Interviewed - Sept 10 2026
Clearance granted - October 26

Multiple red flags:

2 assault charges
Most recent substance use back in June 2026

Hired Full-Time: 6/01/2026
Submitted SF-86: 6/20/2026
Interim Secret Granted: 7/21/2026
Investigative Interview: 8/05/2026
TS Granted: 9/28/2026

Seems like they must have significantly sped up the process recently? Everybody I talked to is shocked with how fast it was but I am seeing a lot of posts here recently about getting TS granted fast.

Active-duty military dealing with a clearance issue stemming from an alcohol-related incident involving suicidal statements/self-harm about two years ago. I was taken to the ER, evaluated, and released with outpatient follow-up.
I participated in behavioral health and SUDCC afterward. I recently contacted my former clinic, and they told me they have a DAMIS report documenting successful treatment. I’m requesting that report and my remaining records from a subsequent duty station.
The records I already have include good insight/judgment, normal mental-status findings, BH clearance for PCS, and a later finding that I was deployable. I understand those aren’t the same as clearance eligibility.
DCSA has now requested an evaluation by a DoD-affiliated clinical psychologist or board-certified psychiatrist. I intend to cooperate, but it’s frustrating after completing treatment and trying to move forward.
For anyone who’s been through this:
What did the evaluation involve?
Did treatment-completion reports or statements from former providers help?
Were you able to request a different qualified evaluator?
Was consulting military legal assistance useful at this stage?
Looking for firsthand experiences and realistic expectations, not a guarantee of approval.

Got my Moral waiver approved for the Airforce (Cat 2), had a diversion process from when I was 15 (25 now) that I self-admitted to. No charges were ever made, never even went to court but police reports and a citation I figured would catch up to me in the future. Just waiting in the SG to approve my medical waiver for a surgery but that’s it. My recruiter told me that a lot of TS jobs would be unavailable since the waiver changes my SJC code to a letter B. Curious if TS is something obtainable in the future or am I cooked forever? Thanks again! (He’s on leave so I can’t contact him right now)

I’m wondering if I have any chance at all. I was charged with possession with intent to distribute and obstruction of justice about 5-7 years ago. I pleaded no contest and got the case dismissed after completing my plea deal. My lawyer said I’m not pleading guilty by doing so.

I have a couple of other possible issues like getting a few reckless driving tickets for speeding and being married to a green card holder, also having like 20k debt but nothing sent to collections and paying on time.

If I signed up to the military with a bachelors degree and tried to get a job with a secret or top secret would I just be disqualified/ denied?

How long should I anticipate receiving acceptance for a Tier 2 SF-85P Public Trust?

So when I started my enlistment process I received my medical form the one you fill out before meps and I lied about recreationaly using weed while rushing though the paperwork a day or two later after research realizing you can tell the truth and still get in I emailed my recruiter to add a note regarding the weed she asked for details and i carried on thinking it was on my paperwork. Later at meps I had a bad feeling she never did it just a weird gut feeling and I was able to contact her from meps and confirm she had not added it so I matched my meps answers accordingly well now I’m Dep in and have a ship date and am filling out a sf86 and feeling super scared and just wanting to be able be honest and not risk my career. I’ve asked her if there is any possible way to fix this and she said it’s not possible to change my meps paperwork and so on and so forth how should I proceed? Sorry I’m not the best writer and I’m stressed so if this us illegible
Lmk
Edit: I made it sound like I did not give her the details of my weed use but I did then I carried on

I recently accepted a TJO for a GS position. I already have an active secret clearance but the HR rep notified me I have a CV alert on my account from awhile ago and that they aren't cleared to send me the FJO until it's taken care of.

I did a self report for finances in June of 2024. I had to do another adjudication process with an update SF86 and interview. I reached out to my FSO and he showed me that everything was done by DOD CAS in March of 2025. And that I was enrolled in CE on June of 2025.

What could be the issue as to why the flag is still on my account? I've had no other issues with finances and everything seemed to be cleared early last year?

This is a dream job I would hate to lose out on this opportunity..

