-
DOHA VTC Hearings
- September 11, 2020
- Posted by: Admin
- Category: Clearance Procedures
No Comments -
Security Clearance Recommendation Letters
- September 11, 2020
- Posted by: Admin
- Categories: Clearance Procedures, Uncategorized
-
The Statement Of Reasons
- December 3, 2015
- Posted by: William Henderson
- Category: Clearance Procedures
When the security clearance investigation of a contractor employee is completed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the investigative file, which is called a Report For Adjudication (RFA), is sent to the Industry Division (Division A) of the DOD Consolidated Adjudications Facility (DOD CAF). If the RFA is for a Secret clearance and does not contain any potentially disqualifying information, the RFA can be favorably adjudicated by computer (eAdjudication) and the clearance can be granted without any further review…
-
What If I Don’t Want A Hearing?
- December 3, 2015
- Posted by: William Henderson
- Category: Clearance Procedures
Most defense contractor applicants for security clearance*, who receive a Statement of Reasons (SOR), have the choice of requesting a hearing before a Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) Administrative Judge (AJ) or requesting that an AJ make a decision based solely on the written record without a hearing. The applicant must submit a written response to the SOR in order to choose one of these options. Failure to respond to the SOR within the prescribed time results in automatic clearance denial or revocation and forecloses any right to an appeal…
-
THE DOHA HEARING
- June 28, 2015
- Posted by: William Henderson
- Category: Clearance Procedures
In an article, “DOHA Pre-Hearing Process,” I wrote about what happens after a contractor applicant receives a Statement of Reasons (SOR) explaining why the Government intends to deny or revoke their clearance. That article covers the process and events up to the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) hearing…
-
DOHA PRE-HEARING PROCESS
- June 28, 2015
- Posted by: William Henderson
- Category: Clearance Procedures
Several years ago I wrote an article about “Rebutting and Appealing Security Clearance Denials.” Since then things have changed regarding federal contractor clearances, but much of the information in that article remains valid today. What has changed slightly is the adjudication process. In late 2012 the positions for staff adjudicators at the Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office (DISCO) and staff adjudicators at the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) were transferred to the Industry Division of the DOD Consolidated Adjudications Facility (DOD CAF)…
-
Security Clearance: The Whole-Person Concept
- May 30, 2012
- Posted by: William Henderson
- Category: Clearance Procedures
Among people who have been involved with national security clearances the “whole-person” concept has become widely known and often misunderstood.1 Applicants for security clearance are evaluated on potentially disqualifying and mitigating conditions listed under 13 separate guidelines in the “Adjudicative Guidelines for Determining Eligibility for Access to Classified Information.” The Adjudicative Guidelines additionally admonished adjudicators that:
The adjudicative process is an examination of a sufficient period of a person’s life to make an affirmative determination that the person is an acceptable security risk…. The adjudication process is the careful weighing of a number of variables known as the whole-person concept. Available, reliable information about the person, past and present, favorable and unfavorable, should be considered in reaching a determination. In evaluating the relevance of an individual’s conduct, the adjudicator should consider the following factors: (emphasis added)
…
-
Rebutting And Appealing Security Clearance Denials
- May 30, 2012
- Posted by: William Henderson
- Category: Clearance Procedures
The Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office (DISCO) is a Central Adjudication Facility (CAF) that is part of the Defense Security Service. DISCO processes about 150,000 personnel security clearances each year for DoD contractors and contractors of 23 other federal agencies. These are referred to as industrial cases. DISCO favorably adjudicates about 75% of these cases after the investigations are conducted by the Office of Personnel Management. If DISCO cannot affirmatively find that it is clearly consistent with the national interest to grant or continue a personnel security clearance, the case is referred to the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) for further review…
-
The Subject Interview
- May 30, 2012
- Posted by: William Henderson
- Category: Clearance Procedures
The Enhanced Subject Interview (ESI) is a required part of all investigations and periodic reinvestigations for Top Secret clearances. It is also a standard part of Moderate Risk Background Investigations (MBIs) for Moderate Risk Public Trust Positions and Background Investigations (BIs) for High Risk Public Trust positions. The ESI was previously called a Personal Subject Interview (PRSI). ESIs are conducted by federal investigators (Special Agents) and federal contract investigators (Special Investigators). Interview procedures vary slightly from agency to agency, but most agencies follow the same basic format and cover the same topical areas…
-
Preparing for a Polygraph Exam
- May 30, 2012
- Posted by: William Henderson
- Category: Clearance Procedures
Some federal clearances for Sensitive Compartment Information (SCI) and other Special Access Programs (SAP) require a polygraph screening examination in addition to a Single Scope Background Investigation. Generally polygraph exams are not used when only a collateral security clearance is needed. The Office of Personnel Management, which conducts 90% of all federal background investigations, does not conduct polygraph exams. Polygraph screening exams are conducted by Intelligence Community agencies that adjudicate SCI and/or SAP eligibility…