Once it is determined that a military personnel member requires a security clearance because of assignment or job, they are required to complete a Security Clearance Background Investigation Questionnaire. Clearance holders are subject to a random investigation at any time. Reinvestigations are more important than the original investigation because those individuals who have held security clearances longer are more likely to be working with increasingly critical information. A security clearance is inactivated when someone leaves the military, government civilian job, or contractor job.
It can be reactivated within 24 months, provided that the last background investigation falls within this above time frame. After leaving the military, most often a security clearance is good for 24 months or 2 years. In some cases, it might be less than 24 months if the periodic investigation window of time will expire in less than two years from the time of separation from the military.
For example, the periodic investigation window for a Secret clearance occurs every 10 years. Veterans or soon to be service members with security clearance can hold an advantage in the job market when transitioning to civilian life and are seeking employment. There are multitudes of employers such as government agencies and commercial defense that are actively looking to find employees that have current security clearance positions.
Hiring veterans with security clearance is also in the best interest of employers as well. The investigation and background check stage for a security clearance can take anywhere from a few months all the way to over a year to be completed and can be costly to employers. Only people employed by a federal agency or federal contractor can obtain a security clearance. This process can take several months or up to a year depending on the backlog, need for more information, depth of the investigation process and other factors.
The length of time required to obtain a security clearance is growing and is a significant concern for federal agencies and contractors.
Some instances wherein individuals would take longer than normal to be investigated are many past residences, having residences in foreign countries, having relatives outside the United States, or significant ties with non-US citizens. If a hiring office requests an interim security clearance, an applicant may be granted an interim security clearance within a few weeks after submitting a complete security package.
According to the Defense Security Service an agency of the Department of Defense , all applicants for a personnel security clearance submitted by a cleared contractor will be routinely considered for interim eligibility. The interim eligibility is issued only when access to classified information is clearly consistent with the national security interests of the United States.
The interim eligibility is issued at the same time as the initiation of the investigation and will generally remain in effect until the investigation is completed. At that time, the applicant is considered for final eligibility. If an applicant feels they are a serious candidate for a position that requires a security clearance they may accelerate the process by gathering relevant information prior to receiving a job offer from the hiring agency or contractor.
The hiring agency or contractor can direct the applicant to the appropriate forms for the level of clearance required for the position for which they are being considered. The central component in the process of obtaining a security clearance is the background investigation. The process begins with the applicant registering and completing the appropriate forms through the U. There are five tiers of investigation standards that apply to applications for security clearances.
The specific tier of investigation that is appropriate for a given candidate is determined by the classification and the risk associated with the information that the applicant will need to handle. The e-QIP form used for sensitive or national security positions is the SF as indicated in Tier 3 and Tier 5 investigation standards. List of Partners vendors. Job Searching Job Listings. Table of Contents Expand. Table of Contents. Who Needs a Security Clearance.
Levels of Security Clearance. How the Clearance Process Works. Eligibility Pending Approval. Statuses in the Review Process. Delays in Investigations. Why Would an Applicant be Denied? How to Appeal if Denied a Clearance. How Long Clearances Are in Effect. More Information on Clearances. By Alison Doyle. Alison founded CareerToolBelt. Learn about our editorial policies. Only U. Article Sources. Your Privacy Rights.
Rarely, if ever, are temporary clearances granted during the review process. The scope of investigative work needed to grant a security clearance depends on the level of clearance being requested. There are three basic levels of security classification:. This refers to material, which, if improperly disclosed, could be reasonably expected to cause some measurable damage to the national security.
The vast majority of military personnel are given this very basic level of clearance. This level needs to be reinvestigated every fifteen years. The unauthorized disclosure of secret information could be expected to cause serious damage to the national security.
This level is reinvestigated every ten years. Individuals with this clearance have access to information or material that could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security if it was released without authorization.
This level needs to be reinvestigated every five years. Here are some of the industry terms attached to security clearances that you may encounter. Sensitive Compartmented Information or SCI is a type of classified information that concerns or was derived from sensitive intelligence systems, sources of intelligence, methods, or processes.
They are national security eligibilty criteria for access to information that does not have an impact on national sercurity.
Interim Clearance is a rarely granted temporary access to classified infromation while background investigation is being conducted. These levels are often combined with security clearance but they are background investigation instruments applied to establish eligibility of access to confidential information.
Type of investigation required for Secret and Confidential Security Clearance. Periodic reinvestigation for Secret conducted every 10 years and Condifential conducted every 15 years Security Clearances. Is the lowest level of investigation that meets the requirements for an individual to occupy a Sensitive position within the DoD.
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