After you submit the SF-86, the process shifts from disclosure to verification. Investigators start checking records, contacting employers and references, and resolving anything in your background that needs clarification. Eventually, an adjudicator reviews the full file and makes a determination.

Most of this is out of your hands. But understanding what happens next makes the process less opaque — and explains why accuracy, consistency, and context on the form matter so much.

The Case Opens

After you submit through NBIS eApp, your case is transmitted to the investigating agency. For most DoD positions, that’s DCSA — the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. For Intelligence Community positions, the sponsoring agency typically conducts its own investigation through internal security channels rather than routing through DCSA. The process downstream varies by agency; the form is the same.

DCSA doesn’t conduct all its investigations with government employees. A significant portion of fieldwork is contracted to private investigation firms — CACI and Peraton are two of the largest. If an investigator calls you and works for a company you’ve never heard of, that’s normal.

Once the case opens, two tracks run in parallel: record checks and field investigation.

Record Checks

Before anyone makes a phone call, automated and semi-automated checks pull records from multiple databases. These happen quickly relative to the fieldwork and include:

  • Criminal history — federal, state, and local records across the jurisdictions you’ve lived and worked in
  • Credit report and financial records used to evaluate disclosed and undisclosed issues
  • Employment and education verification — records to cross-reference against what you listed
  • Military service records, if applicable
  • Prior federal investigation records — including any previous SF-86 submissions

This is where things surface that applicants assumed were buried. Old collections. An arrest that was dismissed but is still in a criminal database. A discrepancy between the start date you listed for a job and what the employer’s records show. The record check phase generates the list of things the field investigation needs to resolve.

Field Investigation

This is the part that takes the most time.

Investigators contact the people and organizations you listed — and some you didn’t. What they’re doing depends on the clearance level and the complexity of your case, but generally includes:

Employment verification. Investigators contact former employers and supervisors directly, not just HR. They’re verifying dates, job duties, and asking supervisors to characterize your reliability and judgment. An HR department can confirm you worked there. A former supervisor can say much more.

Residence verification. Former landlords, neighbors, and others who can confirm where you lived and when. This is why the verifiers you listed matter — and why listing someone who can’t be reached or doesn’t remember you creates a problem the investigator has to work around.

Reference interviews. The people you listed, plus people identified through the investigation. Investigators are not limited to your listed references. They may contact people who weren’t on your form at all — a coworker mentioned by your supervisor, a neighbor mentioned by a reference.

Education verification. Schools confirm enrollment dates, degrees conferred, and sometimes conduct.

Foreign contact follow-up. Any foreign nationals you disclosed may be subject to additional record checks. For IC positions or cases with significant foreign contact disclosures, this can extend the timeline considerably.

If your form is complete and consistent, the fieldwork largely confirms what you already said. If there are gaps, discrepancies, or issues that surfaced in the record checks, investigators spend more time resolving them — and that time comes out of your timeline.

The Subject Interview

Not every case includes a subject interview, but it’s common enough that you should expect one.

For Top Secret and above, a formal Subject Interview is standard. For Secret cases, it’s less universal but happens when something on the record needs to be clarified directly.

It is not a courtroom proceeding, but you are speaking to a federal investigator and your statements matter. Be accurate and direct. Don’t elaborate beyond what’s asked, but don’t be evasive either. If something on your record looks worse than it was, this is your opportunity to provide context.

If you disclosed something you think will come up — old debt, drug history, a police contact — think through how you’d explain it before the interview. Not a rehearsed script, but a clear, honest account of what happened, what’s changed, and where things stand now.

Interim Clearances

At some point early in the process — usually after initial record checks clear but before the field investigation fully closes — your FSO or security office may request an interim clearance determination.

An interim clearance isn’t a full clearance. It’s a provisional access grant that allows you to start working in cleared environments while the full investigation continues. Not everyone gets one. If something unfavorable has already surfaced in the record checks, interim access may be withheld.

If you’re waiting to start a cleared job, ask your FSO whether an interim was requested and where that request stands.

