Security Clearance Adjudication
Security clearance adjudication is carried out by the Department of Defense (DoD). Security clearance adjudication is the process by which individuals requiring access to sensitive information during the course of their work are given security clearance to access confidential, secret, or top secret information. Situations often arise in which an individual will need to access confidential or secret information in order to perform his or her job. The individual's employer will authorize the security clearance request, and the DoD will be responsible for determining the risk the individual poses to national security.
The individual seeking security clearance adjudication will complete an application which will detail the individual's personal and professional history. The DoD will determine whether the individual is an acceptable security risk based on the information provided by the applicant as well as information this is discovered through the DoD's investigative processes. If unfavorable information is discovered, the individual may be denied security clearance.
Individual's that have been denied security clearance after completion of security clearance adjudication should contact an attorney for assistance. The individual will receive a Statement of Reasons (SOR) which will detail the reasons why the individual was denied security clearance. These reasons will be listed in the form of allegations. The individual will have the opportunity to appeal the denial as a result of security clearance adjudication. Having an attorney experienced and well-versed in security clearance can be invaluable to the individual seeking security clearance.