Depending upon the level of access required, individuals holding security clearances are subject to periodic reinvestigations, or PRs, at a minimum of every five years for top secret, 10 years for secret and 15 years for confidential. The facility security officer is responsible for reviewing access records to ensure employees are submitted for PRs, as required in the Personnel Security Program regulation.
NISPOM paragraph 2-201d states that contractors may be subject to a PR program, as specified by the cognizant security authority (CSA). Personnel security policy requires that contractors with access at the top-secret and secret levels be reinvestigated at five- and 10-year intervals from the closing date of the previous investigation.
Given that these dates are reflected in the Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS), and NISPOM paragraph 2-200b requires that contractors maintain the accuracy of their employees' access records, contractors are responsible for submitting the e-QIP for an employee's PR no later than the applicable due date.
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To monitor compliance with PR submission requirements, the Personnel Security Management Office of Industry (PSMO-I) will run monthly reports of overdue PRs and request e-QIPs for the PRs. Please note that effective April 1, 2013, the Defense Security Service (DSS), Personnel Security Management Office for Industry (PSMO-I) is only accepting requests for periodic reinvestigations that are within 30 days of the investigation anniversary date.
This is a change from the previous three-month (90-day) timeframe and is consistent with changes in the Defense Department budget. If the employee's e-QIP for a PR is not submitted within 30 days from issuance of the overdue notification, PSMO-I will administratively withdraw the eligibility without prejudice from JPAS and issue a no-determination made, or NDM. For individuals with no owning security management office (SMO) identified in JPAS, PSMO-I may enter a loss of jurisdiction, or LOJ. The previous valid eligibility will be reinstated when the e-QIP is received by PSMO-I.
Contractors are reminded to access JPAS accounts weekly and check notifications.
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Things to Do Before Submitting the PR
Before submitting an individual for a PR, please ensure that the individual still requires a security clearance and at the same level. If you determine that an individual currently requires access only at a lower level of classification or no longer requires a clearance, please terminate their access or downgrade it as necessary in JPAS.
If the Employee Is in Process for a PR Through Another Government Agency
If the PR was submitted to an investigative agency other than the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), please let PSMO-I know via the JPAS Recertify request. This will prevent an LOJ for non-receipt of an overdue PR.
Fingerprint Cards for PRs
In accordance with ISL 2006-02, it is no longer necessary to submit fingerprint cards for any type of periodic reinvestigation unless specifically requested to do so. An exception: When the request is for a national agency check with local agency and credit checks, or NACLC, and the previous investigation was a NACLC or ANACI (Access National Agency Check with Written Inquiries + Credit Check), the system will recognize and mark the request as a PR; therefore, no fingerprint cards are required. If the investigation is any other type for a NACLC PR, fingerprint cards are required because JPAS forwards the request as an initial request. However, if the PR request is for an individual with a break in service, OPM highly recommends submission of a fingerprint card.
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