5/9/2023 0 Comments Levels of scrutiny chart![]() Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) An SF-86 is completed for this clearance. A “Q” clearance issued by the Department of Energy is equivalent to a TS clearance. A TS clearance requires that a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI) be conducted, which involves a Personal Subject Interview with the applicant, along with interviews of references, neighbors, employers, spouses and others. A TS clearance holder will have access to data that affects national security in a significant or “exceptionally grave” manner. It is harder to obtain and maintain a Top Secret (TS) clearance than a Secret clearance as the standards are higher. A “L” clearance issued by the Department of Energy is usually seen as equivalent to a Secret clearance. A secret clearance is renewed every 10 years. A secret clearance is issued to federal employees needing access to information that could reasonably be expected to cause “serious” damage to national security if disclosed to unauthorized individuals. An SF-86 is completed for this clearance.Ī Secret clearance is the next level of security clearance and the most common type of security clearance. A Confidential clearance requires a NACLC investigation going back 7 years from the applicant’s record. A Confidential clearance is similar, in some respects, to a public trust position or public trust clearance. Generally, this type of clearance is held by many federal law enforcement officers and federal health care workers.Ĭonfidential clearances are issued to federal employees that have access to information that could reasonably be expected to cause potential damage to national security if disclosed to unauthorized individuals. Public trust investigations generally focus on the last 7 years of an individual’s life. The threshold for approval is lower than a typical security clearance, which requires a full background investigation in order to determine suitability or eligibility to hold a public trust position. Obtaining a public trust clearance generally requires the completion of the Form SF-85 or SF-85P (for financial positions). Generally, the employee applying for a public trust clearance would need to have access to sensitive, but not classified information. ![]() It is not always considered to be a true security clearance, but is often referred to as a classification. Generally, a public trust clearance or classification is one of the lowest forms of clearance issued to federal employees. Public Trust Positions / Clearance / Suitability The following is a listing of clearances/classifications ranging from least scrutiny to most scrutiny. There are several variations and types of security clearances, and some are not truly considered security clearances, but they range from Public Trust positions to Yankee White clearances on the spectrum. This article briefly touches upon many of the different types of security clearances and increased classification levels for federal employees. Berry, Esq., As lawyers practicing in the area of security clearance law, we often receive questions from federal employees about the different types of security clearances that exist and their differences.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |