DCSA 2020 Transfer Fact Sheet

DEFENSE COUNTERINTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY AGENCY

INTRO

GENERAL QUESTIONS

If you’ve previously completed a background investigation questionnaire, make

sure the information in the system is updated by deleting any old or irrelevant

entries. This includes removing residences and employments over 10 years old

and/or fixing any mistakes from previous investigations.

Remember to update the addresses and phone numbers of relatives and

“people who know you well.”

1-7

IDENTIFYING &

CONTACT

INFORMATION

Include all full names, aliases, and nicknames you’ve ever gone by and the

period of time you used them. This includes your maiden name, name(s) in a

former marriage, etc.

• If you have only initials in your name(s), provide them and indicate

"initial only." If you do not have a middle name(s), indicate "no middle

name" (or NMN).

• If you are a "Jr.," "Sr.," etc. enter this under “suffix.”

8-10

PASSPORT AND

CITIZENSHIP

List passport information, even if expired. For naturalized citizens and legal

aliens, you’ll need your naturalization/immigration paperwork.

RESIDENTIAL

HISTORY

List the places where you have lived, beginning with your present residence,

working back 10 years. Do not list residences before your 18

birthday, unless

to provide a minimum of two years of residence history.

Residences for the entire period must be accounted for without breaks. This

means that if you split your time between multiple locations during a time

period, you should list all residences.

Note: List the addresses of your physical location, not home of record:

• Stationed on a ship? List the ship homeport address.

• Deployed overseas? Provide the country and FPO/APO address.

• Away at college? List the dorm, apartment, or relative’s address where

you lived during the semesters.

You are not required to list temporary locations of less than 90 days that did

not serve as your permanent or mailing address.

For any address in the last three years, a verifier must have been to the

residence. The best verifiers are neighbors, roommates, and landlords —

spouses do not count.

EDUCATION

List any and ALL school attendances in the last 10 years (except for certificate

programs) regardless of whether or not you earned a diploma/degree. Indicate

if the school was attended online. List any degrees/diplomas earned more than

10 years ago.

• Do not list education before your 18

birthday unless to provide a

minimum of two years of education history.

• Do not list military training, including MOS school, basic training, Navy

“A” school, etc.

COMMON SF-86 ERRORS

AND MISTAKES

TIPS FOR A MORE EFFICIENT

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION

DCSA is committed to increasing the

efficiency of the security clearance

investigation process.

This guide provides

recommendations and tips for areas

of the SF-86 questionnaire that are

often misunderstood, overlooked,

and/or filled out incorrectly.

DEFENSE COUNTERINTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY AGENCY

EMPLOYMENT

List all employment history, in full, without ANY breaks for the last 10 years:

• Do not stretch employment dates to fill gaps when you were

unemployed.

• No job is too short or insignificant to list.

• Include unpaid internships, summer work, and “under the table” jobs.

• Do not list tentative or future employments.

Military Service: For service members, do not list military services as one entry:

• List each military duty station as separate entries. Be sure to include the

physical address, to include if you were stationed or deployed overseas.

• Reserve/National Guard Service should be listed in the employment

section.

• Avoid the use of acronyms/abbreviations.

Terminations: Whether or not you agree, if the employer would say that you

were fired, terminated, or left under unfavorable circumstances, list and

explain. This includes any disciplines, warnings, reprimands, etc.

SELECTIVE SERVICE

RECORD

If you were a male born after December 31, 1959, you were required to register

with the Selective Service on your 18

birthday.

If you are already in the military and did not register, list the Selective Service

Number you have been issued.

Note: Selective Service Number is not your Social Security Number.

MILITARY HISTORY

In the last seven years, list if you have been subject to court martial or other

disciplinary procedure under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), such

as Article 15, Captain's Mast, Article 135 Court of Inquiry, etc.

Remember to list any overseas deployments or duty stations as their own

separate entry.

PEOPLE WHO KNOW

YOU WELL

List three people you socialize with (preferably in the U.S.) that completely

cover the last seven years. Please do not list coworkers (unless you have regular

social contact outside of work) nor family members.

• Note: Anyone listed elsewhere on the SF-86 (like spouses, ex-spouse(s),

or other relatives) should not be listed in this section.

MARITAL/

RELATIONSHIP

STATUS

Provide your current marital/relationship status if it’s a legally recognized

union, domestic partner, or a civil marriage.

• Ex-spouses should also be listed. Provide up-to-date contact

information, and the zip code and city of the courthouse in which the

divorce was granted.

• Do not list roommates or other members of the household unless they

meet the spouse-like criteria.

RELATIVES

List required relatives to include children (foster/adopted or stepchildren),

foster parent, mother, father, siblings, stepsiblings, half-siblings, stepparents,

and your in-laws — whether they are living or deceased.

