There are several good reasons to request a copy of your background investigation records. If you’re leaving one agency for another, separating from military or government service, issued a Statement of Reasons, or simply curious about what information may be included or what your clearance status is, you can easily request a copy of your records. Until March of 2021, the Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS) was the security clearance system of record for more than 95% of all security clearance holders. Today, the Department of Defense’s Defense Information System for Security (DISS) is the primary system of record, and is maintained by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).
What is DISS? Like JPAS before it, DISS is a tool utilized by recruiters and facility security officers to manage clearance investigations and security clearance eligibility information.
Adjudicative records for the DSS investigative Records Repository (IRR), Defense Central Index of Investigations (DCII), Secure Web Fingerprint Transmission (SWFT), or DISS are all available through a Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act request to the DCSA Freedom of Information and Privacy (FOI/P) Office for Investigations. Requests may be submitted via mail, email, or fax.
- Mail: Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency
ATTN: FOI/P Office for Investigations
PO Box 618
Boyers, PA 16018 - E-mail: dcsa.boyers.dcsa.mbx.inv-foip@mail.mil
- Fax: (724) 794-4590
What to include in your investigation request
DCSA provides a form that can be used to submit the request, and ensures requesters include all of the required information. It’s the INV100, Freedom of Information / Privacy Act Records Request for Background Investigations.
If submitting a handwritten request, include:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Place of birth
- Full social security number
- Mailing address and email address if you’d like your material returned electronically
- Any available information regarding the type of record involved
- Photocopies of two different identity source documents. Examples of acceptable identity source documents are noted on the FOI/P Program Overview page.
- An original notarized statement or an unsworn declaration in accordance with 28 U.S.C. 1746, in the following format: I declare (or certify, verify, or state) under penalty of perjury that theforegoing is true and correct. Executed on (date). (Handwritten Signature).
Your request should include your full legal name, the specific documents you’re requesting (records, fingerprints, etc), and be signed. Also include the address where you’d like the documents sent, along with your contact information.
Response times can be surprisingly quick, but allow two-four weeks for processing. If you need the documents quickly for any reason (particularly in order to respond to a Statement of Reasons), be sure to indicate that in your request.
Check out this article for more information on putting together a successful FOIA request, and this article for information about accessing your military or federal government personnel files.
