What is the NASA Central Adjudication Facility (NCAF)?
The NCAF consists of a group of adjudicators, and one support person with several links to databases who grant security clearances to NASA employees who must have access to Classified National Security Information (CNSI) in order to do their jobs at NASA.
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What is the mission of the NCAF?
Established in January 2003 the mission of NCAF is to provide excellent customer service, accurate and timely adjudications, and implement innovative strategies for NASA's Personnel Security Program.
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Who conducts background investigations for NASA employees?
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) conducts background investigations for NASA employees. Other investigative activities also conduct background investigations for federal government and government contractor employees. NASA will accept these investigations as a basis for a security clearance if they are current.
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What is the investigative process?
A personnel security investigation consists of one or more of the following inquiries:
- A National Agency Check - A search of investigative files and other records held by federal agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and OPM.
- A Local Agency Check (LAC) - A review of appropriate criminal history records held by local law enforcement agencies, such as police departments and sheriffs, with jurisdiction over the areas where you have resided, gone to school, or worked.
- Financial checks.
- Field interviews of references to include coworkers, employers, personal friends, educators, neighbors, and other appropriate individuals.
- Checks of records held by employers, courts, and rental offices.
- A subject interview
- An interview with you by an investigator to verify the information developed and discuss any omitted information in your SF 86.
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How does the security clearance process work ?
All candidates for a security clearance are asked to complete a security questionnaire, usually the Standard Form 86(SF86) which explains the purpose of the security clearance, sets out the governments personnel security policy, and asks for the personal details required to conduct necessary checks.
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Who decides whether a security clearance will be granted ?
An adjudicator, a person trained in the process of reviewing and evaluating security clearance information, reviews the results of your investigation and compares it to established qualifying criteria for access to classified national security information. This criteria instructs the adjudicator to consider the “whole person” (i.e., both favorable and unfavorable information) in making the clearance decision. The adjudicator considers the following factors when evaluating an individual's conduct:
- The nature, extent and seriousness of the conduct.
- The circumstances surrounding the conduct, to include knowledgeable participation.
- The frequency and recency of the conduct
- The voluntariness of participation.
- The presence or absence of rehabilitation and other pertinent behavioral changes.
- The motivation for the conduct.
- The potential for pressure, coercion, exploitation, or duress; and.
- The likelihood of continuation of the conduct.
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Why do some clearance investigations take longer than others ?
A clearance may be delayed before it gets to NCAF for adjudication for several reasons. Internal process delays occur because of incomplete or inaccurate completion of security forms, or delays by the investigative agency due to special situations such as the need to cover multiple geographic areas, especially overseas locations; difficulty in locating records and people who know you; and, expanding the investigation to clear up discrepancies or issues.
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What can I do to keep the clearance time as short as possible?
You can help by completing your investigation forms as quickly as possible by doing the following:
- Provide accurate information on your security form. Provide all the information required by the forms and follow the instructions.
- Use Electronic Questionnaires for Investigation Processing (e-QIP) to submit your SF 85 or SF 86.
- Be as specific as possible. General entries, such as listing your employment as NASA should be avoided; list your actual duty station(s) and the dates assigned to each location (i.e., NASA Headquarters, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center).
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