What are the possibilities of me losing my TS or Secret clearance if I were to be administratively separated?

2019-03-31T04:37:00-04:00

I am current in the Navy Reserves and I'm attempting to be transferred to IRR. If this goes south i would like to know the possibilities of me losing my TS or Secret clearance if i were to be administratively separated as it would affect my civilian job?

Response by SPC Margaret Higgins made Mar 31 at 2019 7:47 AM

2019-03-31T07:47:23-04:00

Good Luck and Many Prayers for You, PO3 Private RallyPoint Member.

Response by CAPT Kevin B. made Mar 31 at 2019 10:00 AM

2019-03-31T10:00:35-04:00

Too many urban myths out there. If in the IRR, you don't have a billet, hence the clearance is withdrawn. If you get out, the clearance is withdrawn. If you hold a GS, contractor, etc. type civilian position that requires a clearance, the security manager for your civilian work then uses the basis for your clearance to reactivate under their sponsorship to the same or lower level. If the basis expires, you do the typical renewal drill by filling out the application under the current sponsor. If your civilian work doesn't require you to have a clearance, then you'll have no clearance. You don't own a clearance. The sponsor does. No sponsor, no clearance.

Response by MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P made Mar 31 at 2019 9:30 PM

2019-03-31T21:30:57-04:00

Your clearance is tied to the position you hold, not who you work(ed) for. If your employer requires you to have a clearance for the work they need you to perform, then they are responsible for granting said clearance and "need to know" requirements. You won't keep a clearance just because you had one one in the past.

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Apr 1 at 2019 11:53 AM

2019-04-01T11:53:05-04:00

As mentioned, you will absolutely NOT have a clearance once you get out. What you MAY have is ELIGIBILITY for a clearance.
Each Clearance investigation grants eligibility for a certain time period (TS - 5 years, S - 10 years, C - 15 years). The position you hold will grant the actual clearance, based on that eligibility. Once you get out, you no longer have a clearance requiring position, therefore you no longer have a clearance. You maintain your ELIGIBILITY for a clearance until the investigation "expires" for lack of a better word, or until specific derogatory information (DEROG) is entered into your record. If you apply to a new job requiring clearance, and your most recent investigation is still current, AND you have no DEROGs, then the gaining "unit" (contractor, GS, whatever), can re-instate your clearance with just paperwork and no investigation. If your investigation is "expired" then a new investigation must occur. If you have a DEROG, then the basis of the DEROG must be investigated and separately cleared, regardless of whether your investigation is current.

So.... no clearance, definitely. Maintain eligibility, probably. It depends on the basis of the administrative separation. If it is something like medical (non-psychiatric) or failed fitness test, no worries. If it is administrative in lieu of court martial or psychiatric or something that would raise a red flag, then the Navy has a responsibility to do a DEROG prior to your separation and put it in your OPM record.

This is a VERY "dumbed down" non-technical version of things. There are always specific instances that don't follow the overview, and I kept it general on purpose. This isn't EXACTLY how it works - but it is the easiest way to explain it in a (relatively) short post.

Response by PO1 John Meyer, CPC made Apr 6 at 2019 4:09 PM

2019-04-06T16:09:58-04:00

To add to what others have already said…

Keep in mind that most civilians, let alone civilian employers, don’t understand what it really means to have a security clearance. They don’t know what it takes to get one, to keep one, and the reasons for losing one. So to say you had one and lost it because you separated from the military won’t mean anything to the average civilian employer anyway. The only way it could hurt you is if your prospective employer is a veteran. But as others have said, if the only reason you’re losing your security clearance is because you’re getting out of the military, it doesn’t make a difference anyway because everyone that separates from the military that has a security clearance will lose it as you don’t need it anymore.

Response by PO3 Aileen Dodge made Apr 18 at 2019 11:10 AM

2019-04-18T11:10:49-04:00

Well I don't see where there would be a problem at all. Look at the President. He has the highest security clearance a civilian could hold in America!!! And look at his credit rating!!! The number of times he has claimed bankruptcy, and been civilly sued and all the other specific derogatory information and life events that would normally for any civilian applying for or seeking a security clearance of any level required to hold a government job, would immediately be ruled as HIGH RISK and would NEVER be given any level of security clearance!!!
They also would NOT be hired into that position either!! But I suppose it is a little different for the President since there was absolutely NO SECURITY INVESTIGATION done on him or any other candidate BEFORE they are VOTED INTO THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!! I do believe there is REALLY SOMETHING TERRIBLY WRONG WITH THAT WHOLE SCENARIO!!!
SORRY if this doesn't help but it just had to be noted!!!

Response by PO3 Anthony Harris made May 21 at 2019 2:59 PM

2019-05-21T14:59:28-04:00

It shouldn't affect your clearance as long as you didn't do anything to actually jeopardize it. Simply transferring is okay. What you need to do is talk to your personnel dept, and your current civ. employer before you finalize your roll over into the IRR about transferring ownership of the clearance to your primary employer if they do require you to havea clearance in the first place. Otherwise your clearance goes to sleep. Two years of no action on the clearance and it dies. I just went through this with my current employer. Clearance died in August 2017, put in for job with engineering at same company the following March, and had to go through the whole process again as if it were an initial. save yourself the headache and talk to your employer's FSO (security officer) about it. Can't have a clearance without justification.