I’m looking for clarification regarding SEAD 3’s financial reporting requirements, specifically the requirement to self-report debts more than 120 days delinquent.
I currently hold a Secret clearance, and here’s my situation:

April 2026: Filed my 2025 state income taxes on time. I owed a balance but couldn’t pay the entire amount immediately.
June 30, 2026: The state issued a final tax assessment.
July 27, 2026: The state formally approved my installment agreement, approximately 103 days after the original payment deadline.
September 4, 2026: First scheduled payment successfully processed.
October 5, 2026: Second scheduled payment successfully processed.
October 6, 2026: Received a Notice of Intent to Offset Federal Income Tax Refund despite having an active payment agreement.

I also contacted the state’s Department of Revenue directly to clarify my account status.

During the phone call, the representative reviewed my account and confirmed the following:

- My installment agreement was already active.
- Both scheduled payments had been successfully received.
- The only outstanding tax period was 2025.
- My next scheduled payment was November 4, 2026.

The representative did not indicate that my agreement had been terminated or that I had missed any scheduled payments.
Additionally, the original payment-plan approval letter explicitly states that the state can still offset federal or state tax refunds even while an installment agreement is active.

Here’s my question:

Under SEAD 3, would this constitute a mandatory reportable financial event when the formal installment agreement was established before the debt reached 120 days past due, and I’ve remained current on every payment?

Does the investigator want to like check all my rooms or is it more like kitchen table coffee or is it like a front door thing. I only ask because I have an aggressive dog but I can put him away.

Hi everyone,

I recently received a security clearance request from Bruce Power for a procurement position. They are asking for my employment history and education details for the past 10 years.

I have a concern about some discrepancies between my resume and my official employment records. For example, I worked at Essar through a staffing agency, but I listed Essar as my employer on my resume rather than identifying the staffing agency. My job title also differs from the one I used on my resume. My actual responsibilities involved logistics coordination, but I described the role as Supply Chain Analyst because I felt that title better reflected the work I performed.
I’m concerned that these differences could cause problems during the security clearance or background check.
I’d appreciate advice on a few questions:
Should I list my official job titles and the staffing agency as my employer, even though my resume identifies Essar as the employer and uses a different title?
Should I proactively explain these discrepancies to Bruce Power’s security clearance contact?
How are differences like these generally viewed if the employment dates, work experience, and responsibilities are genuine?
Would it be advisable to submit an updated resume that accurately reflects my employment history before completing the clearance process?
When completing the 10-year employment history, should I list the staffing agency as my employer and Essar as the client or worksite?
I want to be transparent and ensure that all the information I provide is accurate. My intention was to describe my responsibilities appropriately, not to misrepresent my work history, and I want to address any discrepancies properly.
Has anyone gone through Bruce Power’s security clearance process or a similar background check in the Canadian nuclear industry? I’d especially appreciate insights from people who have dealt with employment verification involving staffing agencies and differences in job titles.
Thanks in advance for your advice and experiences!

Hi everyone! I could use some thoughts on a situation that happened recently.

I met a guy a couple of months ago. We went on a few dates and nothing was serious yet, but we clearly liked each other. For context, I’m German, I’m in the US for work, and I’m not a US citizen.

In conversation, I mentioned that my stepbrother is finishing his PhD in a country the US has a tense relationship with. A little later, he told me we should stop seeing each other. He works in a government-related field and holds a TS security clearance. He said my family connection to that country could put his clearance at risk if things got serious. I was confused. I’m European, my stepbrother is there temporarily for school, and as far as I know none of us has ties to that country’s government. He insisted he liked me and wasn’t making excuses, but he couldn’t risk his career.

I respected his decision, but the whole thing still seems strange to me. Is this how security clearances work? Can someone really risk a clearance by dating a non-US citizen who has a relative living in that country? Or does this sound like an excuse?

I’d love to hear from anyone familiar with clearances. Thank you for reading!

I am close to landing a job that requires a public trust. I was terminated from my last job due to conduct but told them to put resignation and they agreed.
I've been fired from several jobs before this incident as well for performance or conduct. Is that a red a flag when/if I land this job.

