The Defense Security Service announced Friday all Tier 5 Periodic Reinvestigations (PRs) will be submitted six years after the date of the previous investigation rather than five years. This is the newly launched Nationa Background Investigation Bureau’s latest effort to reduce the 500,000 case backlog in investigations.
Currently, clearance applicants at every stage are facing significant delays, including interim clearances, as well as new clearance investigations. The current move to push reinvestigations back is temporary, and DSS says the policy will be reevaluated prior to December 31.
As it pushes back its reinvestigation timelines, it’s putting more emphasis on improving the timeliness of initial investigations and interim clearances. Individuals requiring Special Access Programs (SAP) access will also move into a higher-priority status.
Your Investigation’s Back
If you recently submitted a PR but the case hasn’t been opened, you will fall under the new policy. Your FSO will need to re-submit your packet at the new six-year deadline. In its announcement, DSS also reminded clearance holders of the recent announcement that security clearances don’t expire:
“As a reminder, the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence signed a memorandum on Dec. 7, 2016, reminding DoD Components that personnel security clearances do not expire. Individuals with current eligibility in the Joint Personnel Adjudication System should not be denied access based on an out-of-scope investigation. When the system of record shows current adverse information, but eligibility is still valid, access may continue. The memorandum is provided here for ease of reference.”
Individuals with a Secret level clearance will still be under the 10 year window for reinvestigations.
