Posted on Mar 23, 2016
PO2 Seabee
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Does a security clearance renew automatically or do you yourself have to start on the process? What can cause you to loose a security clearance these days? I have one for a few years now but I have not used it or anything all I know about it is just that I have one.
Posted in these groups: Ts Security Clearance
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MAJ Intelligence Officer
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Edited >1 y ago
Clearance eligibility *always* expires and has to be renewed, no matter who did the investigation or who adjudicated the result. By default, eligibility of Public Trust (basically, to grant you access to internal, protected data at the unclassified level) will expire after 15 years, Secret after 10, TS/SCI after 5, and most SAPs use the TS/SCI standard (plus usually polygraph) but then add on annual re-adjudication as part of a continuous evaluation program.

Getting it renewed is based on either *need to know* or position requirements. Simply put, if you aren't in a job that requires you to have access, or otherwise in a position that is required to maintain a baseline eligibility, then you won't be investigated or re-investigated. Additionally, large gaps in service can justify administrative (non-punitive) de-activation of your eligibility, which then requires re-investigation (or if the investigation is still fairly current, sometimes merely re-adjudication) to get back.

What can cause you to *lose* eligibility earlier than that -- excepting the administrative downgrade or de-activation -- is the same thing that could block an adjudication otherwise; if you violate the 13 adjudicative guidelines, and cannot sufficiently mitigate the circumstances of the violation. The 13 guidelines are available <a href="http://www.state.gov/m/ds/clearances/60321.htm">[here]</a>, and each has a series of potential factors that can indicate a concern and factors that could mitigate the concern. The applicability of these is done by the adjudicator, *not* the investigator, which for all DoD personnel will be the DoD Consolidated Adjudications Facility (CAF) at Ft. Meade, MD. The investigator's job is merely to gather and organize the facts relevant to your case, *never* to make an overall recommendation or determination.

Source: I've been a Security Manager at virtually every echelon in the Army over a period of more than a decade. Also, I have worked directly for DoD CAF on the civilian side.
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1SG Bn Ssa
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Piece of advice. Always keep your e-quip paperwork when you apply or renew your clearances. Going back ten years in the military with all the moving around can be a pain in the butt. Having the previous copy is a big help in getting the renewal done quickly. As far as losing your clearance. Depending on the level of clearance you have you can lose your clearance for such things as DUI's, bankruptcies, or almost any kind of UCMJ action. Your S2 should notify you when the time is coming to renew or if you were to lose it for any reason.
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MAJ Intelligence Officer
MAJ (Join to see)
>1 y
e-Qip will already have all your previous data in it; that's one of the reasons the system was developed. The only time it won't is if your previous instance wasn't done through e-Qip. Previous versions are less useful if you're going for Secret renewal, as you already don't have to renew until 10 years, which defeats the purpose of being able to look back -- for TS, though, it's a gold mine. Also, if you need a hard copy and can't find it (or don't have it), you can always request it via the Privacy Act from OPM, but turnaround time is usually about 2 months, so don't wait until the last minute. Last, although S2 *should* notify when you're due, never rely on that; sometimes one slips through the cracks.
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SGT Tevita Vuiyanuca
SGT Tevita Vuiyanuca
>1 y
Great info Sir. Surely reduce the stress of going through the whole process again.
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PO1 Master-at-Arms
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You have to renew it yourself. It is easier the second time. Most positions require at at least secret.
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SFC Kenneth Hunnell
SFC Kenneth Hunnell
3 y
Your S2 or G2, would initiate the reinvestigation. You can give a heads up, you still need to have a need to know prior to renewal
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