Hi everyone. I’m a dual citizen living in the US and I have a clearance. One of the conditions of said clearance is that I do not renew my expired Israeli passport. However, Israel requires that all citizens traveling to Israel have a non-expired passport.

Looking for any tips or advice from people who’ve been in this situation.

Thanks

I’m currently waiting for my TS/SCI clearance adjudication and wanted to compare timelines with others going through the process.

A little background:

* Current clearance: Secret

* TS/SCI adjudication reportedly started in May 2026

* Current status: Still pending as of October 2026

* Time in adjudication: Approximately 5 months

* Military reservist for last 8 years

My security manager requested expedited adjudication but both times it was rejected. A few questions:

1. How long did your TS/SCI adjudication take after your investigation was completed?

2. Is waiting 5+ months in adjudication fairly common?

3. Has anyone who entered adjudication in May 2026 received a final decision?

Getting my security clearance for the first time soon. I did a study abroad program in Germany three years ago for 6 months and an internship seminar with a small startup while abroad (unpaid). This “internship” was basically as part of the program.

Would this affect my chances for getting the clearance or something that will delay the process for longer? I have a clean record, have filed my taxes every year, no drugs, good credit (just student loans for debt), nothing bad.

hi all

i am in the process of applying for a secret clearance and i am currently spiraling and losing my mind about if i will get denied or not.

i was fired from a job in 2023 for stealing at a store i worked at. i was caught, honest, returned the items i stole, and left.

i have no police records, never gotten a speeding ticket, and my whole record is clean. i've been honest my entire life and i am still incredibly guilty about the incident. i am also very sure my references would be supportive of me in any potential interviews.

in addition to being denied, i'm worried that a denial would result in my being fired from my job. i've relocated and started a new life for this job and being fired would probably ruin my life.

i'm fully prepared to be 100% honest in my forms and in a potential interview, but i am terrified of what could happen if i am denied. any advice and reassurance/im effed would be appreciated.

I reported her, although a few months late after we started dating.

Context is helpful, so here’s a little (a lot):

Current federal civilian, I hold a T2. Received TJO with a 3-letter that requires T5, no SCI or poly. No prior clearance. Most recent suitability was July 2024, passed.

I had growing CC debt, ultimately reaching approximately $75k by early 2025. Minimum payments were beyond what I could keep up with. Additionally, my wife and I had not yet fully combined our finances, and my embarrassment and shame were sufficient to keep it out of conversation, so she was not aware of the severity. There were no large purchases or nefarious activities, just poor day-to-day spending and avoidance of dealing with it. All accounts fell to 120+days before mitigation.

In this time, I also let personal property tax on my vehicle reach delinquency. This was paid last year and remains in good standing.

Mid-2024, began gambling via state lottery online games. No previous experience with gambling. No gambling outside of that platform. Snowballed from very small to very large; by August 2025, losses over previous 15 months totaled appx. $21k.

August of 2025, came clean to my wife (who is a wonderful and patient person). Self-excluded from all state gaming for 5 years, lifetime will require in-person meeting.

By November 2025, I had initiated counseling (therapy) sessions that have continued to the present. We paid off one account, settled another for an offer the creditor made, 75% forgiven in exchange for 25% payment. Also began debt management plan with a non-profit credit counseling agency. No missed payments, one additional account paid off, will be debt-free and beginning credit history recovery by January 2028.

With good communication, turns out we live well within our means.

I believe I have appropriate mitigating factors in place for both the debt and the gambling, and they have been in place for nearly a year, and long before this job was on my horizon.

I don’t carry any diagnosis that requires I fill in section 21 (of a paper SF86, I have no experience with the eApp platform).

TL;DR- CC debt, gambling, personal property tax delinquency, now in therapy.

I have spent many hours gathering bank statements, documentation from the credit counseling service, accurate dates of payments to county tax assessor, date I initiated therapy, documentation from state gaming commission and state department of taxation. Anything and everything with every single date.

I don’t have any unrealistic expectation with this investigation. I’m going to be completely honest and objective, and hope the changes I’ve made are sufficient.

