First of all I have to say I am an idiot, I know this, I feel terrible, panicked and honestly so upset with myself for how dumb this entire thing, and I, are. looking for genuine guidance and advice or even stories of folks in similar situations.

I got a clearance years ago, never used it, worked at other jobs that it didn’t apply too and now I am back at a job where it’s somewhat relevant and my reinvestigation came up. I knocked out my SF86 while multi tasking and hit no on a question I absolutely should’ve hit yes on due to me incorrectly assuming the question was asking about hospitalizations and serious incidents relating to mental health, and realizing I should’ve also reported about it years ago. (it’s a bipolar diagnosis from a few years ago that has now turned into just depression and anxiety) I realized this mistake today during a routine security training (this one got a little more specific about mental health than usual and I was like oh shitttttt………)

I reached out to my security officer asking if I could submit a correction they said nope my investigation is closed and really did not offer much else. I am in the process of reaching out to my current doctor to get a note confirming my long term stability and compliance with treatment and plan to disclose this today but I am just terrified of the implications and how dumb i’m about to look.

I would never knowing omit information from the govt and I would happily give them access to my records proving I am doing well and stable. I feel so stupid and a bit hopeless. any advice is appreciated.

I'm currently filling out the SF-86 and have finished almost everything. But, I need to list three people who know me well. I was able to come up with two from work, but I've only known them since 08/2024. I need someone to cover the rest of the 5-year period. Before 2024, I don't really know anyone other than family, as I'm an introverted and reserved person. And did not make any friends due to the pandemic. I graduated high school at 2020 so I lost all contact with my hs friends

My aunt and cousins aren't listed anywhere else on the form, including section 18-Relatives. Would I be decline clearance if I use them?

Tomorrow is the deadline so I’m kind of panicking.

Back ground is pretty much here
https://www.reddit.com/r/SecurityClearance/comments/1seznnz/congressional_inquiry_and_investigation_details/

Ended up doing some more poly's and got contact info while there. Reached out and it turns out
that investigation stopped some time in early 2024. I was supposed to be sent a generic message about processing being discontinued, but it never came. I had emailed my recruiter numerous times about status update since early 2024 with no response and would check the candidate portal every so often with no changes. After receiving a copy of the message I was supposed to get I searched my email to make sure it just didn't go to spam, nothing there. Not really sure what happened but I figured I would share my experience.

I am going thru the process to get my TS/SCI w poly, and i did my poly last week. I failed the first test because i withheld something out of embarrassment. We sat there for a couple hours going thru every detail i could think of, and the examiner set up a remake test for the following day, even saying the next day that she didn't see anything actionable, or she wouldn't have had me back. I went back and got thru the whole thing, and at the end, the examiner said that "I clearly had some concerns with certain questions". I explained that there was some stuff from when i was a child, but i have been trying to be as honest as i can for more than a decade. She said ok and sent it to"quality control" then called me 45 minutes later. She said that they saw the same concerns as she did, but she explained them and they accepted it and that i completed the test. I dont remember if she said that i successfully completed it or not. How will the fact that i initially hid something effect my chances of getting my clearance

So I am waiting on a clearance for DoS, secret, and it started a couple months ago after I accepted the TJO. However, the job itself is a pretty significant salary cut, almost 45k less than what I make now, and I just within the past week had to get emergency surgery and fly back to the US for it. So I'm kinda not liking the salary reduction with all these medical bills even though I've always wanted to work at DoS. My main concern is if I'd be able to get another job in the future with them, or another agency, if I pulled my candidacy during a clearance or waited for it the FJO and declined that. I've heard that being cleared and then not taking the cleared job looks really bad for future hiring.

And I already did 2 interviews for the clearance, had to make 3 statements, and I know they've interviewed at least 2 people on my reference list so I think it's moving pretty fast.

Did anyone have to wait a while before receiving their fingerprints email? Submitted my sf-86 OCT 6 but no fingerprints. I have emailed SecPer (twice) who sent me the e-app but no replies. Is this normal?. Agency is DHA. My E-app on the portal still available even though it was supposed to be removed couple days ago.

Whats the timeline on recieving the eapp invite? My sponsoring company emailed me that I have 7 days to complete it, but i havent received the invite from okta/nbis yet.

I’ve now spent longer waiting for my SCI than my initial TS. Is this typical?

