Interim Clearance Guidance

1.  THE BASIS FOR INTERIM CLEARANCE ASSIGNMENT IS
CONTAINED IN THE REFERENCES.  HOWEVER, NUMEROUS QUESTIONS FROM
COMMANDS WITHIN THE MARINE CORPS NECESSITATED THE PUBLICATION OF
ADDITIONAL CLARIFYING GUIDANCE REGARDING INTERIM CLEARANCES.  THIS
POLICY CONCERNS COLLATERAL INTERIM CLEARANCES AND DOES NOT PERTAIN
TO SCI ACCESS.  ALL QUESTIONS CONCERNING INTERIM SCI WILL BE
ADDRESSED TO THE SSO SUPPORTING THE COMMAND.
2.  INTERIM CLEARANCES MAY BE AUTHORIZED WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL REQUIRES
ACCESS TO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION AND THERE IS NO SUPPORTING SECURITY
CLEARANCE ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION AND INVESTIGATION.  THE INTERIM
CLEARANCE IS SIMPLY AN ACCESS AUTHORIZATION PENDING COMPLETION OF
THE REQUIRED INVESTIGATION AND ADJUDICATION.
3.  THE REFERENCES SPECIFICALLY STATE THAT GRANTING AN INTERIM
SECRET CLEARANCE IS BASED ON A FAVORABLE REVIEW OF THE SF
86/ELECTRONIC PERSONNEL SECURTIY QUESTIONAIRE (EPSQ) AND
LOCAL RECORDS.  A FAVORABLE REVIEW MEANS THAT NO DEROGATORY
INFORMATION IS DISCOVERED.  IF DEROGATORY INFORMATION IS DISCLOSED
IN THE SF 86/EPSQ OR DISCOVERED IN THE REVIEW OF LOCAL RECORDS, AN
INTERIM CLEARANCE IS NOT WARRANTED.  DEROGATORY INFORMATION IS
DEFINED AS AN ISSUE THAT FALLS WITHIN THE DEFINITION OF THE
ADJUDICATIVE STANDARDS CONTAINED IN APPENDIX F OF REF B.  LOCAL
RECORDS THAT SHOULD BE CHECKED DURING THIS REVIEW INCLUDE MEDICAL,
SRB/OQR, PMO, UNIT LEGAL FILES/UNIT PUNISHMENT BOOK (UPB), SUBSTANCE
ABUSE COUNSELING REPORTS (SACO), AND GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CHARGE CARD
DELINQUENCY REPORTS (APC).
4.  IF DEROGATORY INFORMATION IS REVEALED AND IT HAS NOT BEEN
PREVIOUSLY FAVORABLY ADJUDICATED  BY THE DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
CENTRAL ADJUDICATION FACILITY (DON CAF), THE INTERIM CLEARANCE IS
NOT GRANTED.  ALTHOUGH THE ADJUDICATIVE CRITERIA IN APPENDIX G,
REF B, PROVIDES CERTAIN INSTANCES WHERE THE DEROGATORY INFORMATION
MAY BE MITIGATED, THE MITIGATION OF THE QUESTIONABLE INFORMATION IS
A DON CAF ACTION NOT WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE LOCAL COMMAND.
5.  BECAUSE INTERIM CLEARANCES ARE REALLY ACCESS AUTHORIZATIONS,
(NOT TRUE CLEARANCES), THEY DO NOT CARRY THE WEIGHT OF RECIPROCITY. 
AN INTERIM CLEARANCE GRANTED BY ONE COMMAND DOES NOT TRANSFER TO THE
NEXT.  INTERIM CLEARANCES ARE LOCAL COMMAND DECISIONS THAT THE NEED
IS HIGH (IT IS MISSION CRITICAL TO IMMEDIATELY ALLOW THE INDIVIDUAL
CONCERNED ACCESS TO CLASSIFIED INFORMATION AND/OR EQUIPMENT TO
PERFORM DUTIES PRIOR TO COMPLETION OF THE REQUIRED INVESTIGATION)
AND THE RISK IS LOW (DUE TO THE ABSENCE OF DEROGATORY OR ISSUE
INFORMATION).  THIS ASSESSMENT MUST BE MADE INDEPENDENTLY AT EACH
ASSIGNMENT.
6.  INTERIM CLEARANCES ARE NOT APPROPRIATE IF ELIGIBILITY EXISTS IN
A PERSON'S JOINT PERSONNEL ADJUDICATION SYSTEM (JPAS)/DON CAF FILE
BUT THE SUPPORTING INVESTIGATION IS NOT CURRENT.  MARINES MAY HAVE
BEEN IN ASSIGNMENTS WHERE REINVESTIGATIONS WERE EITHER NOT NECESSARY
OR NOT REQUESTED AS REQUIRED.  PROVIDED THERE HAS BEEN NO BREAK IN
SERVICE 24 MONTHS OR GREATER, AND NO UNADJUDICATED DEROGATORY
INFORMATION EXISTS, THE FOLLOWING GUIDANCE APPLIES:
A.  DOWNGRADE OR SUSPEND ACCESS, AS SUPPORTABLE BY THE AGE OF THE
EXISTING INVESTIGATION, AND SUBMIT THE REQUIRED REQUEST FOR
REINVESTIGATION.
B.  AFTER THE APPROPRIATE REINVESTIGATION REQUEST IS SUBMITTED, JPAS
MUST BE ANNOTATED TO INDICATE THE TYPE EPSQ SENT AND ACCESS MAY BE
REINSTATED AT THE PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED LEVEL.
C.  IF AN INTERIM CLEARANCE IS GRANTED, COMMANDS MUST CLOSELY
MONITOR THE REQUEST FOR INVESTIGATION TO ENSURE IT IS OPENED BY THE
INVESTIGATING AGENCY.
D.  IF THERE IS A BREAK IN SERVICE OF 24 MONTHS OR GREATER,
PREVIOUSLY ASSIGNED ELIGIBILITY IS NO LONGER VALID AND REQUESTS FOR
INVESTIGATION WILL PROCEED AS IF NO ELIGIBILITY EXISTS IN THE RECORD.
7.  ACCESS WILL BE SUSPENDED IMMEDIATELY FOR ALL PRESONNEL WITH
INTERIM CLEARANCES IF DEROGATORY INFORMATION IS REPORTED TO THE
COMMAND OR IF THE DON CAF ISSUES A LETTER OF INTENT TO DENY OR
REVOKE A CLEARANCE. 
8.  POINT OF CONTACT IS MR. W. T. POTTS, JR. OR MSGT D. HOPEWELL AT 
(703) 614-2320 OR DSN 224-3609.