Taking a lower-clearance job
I think I will be okay, but just asking. I have a successfully adjudicated Top Secret that has not yet been activated. The company that sponsored my clearance is waiting on contract funding, so I am looking at short-term contracts (like 3 months) until my main company can hire me. The question is this: if I take a job that only requires a Secret clearance, could there be a problem later upgrading to a Top Secret? I think the completed T5 investigation means that there should be no problem, if I upgrade within 2 years? Is there anything else that I need to do or think about?
Posted Oct 17, 2019, 1:01 AM UTC
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With an effectively adjudicated clearance at the TS level, you should be able to take a lower-level position with no problem. Your TS is valid for 5 (~6 years, don't ask). What will happen is your short-term company will just grant you access at the Secret level. Other than that, you should be fine, it happens all the time.
It would be no different than if you were working for the company needing the TS and they granted your access at the TS level and then had to downgrade you for another project and then re-up to the TS level.
Thanks! That is what I figured, but it would have been terrible if there were limitations that I didn't understand.
Typically what happens with a company is when your PR comes up at the 5/6 year mark I ask the FSO if there is a plan for you to utilize your TS. If there is they put in the PR. If there isn't then we tell them to submit an RRU to recertify your clearance at the Secret level.
Thanks! By the way, in a Continuous Evaluation model, does this mean that the TS eligibility would never get downgraded, since it would never come up for PR?
That is a good question that I am not sure how it is going to look in the future once everyone is enrolled in CE. I know currently they are enrolling people in CE and when their PR comes due it gets submitted and VROC (Vetting Risk Operations Center) makes a determination to discontinue and allow CE to take place if it meets the criteria or allow it to go forward.