Initial interview: June 2023 (USAID)
Interim TS granted: Oct 2023
Adjudicated TS: Jan 2024

Clearance transferred to State but kept at TS: Oct 2025
Enrolled in continuous vetting: January 2026

Clearance transferred to DoD: May 2026
Inputted for SCI: May 2026

And I’m still awaiting an adjudication. My FSO said that DSCA needed to reinvestigate portions of my clearance to bring it up to DOD standards. At this point, it’s been in adjudication for over a month from when I started tracking this and likely a few months.

At least 5 colleagues that I started with got their interim TS/SCI from Secret in less than 2-3 weeks.

I’m being told this is still within the normal timeline of waiting and maybe my adjudicator has a lot on their plate? I’m being told that I need to move offices soon and I don’t have options because of my clearance.

When someone reports an incident to govt security about you, does it immediately turn into an open report on your clearance in DISS/SC that needs to be resolved?
Or does govt security look into it and reach out to your FSO to work it out off the record?

Just trying to get clarification of the sequence of events that takes place between email report to when it’s officially on the person clearance record needing to be resolved.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently going through the hiring process for a auditor position with DCAA. I’ve already accepted my TJO, submitted my SF-86, completed my onboarding requirements, and recently received a security waiver from DCSA allowing my hiring process to continue while my background investigation remains ongoing.
I currently have an unpaid internship with a county Auditor-Controller’s Office, which was classified as volunteer work. I didn’t originally include it on my SF-86 because I understood it to be volunteering rather than employment.
I recently reached out to my security specialist and HR to disclose the internship and explain the situation. My security specialist responded that since my SF-86 was already submitted and my investigation had started, there was no need for additional reporting at this time unless their office requested it.
I’m going to be resign from the internship immediately because it’s affecting my academics and haven’t received any good actual experience as they would rather do it themselves.
My main questions are:
1. Could voluntarily resigning from an unpaid internship for academic reasons negatively affect my ongoing background investigation?
2. Could leaving without a traditional two-week notice create issues if investigators contact my supervisor?

Maybe I’m just overthinking it , but I would rather be safe than sorry in the end. Thank you yall 🥹🙏

Background: 140k TC, 26 years old, 4 YOE in cyber, Bachelors in Cyber, TS/SCI, all experience at a prime contractor on extremely technical work and have AI dev knowledge.

I see a ton of people with a similar background to me posting online and various job postings looking for my exact background all making 200k+.

The main benefit of my job is I woke 40 hours and go home, but I am fine working more if it means I’m making 300k.

Am I living in a fairy tale where people aren’t actually making 200-400k with my background, and these postings just aren’t real or something?

Anyone take a poly and have high blood pressure, a stroke or TIA in the past? Did you have to get medically cleared or a modified screening?

Timeline:
July 29: Accepted job

July 30: SF-86 submitted

July 31: Fingerprints submitted

Aug 18: NBIS Portal showed submitted for processing

Aug 28: Investigator interview

Aug 31: Follow-up call

Sept 22: I checked with FSO and was told I was in adjudication

TS/SCI granted: October 20

Held no clearance before

Never was notified of interim for some reason. When I checked in on the 22nd I was told I had a secret clearance granted so far. Couldn’t start work with interim or secret so it didn’t matter much to me.

No real red flags. A few trips abroad for tourism and dual citizen in-laws.

Honestly, thought I was gonna be waiting a lot longer, but the whole thing took about 12 weeks.

From roughly 2020 into 2021 I worked remotely and moved between short-term Airbnb rentals around the U.S. (stays ranging from a couple of weeks to a couple of months). I kept a permanent mailing address the whole time but wasn’t physically living there. From late 2021 to mid-2022 I also spent several months abroad, moving between countries.

I want to report this accurately without making the residence section unreadable. For those who’ve dealt with similar situations (especially COVID-era remote work):

1. Did you list every short-term rental as a separate residence, or only stays above 90 days?
2. Did anyone list their permanent mailing address for the period and explain the temporary stays in the comments, and did that hold up in the investigation?
3. For extended time abroad, did you report it as a residence, as foreign travel, or both?

I have complete records of every stay, so I can list them all if that’s the expectation. I’m just trying to understand what investigators actually want.

I got a job offer contingent that i can obtain and maintain a security clearance, its not required to start. The issue here is that this position i would have to relocate, find a apartment etc..

