) I can confirm they did still interview one of my contacts even for just the Secret with only those minor issues. Obviously for the TS, they interviewed many others, including numerous neighbors. In each of those cases, they specifically asked about alcohol and drug use as well as any unexplained affluence.
Which always makes for amusing scenes when the neighbor/friend/former residence* is a student or close enough to be living the student lifestyle.
<Opens door>
“Hello? The F.B. what? Oh, about Jane Doe. Yeah, I can talk about her, I guess.
Wait a sec.”
<Looks back over shoulder at inside of apartment. Steps forward, carefully pulling closing door behind them. Coughs. >
“Um, we can just talk out here, right?”
yeah, they’ll go back and make sure you really were living where you said you were five years ago, and weren’t actually in some secret spy camp in Irkusk
The person doing my background went to speak to my former housemates, a very, very hippie couple. I got a voicemail that went something like this:
“Hi, Asimovian? This is Sunshine and Pixie. Someone came by earlier today knocking on the door claiming they were from the FBI. We didn’t answer the door. Are you in some kind of trouble? They left a card, but we weren’t going to call them back without talking to you first. Is everything OK?”
In the 1960’s, on a high school break, I was going to spend a few days with my uncle, and go to work with him, and see all the computers they were building. This was at a Univac plant, making computer systems for a military project (dew line, maybe?).
To get into this part of the plant, I needed to have some sort of a security clearance. So my uncle & parents filled out the documents on me, and set them in to the FBI.
They actually had someone come out to the small town where I lived, and check up on me. They interviewed my 4-H club leader (3 farms south), my Boy Scouts leader, etc. (Not much history to check on for a 15-year-old farm kid back then.)
They also interviewed the vice-principal of the high school, but apparently wouldn’t tell him what it was about. So as soon as the FBI left, I was called to his office and he asked me “why the hell are the FBI coming here asking questions about you?” I don’t remember what I told him (as a teenager in the 1960’s, you didn’t tell ‘the man’ much.)
But I remember thinking that he had pretty much just blown any secrecy about this investigation.
My interim secrete clearance was declined. This application was supported by company A with one specific position (position A). Now, two questions. Anyone can help?
Q1. If this company (company A) discontinues the process with position A, can this company file another application tied with a different position (Position B) requesting a new interim clearance? How long should we wait before we file a new application?
Q2. If company A walks away, Can another company (Company B) support a new application also requesting a new interim clearance? How long should we wait before the second company jumps in?
Do I understand you cannot get a secret clearance on your own but must have a company sponsor you? Can you get an interim secret on your own and then apply for a full clearance after? Also if a company sponsors you and you get it is it only good as long as you work for that one company? After completing the sf86 does this get mailes to the office of personel management and they send it to the dds? I’m sqeaky clean and would love to have this so I can basically have my choice of employers.
As I understand it, the investigations for clearances are only done when someone is applying for a specific job which requires it. This job may be for the government or for a government contractor. Clearance investigations are expensive. They don’t do them when they don’t know if the person will be getting a job requiring a clearance.
Any clearance needs a sponsor. So, no, you can not just call up the FBI and ask them to do it. Mainly, there has to be a reason for you to get one.
A clearance is basically a risk analysis of the individual. Certain things are weighed more heavily than others. If you read the questions on the SF86 they have stuff about group sex, “affairs”, prostitution, drug use, etc. These have all been issues in the past at some point that lead to the compromise of the individual. So, not disclosing will certainly get you denied and even disclosing won’t put them at ease as you behaved in a risky manner. They have to be concerned if you’ll make further risky decisions leading to compromise. Also, how long ago and at what frequency of the risky behaviors.
No one expects anyone under 22 to have a clue. We are all really stupid during that time frame. But, being 40 and drug use while married with children would be characteristic of someone performing risky behavior, and therefore no clearance, as you obviously don’t think you have anything to live for.
Never lie, be forward with your past. And, be succinct on any matters. Preferably no more than three sentences in explanation.
Notwithstanding the value of the information in the last couple of posts, the thread is almost three years old so the OP almost certainly no longer has any need for this information. I hope he got his clearance.
One of the questions on the SF86 is “Have you ever been denied a security clearance”. It’s going to be difficult to get one after you have already been denied. You are going to have to wait several years while refraining from any unfavorable activities.
No, the interim was denied. that just means that they need to look into something before offering a final decision, and the person can’t go ahead and work on classified projects while they do so.
As I understand it, the question is whether they can switch the request to another position, or to a position with another company - presumably so that the immediate position can be filled more immediately, and the clearance process can be waited out on another task, project, or even contract.
I don’t know what the answer is, but I’m pretty sure that’s the question.
Can someone tell me what my chances are of getting an interim clearance based on the following:
-I’ve had a medical bill go to collections in 2012 in the amount of about $800. I couldn’t afford to make the payments before it got to a collections agency as I had just finished college and wasn’t making much money at my internship job. I made monthly payments until the bill was finally paid off in 2014.
-I had another payment go to collections in 6/2014 in the amount of $600. I had allowed a relative to manage this account and I wasn’t being alerted of the notices until it was too late. Monthly payments were made on time until the debt was paid in full about 3 months later.
-I used marijuana a few times in college, but haven’t since then which is about 4 years now. I think I may have told a doctor this in the past, but can’t fully remember. Will they be able to pull this up in my medical records?
Other than the above, I have good credit and bills are paid on time, no criminal background, no mental issues, or anything else that I would think would hold me back.
The credit hits shouldn’t affect you. You are not hopelessly under water and desperate enough to be blackmailed or bribed.
If you never got arrested for illegal drug use, you should be able to just answer “no” to the question. Listen carefully to how they phrase it. But in general a lot depends on the agency and work. Casual marijuana use is more of a problem at DEA than it is at HUD or GSA.
What do you mean, “listen?” The SF-86 asks in black-and-white print if you have illegally used any drugs in the last seven years. Obviously, the answer should be truthful, because: (a) this probably isn’t a big deal to begin with, and (b) if he is caught in a lie about it then things get much, much harder if he ever wants a security clearance in the future.
But I agree that overall, having a couple hundred bucks go to collections while one is in their early 20s and using pot a few times in college are issues that are likely to be dealt with quite easily. The phrase “the cover-up would be worse than the crime” would seem to apply.
Thank you for your response. The final clearance level will be secret, but I will need to be granted an interim to start work. From what I’ve been reading it seems like they really crack down on the interim clearances and anything negative might cause it to be denied. I could be overthinking too much.
