r/SecurityClearance

Hello! I was recently given a TJO for an auditor position with HHS OIG. This is a dream job for me and I am incredibly nervous about the suitability check because I have a couple of red flags, and getting this job means a lot to me so I just want to make sure I'm not going to screw anything up.

• Debt - I have a fair amount of debt, about $54k in total. This includes my car payment, student loans and credit cards. I have 100% on time payment history and do not have any issues with unpaid taxes, collections or delinquency, however I have had a history of overspending some. I have improved on this a lot over the past months and have started therapy which has helped me as well.
• Walked out of a job - Back in 2021 I walked out of my barista job a few days after giving my two week notice because the manager started treating me pretty badly. I had another job lined up that I started exactly 12 days after this, and I was at that job for 4 years. I realize that this was probably a dumb choice in hindsight.

I am mainly curious about these since I don't hear much on HHS/OIG in here and I know the suitability criteria differs from agency to agency. Any advice/comments are appreciated!

Investigator called me on Friday. 10 days after my SF-86 was submitted. After everything I’ve read here and other sites, I was fully expecting this to take a long time. 1 to hear from them. And 2. For the interview process. Investigator told me she was only scheduling me for 45 minutes. Said it should be fairly cut and dry after reviewing my forms. Fingers crossed. Almost to the finish line (I hope)

My time line for those with financial and tax issues, glad to share I finally received the news I’ve been waiting on.

Job offered March 2025

SF86 filled out March 17th 2025

Investigation for Secret with Federal agent April 2025

Radio silence “Pending eligibility” for about 11 months
March 2026 FSO Receives Eyes Only package
Open, Tax issues for multiple years, a (2) 1 unpaid. March- 2026

Tax issue is resolved in Early August with arrangement fixed and state paid off.

1 collection reported on SF86 paperwork provided in April last year. (Paid off)

1 foreign contact - brother’s girlfriend.

Eyes-Only is submitted back to DCSA - Aug 2026

Radio silence - August to late September

September 30th, Clearance granted with conditions.

Total start to finish about 1.5 years for Secret Clearance.

12/16/25 - SF-86 submitted

January 2026 - Interview and interim denied (I forget the order and exact dates)

2/23/26 - Investigation complete

9/17/26 - Congressional inquiry submitted

9/29/26 - Adjudication complete and clearance granted

Red flags:

- Intermittent weed usage. About once or twice per year leading up to SF-86 submittal. Including once about 4 months prior to submittal.

- One foreign contact (friend with dual citizenship of allied country).

- Have moved around a lot for school and work.

I can’t imagine why an adjudication should take almost four times longer than an investigation. I imagine some guy looking at my SF-86 for seven months straight, scratching his chin and really pondering if I am a national security risk.

Other people on this subreddit swear by CIs, and I am now one of them. Looks like DCSA just needs a kick in the pants sometimes.

Few years back I was getting a clearance, and i recieved an LOI because there were some discrepencies on my form vs my interview.

I responeded to the LOI, and got my clearance shortly after.

Fast forward, that clearance is inactive, going for a secret now.

Does the new investigator/adjudicator have access to that old LOI and subsequent reply?

I ask because on my new form there will be discrepencies from my old form, do I bring along/reference my LOI for context for the interviewer?

Do i fill out the new form and reference the LOI and obvious discrepencies from the old one? Or let it stand on its own since they'll see the LOI anyways?

Thanks for any advice