Adjudication

When the investigation closes, the complete record goes to an adjudicator. Their job is to review the full file against the 13 adjudicative guidelines and evaluate the whole person — not a checklist. A concern under one guideline gets weighed against mitigating factors and the totality of the record.

Three possible outcomes:

  1. Favorable determination. Eligibility granted. You’re typically notified through your FSO or security office. The process moves forward.

  2. Statement of Reasons (SOR). A formal document outlining specific concerns and giving you the opportunity to respond in writing. An SOR is not a denial — it’s a request for your explanation and rebuttal. Adjudicators issue SORs when the record raises questions that aren’t clearly disqualifying. A well-documented response that walks through the mitigating factors can turn an SOR into a favorable determination. Depending on the adjudicating authority, you may also have the opportunity for a personal appearance before a senior adjudicator before a final decision is made.

  3. Final adverse determination. Denial. You have appeal rights, the specifics of which depend on the agency and type of eligibility being adjudicated.

How Long Does This Take?

There is no honest universal timeline. Clearance level, case complexity, agency workload, and the quality of your form all affect how long the process takes.

Clearance level. Secret cases move faster than Top Secret. TS/SCI cases with polygraph requirements take longer than standard TS. For a breakdown of what separates these levels and how SCI and polygraphs fit in, see Security Clearance Levels Explained.

Case complexity. A straightforward case — domestic history, clean record, complete form — moves through faster than one with foreign contacts to investigate, financial issues to resolve, or prior SF-86 submissions to reconcile.

Workload. DCSA processes hundreds of thousands of cases. Backlogs are real and fluctuate. IC agencies have their own capacity constraints.

Your form. Incomplete residence history, unreachable references, and gaps in employment create fieldwork that extends the investigation. This is the one variable you controlled.

DCSA publishes quarterly reporting on adjudication timeliness with rough percentile data for current workload levels. It’s worth checking if you want a current baseline — but treat it as a range, not a deadline.

There’s no status line to call. Your FSO is your primary point of contact, and their visibility into the process is also limited once a case is in DCSA’s hands.

Why This Process Feels Slow

Even clean cases take time because investigators aren’t just checking whether you filled out the form. They’re checking whether the form matches records, references, timelines, and the broader picture of your background. The more consistent and complete your file is, the faster that work tends to close.

Cases that drag are usually cases where something needs resolution — a gap that requires follow-up, a discrepancy that an investigator has to reconcile, a reference who doesn’t pick up. Most of that friction traces back to the form.

What You Can Do While You Wait

  • Don’t create new issues. The investigation is ongoing. A new arrest, new debt going to collections, or unreported foreign travel can surface and affect your case.
  • Keep your contact information current with your FSO. If investigators need to reach you and can’t, that costs time.
  • Review your form before any interview. Know your timeline. Be ready to explain anything that could come up.
  • Tell your FSO if something changes. New financial issues, a police contact, a change in foreign contacts — self-reporting proactively looks better than investigators finding it on their own.

Key Takeaways

  • After submission, two tracks run in parallel: record checks and field investigation. Adjudication follows when both close.
  • DCSA handles most DoD investigations but contracts significant fieldwork to private firms. IC agencies typically run their own processes.
  • Field investigators contact people you listed and people you didn’t. The quality of your references and verifiers affects how quickly fieldwork closes.
  • A subject interview is standard for TS and above, and possible at any level when something needs clarification.
  • Interim clearances are possible before the full investigation closes — not guaranteed.
  • An SOR is not a denial. It’s a request for your explanation. Respond thoroughly.
  • Timeline varies by clearance level, case complexity, and workload. Complete, consistent forms close faster.

For what adjudicators are evaluating in your record, see The 13 Adjudicative Guidelines. For how to avoid the mistakes that extend your investigation, see Common SF-86 Mistakes That Delay Security Clearances.

This article is informational, not legal advice. If you receive a Statement of Reasons or have a complex issue, consult your FSO and consider speaking with experienced clearance counsel.