SCI Access Granted vs. SCI Eligible

Having reviewed a ton of resumes for job applicants who have security clearances, I have noticed a trend in the way many from the Defense Department are listing their current clearance level when it comes to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) eligibility. When the DoD’s Central Adjudications Facility reviews and adjudicates someone’s background investigation and grants them a Top-Secret clearance they also determine whether the individual is eligible for SCI access, even if their position does not need it at that time. This is done to make it easier to get briefed into SCI later on if access is needed. Their clearance record in the Defense Information System for Security (DISS) will reflect the Top-Secret clearance and SCI Eligibility.

This is not the same as being read into specific compartments and having SCI access. Yet, many job applicants from the DoD list they have a TS/SCI clearance on their resume’. Technically, they are eligible but do not have the SCI access, so a more appropriate way to list it would be Top Secret with SCI Eligibility. Intelligence Community agencies like the CIA, NSA, NRO, and DIA all have specific requirements for their SCI programs before they will grant SCI access and may require the individual to provide additional information like foreign contact or financial information. They are also the ones inputting the access and briefed compartments into Scattered Castles which is the authoritative system of record for all SCI access.