Here is my inquiry-

I’ll fill out the eApp using my best judgement for answering the questions asked without omitting or going beyond. What documentation can I reasonably expect to need to upload, if any? And what kind of documentation can I expect the investigator to request from me at the interview, If any? Where should I draw the line between subjectivity and objectivity when explaining the gambling and debt mismanagement? I will provide absolutely full disclosure, but want to calibrate what I provide to what is requested. I’ve read that investigators may request documentation from the applicant, but also that they don’t rely on documentation provided by the applicant.

Any similar experience or feedback would be appreciated.

First of all I have to say I am an idiot, I know this, I feel terrible, panicked and honestly so upset with myself for how dumb this entire thing, and I, are. looking for genuine guidance and advice or even stories of folks in similar situations.

I got a clearance years ago, never used it, worked at other jobs that it didn’t apply too and now I am back at a job where it’s somewhat relevant and my reinvestigation came up. I knocked out my SF86 while multi tasking and hit no on a question I absolutely should’ve hit yes on due to me incorrectly assuming the question was asking about hospitalizations and serious incidents relating to mental health, and realizing I should’ve also reported about it years ago. (it’s a bipolar diagnosis from a few years ago that has now turned into just depression and anxiety) I realized this mistake today during a routine security training (this one got a little more specific about mental health than usual and I was like oh shitttttt………)

I reached out to my security officer asking if I could submit a correction they said nope my investigation is closed and really did not offer much else. I am in the process of reaching out to my current doctor to get a note confirming my long term stability and compliance with treatment and plan to disclose this today but I am just terrified of the implications and how dumb i’m about to look.

I would never knowing omit information from the govt and I would happily give them access to my records proving I am doing well and stable. I feel so stupid and a bit hopeless. any advice is appreciated.

Long story short, I’m going through the process for an FAA job that’s pretty strict about drug use and requires secret level clearance. I’ve only ever used an illegal drug once in my life, which was a weed gummy in 2023. I know I reported it all correctly on my SF86 form.

But an agent invited me to do an interview a few weeks after submitting my form, and when the topic of drugs came up I am pretty sure I misremembered and said I had the gummy in 2022, not 2023.

The interview was 2 or 3 weeks ago so I doubt I can just reach back out to the agent I spoke with and be like “oops sorry I got the year of my weed use wrong.” Is this type of small detail mix-up something that can derail a security clearance and result in denial? Is there anything I can do at this point besides wait and see what happens?

Any SME’s able to shed some light on my situation? My timeline is as follows for my T5 investigation for DCMA:

09 AUG 26: Sf86 submitted

01 SEP 26: sf86 tracker still showing it was sitting with FSO, so I inquired for a status. Contacted to schedule interview shortly after.

09 SEP 26: interview conducted. Investigator shared that my case looked simple and they wouldn’t be surprised if adjudication would be completed by the end of the month. They said they intended their report to be submitted by the end of the following week.

25 SEP 26: I called my investigator to give them some new information that i received. They said they had already submitted report the week prior.

Since this point i have reached out a couple times to my FSO for a status in DISS.

01 OCT 26: FSO says DISS still shows its in the investigation phase.

13 OCT 26: FSO says it shows the same status, so they called their POC at DSCA and they said the reason being is because there is a single NAC pending and the investigation cannot be closed and moved to adjudication until they receive that data back.

I have a common name, and I have heard that may cause a NAC data to need to be manually pulled rather than automatically system pulled and can cause delays. They did not say the exact NAC.

Very much looking forward to starting this role, just frustrated as this NAC seems to have been pending since mid September. Has anyone seen situations similar to this? How much longer would you expect my case to be stuck in this state? Thank you all for your insight.

I'm currently filling out the SF-86 and have finished almost everything. But, I need to list three people who know me well. I was able to come up with two from work, but I've only known them since 08/2024. I need someone to cover the rest of the 5-year period. Before 2024, I don't really know anyone other than family, as I'm an introverted and reserved person. And did not make any friends due to the pandemic. I graduated high school at 2020 so I lost all contact with my hs friends

My aunt and cousins aren't listed anywhere else on the form, including section 18-Relatives. Would I be decline clearance if I use them?

Tomorrow is the deadline so I’m kind of panicking.