Security Clearance Denial and Application Rejection
Are you new to the security clearance process? Has it been so long since your last investigation that you aren’t sure what to expect from today’s background checks? Either way, being denied a security clearance is a major worry for many applicants. Fortunately, there are ways you can avoid having your clearance application sent back for further development or denied altogether.
When a military role requires a security clearance, supervisors guide service members through the application and investigation process. The application is extensive, and the investigation can take up to 120 days. While interim clearances may be granted, they are the exception, not the norm, and depend on mission needs.
Navigating the Security Clearance Process
Many roles within the military require a background check and a security clearance. This requirement isn’t limited to those with jobs requiring handling top-secret information.
Even working in facilities with sensitive data or near certain equipment may require a clearance. Passing the background check is key to getting a security clearance, but there are issues that can delay or even derail the process, as we’ll explore below.
Preparing for the Background Investigation
Investigations often review the past ten years of your life, including residences, jobs, relationships, and education. If you want to avoid security clearance application rejection or outright denial, you must be prepared to give accurate information to the best of your ability about your past activities, associates, dwellings, and employment.
To prepare, gather your important documents, including leases, bills, pink slips, and pay stubs. You need accurate dates, addresses, and reference information. Relying on your memory likely won’t help.
Be transparent and proactive. You may need to document a decade’s worth of old addresses, employers, roommates, and information on ex-spouses, where applicable.
If you need more time to gather documents and information, communicate that need as early as possible. Why such an emphasis on being prepared?
Reasons for Application Delays and Application Rejection
Applications may be delayed or returned due to various issues, including incomplete data, missing details, or deliberately incorrect information. Administrative other problems include:
- Missing Social Security numbers of spouses or roommates
- Lack of information on relatives
- Incomplete debt or bankruptcy information
- Missing or incomplete references (educational, employment, personal)
- Insufficient explanation of employment history or drug use
- Technical issues like late fingerprints, illegible forms, incorrect formatting, or discrepancies in birth information
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency’s official site notes,
“The most common areas of delay include the submission of incomplete security application packages, poorly collected fingerprints and investigations that involve coverage of extensive overseas activities. ”
The agency says applicants can help expedite the process “by ensuring they have completed all forms in a thorough and accurate manner…and when possible, providing stateside references that can verify foreign activities.”
Security Clearance Application Rejection or Denial of Clearance?
There is a difference between a rejected application and a denied clearance in this process. A rejection typically occurs due to errors or omissions in the application itself, such as missing information.
This circumstance requires the applicant to resubmit a corrected application. The background investigation determines whether a denial is warranted. It may be the final word on that potential employee’s access.
What does it take to be denied a confidential security clearance, a secret or even a top secret military security clearance? In the eyes of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, the answer is clear:
“When an individual’s life history shows evidence of unreliability or untrustworthiness, questions arise whether the individual can be relied on and trusted to exercise the responsibility necessary for working in a secure environment where protection of classified information is paramount.”
The investigation 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.”
Grounds for Security Clearance Denial
Denials of security clearance are based on specific areas of concern, which include:
- Loyalty
- Potential foreign influence
- Financial stability
- Personal conduct and behavior
- Involvement with drugs or alcohol
- Criminal history
- Psychological factors
- Handling of sensitive information
- Use of IT systems
- Outside activities
These areas are broadly defined. For example, “personal conduct” may involve examining criminal behavior, mental health issues, or vulnerability to exploitation. This “top-down” approach informs most of the security clearance process.
Key Factors in Security Clearance Denials
Surprisingly, financial issues are one of the most common reasons for clearance denial. Statistics from the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals (DOHA) indicate that financial problems account for a significant portion of appeals, far exceeding denials due to foreign influence or criminal conduct.
Financial red flags may include:
- Bad credit
- Bad credit history
- Financial crimes
- Unpaid debts
- Unexplained wealth
- Gambling or substance abuse
Believe it or not, these issues don’t automatically lead to denial. Investigators assess the context, such as whether the problems are habitual or isolated incidents. Medical debt, for example, is viewed differently from gambling debt.
Is a Security Clearance Always Needed?
Congress.gov notes, “Under certain circumstances, an individual may be granted access to classified information prior to or without obtaining a security clearance.”
That may happen “in time-sensitive situations and on a temporary basis while the applicant’s full background investigation is completed.”
Who Can Apply for a Security Clearance?
If you are hired to work for the federal government as a direct government employee, a member of the military, or a private contractor, you may be required to apply for a security clearance.
Generally, only U.S. citizens are eligible for security clearances, with some limited exceptions. Your employer must initiate the request, the employee cannot do this on thieir own.
Understanding Clearance Levels
There are three tiers of security clearance, ranked from least to most sensitive. Each level grants access to classified information at that level or below. Those with Top Secret clearance can access any classified material, but access is always tied to a specific job-related need.
Congress.gov explains the differences in the three clearance levels:
“The levels of security clearances correspond to the levels of sensitivity of the information that cleared individuals will be eligible to access.” The three levels are defined by Congress.gov as follows:
- Confidential–the unauthorized disclosure of which would “cause damage to the national security;”
- Secret–unauthorized disclosure would “cause serious damage to the national security;”
- Top secret–unauthorized disclosure would “cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security.”
Some Don’t Need Security Clearances
Furthermore, some who work for the federal government are not required to have clearances.
“Security clearances are not mandated for the President, the Vice President, Members of Congress, Supreme Court Justices, or other constitutional officers,” says Congress.gov.
“The criteria for election or appointment to these positions are specified in the U.S. Constitution, and, except by constitutional amendment, no additional criteria (e.g., holding a security clearance) may be required.”
United States officials “who hold positions prescribed by the Constitution” are typically “deemed to meet the standards of trustworthiness for eligibility for access to classified information.”
