Security clearance

Has anyone ever obtained or tried to obtain a secret or top secret security clearance BP1? I am pursuing a career in the foreign policy community which often needs them.

I got an internship for the State Department a few years back and filled out the forms, but stopped when I got to the mental health part because I just figured they wouldn't give it to me. I ended up turning the position down. I am curious to see if anyone else here has gotten clearance.

I'm currently in graduate school and I'm applying for an internship at the State Department too. I read somewhere online that it's not impossible but you should be honest on the application and they will investigate it. They'll want to talk to your psychiatrist.

They can't deny you automatically and obviously it's much harder.

But I feel like they would be constrained by EEOC laws too. They shouldn't be able to discriminate right?

I'm not sure how it would affect a top security foreign affairs clearance, but I have gotten FBI clearance to work with agents of bioterrorism (certain bacteria and moulds) with being BP1. They did ask if I had ever been "committed to a mental institution", but it was in the legal sense, not just having been hospitalized, even if it was involuntary at first. (Formal court-ordered commitment hearing type commitment is what they were looking for.) I also had to have a full Federal background investigation for my job at the VA, but I didn't have any high security clearances there. I had medical security clearances, but not special intelligence clearances.

I think it depends on your history. I can't see them being able to deny you based only on the fact that you are bipolar.

Thanks for the information, dragonfly. I know that they might also talk to your past supervisors in the security clearance process. Do you know if they would ask them about your mental health? Unfortunately, some of my past supervisors witnessed one of my very severe manic episodes which I was hospitalized for.

I'm wondering if I should talk to the former supervisors to make sure they don't recommend against me or otherwise appear hesitant.

I'm not sure how I would handle former supervisors. Did you leave that job on good terms? I know they did have questions about my mental health on a questionnaire they sent to a friend. She was honest and said that yes, I had a history of mental illness but that I was currently stable.

All you can do is be honest. If you're not, and they find out, that constitutes fraud and you can be prosecuted. It would be good to make sure your former supervisors have a clear understanding of why you behaved the way you did when you were manic and that it is an illness that you are being treated for. Other than that, it's out of your hands.

I hope it all goes well for you.

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..

No problem, I hope it helps! Changed my life to get my clearance back... Thank the lord, and the government for understanding!

Thanks so much brypowers. That is incredibly helpful information.

Just one question, do you know if they randomly call your past supervisors, professors, or co-workers to ask about you? If you don't list them, how would they know who they are?

I ask because, if they do randomly call them, I need to contact anyone in my past who found out about my condition because of some of my behaviors while manic, and make sure they understand I'm perfectly fine now.

One of my husband's frat brothers went into some job that required security clearance. They sent an agent to the frat house to ask the brothers about him!

You typically need to provide past employer info for any job application (and for this, you wouldn't want to hide any of it). They can find out whatever else they need from there.

Absolutely they do. There are federal laws that mandate the investigative procedures that they must follow. For example, they must contact any X spouse. Also, the rules have recently changed, I know this because I have a buddy that investigates clearances for DoD. He's actually a contract federal investigator. Apparently, there was a surge and back-log of clearance investigations.

The preliminary investigation is quick if you were NOT granted an interim clearance you would know about it. The company you work for has a security officer. This is a person who has access to a web based system that shows all clearance activity. They are obligated to answer your questions regarding the status of the investigation. Otherwise it is their obligation to inform you, but they slip-up or are busy. Mine happened to inform me about the denial of the interim clearance. Upon further query over the course of many months she revealed to me that the investigation turned up some adverse information about me, "criminal behavior". But the investigation continued. I would did not worry about the past individuals that may/may-not be questioned, but over the years have heard from a few of them that they were contacted, or attempted to be contacted.

Also, if you are denied you have the right to appeal. There will be notification of why you were denied. Your security officer may or may not be active in this process but should be. If you do not have a security officer your boss should be able to assist you in finding out who is. IN some cases small companies rely on partner companies for their Security Officers, because there is some special training that is required.

Finally, when/if an investigator contacts you, be candid, honest, and do not contradict your application. My investigator would ask me two questions simultaneously, it was funny.. I called her out saying, "I'm getting confused because you keep asking two questions, which one do you want me to answer?" her rely, "That's my job." I thought that was funny. They just want you to be candid and honest.

My buddy, the investigator, interacts with his subjects. He'll question them and make them clear up past issues such as delinquent bills, or tickets. We've talked extensively about the process because I was worried about loosing my clearance over filing bankruptcy. Even that doesn't really matter. It's a unique, case by case situation. They are not out to deny people, their job is to verify the facts and uncover anything that was missed. It takes time. It took me over a year. I actually quit that job before the clearance was complete, but federal law states that once an investigation is started it must be finished. So, my old company contacted me and let me know it was adjudicated and Secret was granted.

Seriously, if I can get a clearance, almost anyone can. It's about you, your integrity, honesty and behavior. Past matters, but as long as you own it, prove you can learn from it, and accept the situation you are currently in you'll be fine.

I basically told my investigator that if I wasn't granted a clearance, it would be a loss for my country; that I had no problems telling the world about my past indiscretion(s).

Good luck. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll do my best.