• Include applicable relatives you have never met or do not know.

• If you have any relatives that are naturalized U.S. citizens or legal aliens,

provide information from their immigration/naturalization documents

(naturalization certificate number, date, location, date, and location of

entry into the U.S.).

DEFENSE COUNTERINTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY AGENCY

FOREIGN

CONTACTS

List ALL contacts who meet the criteria within the last seven years, even if

they’ve since become U.S. citizens:

• Include friends with frequent and even infrequent contact if it’s close

and/or continuing.

• Remember that extended family with whom you have or had close

and/or continuing contact with in the last seven years and to whom you

are bound to in some way should be listed under Section 18: Relatives.

• Include close foreign associations of your spouse, domestic partner, or

cohabitant if you have had close and/or continuing contact with them

in the last seven years.

• Do not omit a foreign contact because some information is unknown.

Service Members: Any foreign associations that are strictly professional and

limited to military-related duties do not need to be listed; however, if contact

was also social in nature, they must be listed.

20A

FOREIGN ACTIVITIES

List whether you, your spouse or legally recognized partner, cohabitant, or

dependent children, EVER had any foreign financial interests (such as stocks,

property, investments, bank accounts, etc.) in which you or they have direct

control or direct ownership. Note: This question is NOT limited to the last seven

years.

• International mutual funds and investments that are publicly traded in

a U.S. exchange do not need to be listed. But if you or your spouse

opened an account with a foreign bank (not a U.S. bank) while overseas

to pay the bills, the account should be reported.

20C

FOREIGN TRAVEL

List all vacations outside the U.S. in the last seven years, even day trips to

Canada or Mexico.

• List all work travel outside the U.S. that is not on official government

business.

• If stationed abroad, list all personal travel to other countries during that

time period.

PSYCHOLOGICAL &

EMOTIONAL HEALTH

Mental health treatment and counseling, in and of itself, is not a reason to

revoke or deny a clearance. Seeking or receiving mental health care for

personal wellness and recovery may contribute favorably to decisions about

your eligibility or continuous evaluation.

Reportable mental health issues include:

• Legal findings of mental incompetence

• Court-ordered mental health care

• In-patient mental health care

• Certain diagnoses which, by their very nature, may impair judgment or

reliability

• Self-appraised mental health concerns that could impact judgment or

reliability

DEFENSE COUNTERINTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY AGENCY

POLICE RECORDS

For this section, report information regardless of whether the record in your

case has been sealed, expunged, or otherwise stricken from the court record, or

the charge was dismissed.

• Note the difference in timeframes. Make sure you know when it’s

asking you to self-report offenses from seven years ago to ever.

• Traffic violations resulting in fines of less than $300 do not need to be

listed unless related to drugs or alcohol.

DRUG ACTIVITY

In the last seven years, have you illegally used drugs and/or controlled

substances, or misused prescription drugs? Report it. Even if marijuana is

“legal” where you live or where you have traveled or visited to, federal

employment follows federal law, meaning that the possession or use of

marijuana is a criminal offense.

• Counseling: Any counseling for drug use, whether illegal, prescription,

over the counter, etc., needs to be listed.

USE OF ALCOHOL

Any counseling for alcohol dependence or abuse needs to be listed, whether or

not you have had any legal issues with alcohol.

INVESTIGATIONS/

CLEARANCES

ALL prior investigations and clearances must be listed, not just the most recent

one.

• Any denied, suspended, or revoked clearances or access authorizations

must be listed — even if you do not agree with it, if it was a mistake, or

it was mitigated and reinstated.

FINANCES

In addition to listing them on the SF-86, applicants should bring any paperwork

regarding financial delinquencies (including bankruptcy, alimony, gambling

debts, foreclosures, a lien against your property, federal debt, eviction, etc.)

from the last seven years to the investigation interview.

• Even if the issue has been resolved and/or a settlement has been

arranged.

• Even if it was a company’s mistake and you are protesting it.

• Even if your roommate, spouse, etc. was responsible for the debt(s), if

you are named as the primary, cosigner, etc., you’ll need to list .

• Even if the insurance company was supposed to pay it and/or you are in

dispute with the provider or insurer.

USE OF

INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY

This section asks about your use of information technology systems from the

last seven years. Information technology systems include all related computer

hardware, software, firmware, and data used for the communication,

transmission, processing, manipulation, storage, or protection of information.

This can range from accidentally bringing a phone into a SCIF, plugging your

phone into your government provided laptop, to unauthorized access to

company accounts.

NON-CRIMINAL

COURT ACTIVITY

If you’ve been a party to any public record civil court action in the last 10 years

and it’s not listed elsewhere on this form, list it here. This includes being sued

or if you filed a claim against someone else.

• Being a witness in someone else’s case does not need to be listed, nor

do class action lawsuits for defective consumer products.