How Psychological Evaluations Impact Security Clearance Eligibility

Mental health is an area that many agencies including the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) have aimed to destigmatize in recent years. While the government has made it clear mental health issues are rarely a cause of clearance denial, psychological evaluations for certain positions or agencies still worry security clearance applicant and holders:

After two and a half years of waiting, today I received a letter through the contracting company L. from their customer – the huge, secretive IC one in Virginia. It is from their Medical Services Center where I did the urine sample, computer-based test, and conversation with the psychiatrist in mid-January towards the end of the whole investigation. All that was left after that was the adjudication step.

It states, “not eligible for a contracting position with us at this time. This decision is based on information provided to us by the applicant or was obtained during his initial processing. This cannot be appealed, and more information isn’t available. Please note this is not a security clearance denial, and you may re-apply again in 1 year for this sponsored position – the applicant should note on future SF-86 forms that this wasn’t a denial of clearance.”

I have no mental illness, no drug use whatsoever, and had a very pleasant and positive experience with their medical team on-site in January. However, it seems like a medical qualification, seeing as it comes from their Medical Services Center.

Has anyone encountered a similar scenario with their medical/psychological processing? The agency won’t say anything, so I don’t know what problem to address if I re-apply in a year…

This original post was a question asked at ClearanceJobsBlog.com.

A suitability denial can prevent an individual from being hired for a specific role or from reapplying to the same agency for a period of time. It can also result in the termination of an existing job. However, being denied by one agency doesn’t necessarily mean that an individual can’t apply to another agency immediately.

Unfortunately, all this applicant can do is speculate why they were not chosen for the job…and continue to apply elsewhere.

A suitability review is an evaluation of a variety of factors that determine whether an individual is the right person for a job. These factors include:

Only the applicant can recall their conversation with the agency psychiatrist. But note that oversharing is rarely a good look.

Avoiding Over-Sharing During Security Clearance Interviews

When interacting with a security clearance investigator or undergoing a mental health evaluation, it’s crucial to be mindful of the information you disclose. Psychological assessments may be a part of the clearance or suitability process. If you have a history of alcohol-related issues, rule violations, conflicts at work or in personal relationships, or psychiatric matters, you may be required to undergo an evaluation. While you might think that conversations with a psychologist are confidential, this confidentiality is primarily applicable in clinical settings where information is only revealed without consent if there is a risk to you or others. In a security investigation context, the psychologist typically represents the government agency conducting the evaluation. Therefore, it’s important to remember that details shared with a psychologist in this non-clinical capacity could be reported to the government.

For more on mental health and your security clearance, visit this article.