Lots of people wonder “after all of that effort to obtain a Security Clearance” from the government, how in the world do people lose their clearance? Well, the loss of a Security Clearance happens for a multitude of reasons. Sometimes a person is just not approved to have their clearance remain active after the results of a Periodic Reinvestigation (PRI), and sometimes activity is considered so grievous by the US government, that the individual will have their clearance inactivated immediately. If you do have a security clearance, are in the process of getting one, or would like to obtain one some day, here are some things to always remain aware of:
1). Finances
According to data from 2018, and years earlier, losing one’s clearance, or getting denied for an initial clearance is equivalent to all other reasons for declination combined. So what does that mean? It doesn’t mean you have to already have a certain level of income, or have been working for a certain number of years already. What financial instability means to the US government is for instance being in too much debt, being overextended and missing payments to creditors, and yes, even having undergone personal bankruptcy. Does that mean that if you have a bankruptcy, you’ll automatically lose your clearance? Not necessarily! What matters foremost to the government is honesty. If you suffered a bankruptcy due to unforeseen circumstances, like a spouse losing a job, or a financial crisis, that might be understandable, as long as you’re honest. If you suddenly have to claim bankruptcy, especially when no financial problems were reported during your last clearance investigation, that might be indicative of illegal behavior, such as drugs or gambling, or an undisciplined lifestyle, and therefore a possible security risk for sensitive information.
2) Personal Behavior
The government knows it isn’t the final arbiter of all morality, but certain behaviors are fairly cut and dry when it comes to getting in the way of receiving your clearance. Items on your record such as felonies, criminal charges, or even illicit drug use will most likely prevent you from obtaining and keeping a security clearance. The most important part of this is following the letter of the law. An increasing number of individuals are having difficulties with their clearances because of things like the recreational use of federally banned substances, such as marijuana. It may be perfectly legal in your home state, and it may be increasingly more acceptable in society, but as long as it’s still illegal to the federal government, it’s going to be an issue for your security clearance. Again, what matters most with this is honesty.
There are stories of two candidates applying for clearances: one admitted openly to addiction to very harmful illegal drugs in their youth 20+ years ago, and the second candidate lied about their recent marijuana usage – which was eventually discovered. The candidate who was open and honest about the situation that occurred well in the past, and demonstrated the efforts put forward with things like rehab, obtained their clearance. The one who lied about their activities and showed no signs of changing their behavior was denied. Certain activities that would get your clearance pulled immediately are things like committing a felony, so be careful to avoid any shady situations!
3). Foreign Influence
One of the last major factors of obtaining your clearance is the government’s determination of your exposure to possible foreign influence in your day to day personal life. Does that mean that you need to move if your neighbor that you’re friends with is from another country? Not at all! However, if you happen to be married to the child of the head of a foreign nation’s intelligence service, you’re probably never ever ever going to obtain a security clearance. Somewhere in between those two extreme examples are where the government makes their determinations about how susceptible you would be to the influence and probing of individuals from other countries, both allies and enemies. The key is not to deny any contact with someone from another country ever – that would be quite a missed opportunity to make great friends and learn about the world. Foreign influence is what’s called a “mitigating factor”, meaning that to an investigator, determining if it’s a bad thing is always answered with “it depends”. The investigator will have to take a look at the details of your relationships with people from other nations, and make an expert judgement call. It’s definitely not something to lose sleep over – only a few hundred clearances get denied per year because of this out of hundreds of thousands of applicants, but it definitely is a question that pops up a lot from candidates.
In Conclusion:
There are plenty of other reasons that clearances could get denied, including ones that are very understandable, yet super rare – such as the government discovering you’re actually a real spy working for foreign intelligence. Though if you were already a foreign spy, you probably wouldn’t be reading this article! As we’ve said many times before, what matters with this whole clearance investigation is honesty. Live as simple and debt-free of a life as you can, and as crime-free as you can, and it should work out. If you’re truly concerned about it, there are even lawyers who can help you out, and the FSO at the company who’s hiring you should be able to help you with the whole process.
Best of luck to you!
Sources:https://news.clearancejobs.com/2019/01/30/how-to-lose-a-security-clearance-in-2018/
https://news.clearancejobs.com/2020/10/15/top-5-reasons-for-clearance-denial/
https://www.dcemploymentattorney.com/resources/blog/reasons-security-clearances-get-denied/#:~:text=The%20government%20may%20deny%2C%20suspend,but%20illegal%20under%20federal%20law.&text=Drug%20abuse,Illegal%20drug%20possession