Security clearances are based on 3 basic principles, behavior, honesty and integrity. I had them all stacked against me. The typical form used for security clearances is called the SF-86. There are governing policies and law behind granting government clearances. Also, keep in mind that there are several different investigative agencies that grant clearances. My advice may not be the best for you, but it got me through the process. I actually hired an because of my circumstances and it cost me $600.00. My attorney's name is Phil Cave. He is the best in the business.

So, get this, once upon a time I had a diagnosis of "Delusional Disorder" for a behavioral issue I got involved with during a manic episode. My doctor at that time told me that I would never get a clearance. But here's the real deal. A diagnosis is an opinion, the truth is a bit harder to get to on paper, in my case I am bipolar and PTSD. I made some bad decisions, I accepted them, and made best efforts to correct them. To make things worse I was going through a foreclosure and divorce during the process.... The odds were stacked against me.

Phil helped to to realize the process is not trying to exclude people like us at all. The first step is to get hired, once hired the organization sponsors your clearance adjudication process. Usually there is a near immediate response to the request which is called an interim clearance. Mine was denied, but my company decided to keep me on because of the circumstances, that they knew about (foreclosure, divorce..).. It took a Year to get granted my Secret clearance, but I got it. Even if I would have been denied, I could have gone before a court setting to appeal the findings. Anyway, without Phil, I wouldn't have gotten it.

If you are prone to making bad decisions "NOW", you may have issues getting that clearance. If you have integrity issues like "Paying Bills NOW", you may have issues. If you lie or omit anything that is a material fact, you will have issues...

The FBI will send an investigator to your doctors office, your records will be reviewed only by the investigator. You may be asked about it, you may not. I was asked about my behavioral issue, "Arrest", then questioned about "How did you cope with that". They already knew the answer, but through the years I was able to understand clearly what my unique situation was. Phil reviewed my initial responses on that security form before I submitted it. His first response was that they would not give me a clearance if I articulated the way I had. So he vetted it, told me how best to answer the questions, he told me that being vague would be in my best interest because an investigator would come talk to me about it.

His site is: court-martial {dot} com
Phil's mljucmj {at} gmail {dot} com

let me know if you have any questions or need my help..