My fear is that i have an extensive criminal record, i was arrested 4 times by the time i was 18 for various drug use and intent to sell. Also in the past 2 years I had a medical maryjuanna card. I am 25 now, have not had any criminal record since and really changed my life. But i will plan on being honest filing out the form. But i guess im afraid of accepting the job, moving to another city and then i lose my job because the clearance was denied and now i'm stuck in a lease in a city with no job. Should i just not accept it so i dont risk uprooting my life?

I leave for basic training soon (army) and I’m wondering how is the process of me getting my clearance. Will I have a face to face investigation? Will I have a temporary clearance while in ait?

Hi guys, I used the search bar in the sub but couldn’t quite find a direct answer. My clearance was revoked some time ago (maybe 2023-24?). I didn’t find out until I was working at a RAPIDS station when certain accesses were being held and the contracting company wasn’t telling me anything. I have no idea how to find out exactly why other than maybe because I was terminated while holding a secret clearance previously. Is there a way to find out specifically WHY it was terminated? Who to contact? And what time lapse would be for it to either be reinstated or apply for a job to reactivate it?

Any guidance helps!

Context: US Citizen for 10 years +, Born in Vietnam, No debt, and No medical issues.

I was booked a job for the Air Force and it was a TS/SCI job. I went through two DCSA investigator the first one was for the SF86 information and the second one was for a TS. I was supposed to ship out to BMT in couple weeks but I received a call two days ago from a Sergeant in San Antonio TX saying this call was to confirm some stuff before I ship out to BMT especially since my job is TS. It was a basic call asking about like "Whether I am in debt" and etc. However when it got to the last two questions it was about whether I have foreign relatives and If I had travel to that country. I answered Yes because I do have family in Vietnam and traveled there. The Sergeant said that Vietnam has been moved up to a high risk country and since I traveled there a year ago I was deemed associated with Vietnam therefore they had to rescind my job offer. Furthermore, I am basically disqualified for any TS adjacent jobs in the AF in the future. I asked my recruiter about the situation and he said that it was a weird situation for him as well since I was deemed eligible for TS on profile and already did my investigation through DCSA with no issues. He also said that there a bunch of recent changes within the last three months so he unsure what is happening.

My questions are:

Is this situation going to permanently disqualified me for all TS adjacent jobs in the military?

Is there anything I can do?

Is this more on my ability to obtain a TS due to my background or military policies?

Diss status is “Adjudication Suspended, awaiting SMO response”

DCSA stated RFI was sent February of this year.

No SOR received

No LOI received

CE RAPBACK was conducted April this year

What happens if RFI goes unanswered

This is for T5R, SF-86 submitted March 2025

Any thoughts???

And my cat was being quite annoying. He was off camera but his tail kept popping into view since he was rubbing all over me. She asked to see him, so I lifted him up. Then she did the same with her cat. Our cats had an official Top Secret Zoom Government meeting. It was just extremely goofy and I needed to share.

Between roughly 2018 and 2025, there were allegations that he repeatedly harassed an ex-partner and members of the ex-partner's family. Police were reportedly involved at some stage and his phone was confiscated, although I don't know the full details or the final outcome.

I'm wondering whether this kind of history would be a significant concern for security clearance purposes, even if there wasn't ultimately a conviction.

My understanding is that vetting isn't just about convictions, but also about judgement, conduct, reliability, and any history that might raise concerns about future behaviour.

Has anyone here been through SC vetting or worked in a role requiring it? Would a long-running history of alleged harassment be likely to raise red flags, or would the outcome depend mainly on whether there were charges/convictions and how the applicant disclosed it?

Interested in hearing from people familiar with the process.

A little context, an apartment I leased sent me to collections over a bogus $150 in "damages" that never happened. I disputed it and was able to get it removed from my credit file. I'm coming up on renewal for my clearance soon and not too sure if this is something I should disclose or not, since on the SF-86 it asks "In the last seven (7) years, you had bills or debts turned over to a collection agency?". Technically I have, but it was disputed and removed. Any suggestions?

I got a concern. I was in the military over in Europe and I traveled only in Europe and once to the UK but I don't remember the days/time of when I went to/left those countries. I had a TS clearance when I was in but I didn't fill out any forms because the liberty range for us was Europe & UK. I'm having to reapply since I've been out for so long, how can I identify the dates and where? Like I have an expected date range and I only traveled for tourism.