Clearing Up Clearances

The government is processing security clearances for technology professionals much more quickly and efficiently, with nearly half of all clearance investigations being completed within four months, according to a new study by ClearanceJobs.com.

A survey of nearly 4,000 security-cleared tech professionals found that 48 percent of all final security clearances were adjudicated within four months, 74 percent were completed within six months and 92 percent were completed within one year.

"While months-long waits may sound and feel like an eternity, especially to an employee given an interim clearance and awaiting additional job responsibilities, the reality is, the timing of the security clearance process has improved markedly since 2005," the study noted.

In 2005, clearance backlogs were at the half-million range, landing the Defense Department's clearance program on the Government Accountability Office's high risk list.

Now, processing times have been reduced by a combination of increased numbers of human resources personnel to help tackle application backlogs, increased automation due to the use of digital fingerprinting equipment, and electronic forms and record checks, the study found.

The 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevent Act, which requires agencies to make decisions on at least 90 percent of all applications for a personnel security clearance within an average of 60 days, also has helped speed processing times, ClearanceJobs found.

Still, the slowest 10 percent of investigations are excluded from the law, meaning some workers continue to experience long wait times. More than 300 respondents (8 percent) reported that their clearance took more than one year to be completed, and those who waited that long often were the most vocal about the delays, the study found.