A post on Reddit recently asked if the individual should expect to be contacted by the adjudicator before a Statement of Reasons is issued. Short answer – no. The SOR is the correspondence from the adjudicator indicating a clearance is set to be denied. It’s a common question, and many applicants wonder about their status in the process and what communication is normal.
It’s common to not receive any communication from an adjudicator, or even from an investigator if your clearance is for a Secret clearance or below. Getting contacted by an adjudicator is rare, but it could happen if there is a need to clarify a detail or erroneous information provided on the SF-86.
It’s worth noting that the investigators and adjudicators operate independently. Your background investigator is not the one who makes the clearance determination – a background is simply gathering information to present to an adjudicator. Checklists and protocols are in place to ensure those packets are complete before submitted, but if something basic is left out an adjudicator may reach out for clarification.
Just because an adjudicator reaches out doesn’t mean it’s because they’re intending to submit a SOR. And no news typically isn’t necessarily good news, either – an applicant frequently receives a SOR without specific indication that a denial is coming. It’s worth noting that receiving a SOR doesn’t mean the security clearance has been denied – it is the letter of intent, or indication that unless the applicant is able to mitigate the issues outlined in the SOR, the clearance will be denied.
An applicant should read and respond to a SOR carefully. The applicant’s argument needs to be more than ‘I need the clearance,’ but should specifically address any issues that may not have been correctly considered initially.
