Common Terminology Used by Personnel Security in Clearance and Investigation Processing
In the personnel and industrial security world there are many words and acronyms used that clearance applicants may not be familiar with which may be confusing. Previously, I provided an article on what the Report of Investigation codes meant. Here are some terms used by security professionals who process, review, or adjudicate background investigations.
| Term/Acronym | Definition |
| Administratively Withdrawn | An action taken to withdraw clearance eligibility due to it no longer being needed due to resignation or position change |
| AOR | Acknowledgement of Receipt – signed by the applicant saying they received a request |
| CVR | Continuous Vetting Report – adverse information reported |
| CNA | Closed No Action – additional information received that does not require any action |
| Conditional Eligibility | Applicant is granted eligibility with conditions that will be monitored for one year |
| Eligibility Suspended | Applicant had an interim clearance and derogatory information was received that warrants suspension of the interim clearance until the case is worked further |
| Eligible with Waiver | SCI investigations when the applicant has foreign national influence concerns regarding dual or foreign citizenship |
| Incident Report | Derogatory information provided based on reportable requirements |
| LOD/LOR | Letter of Denial/Letter of Revocation – used after an SOR to deny or revoke a clearance |
| LOI | Letter of Interrogatory – used to obtain additional information |
| LOJ | Loss of Jurisdiction –applicant has separated and no longer affiliated |
| NDM | No Determination Made – adjudicator needs more information to proceed with adjudication |
| Reciprocity | Applicant has an investigation from another agency that meets the standards for granting a clearance |
| REO | Reopen or Reimbursable Suitability Investigation – additional work on a case completed by an investigator |
| RFA | Request for Action –asking for more information from the applicant, command, files, or review within the CAS |
| SOI | Statement of Intent – receipt stating applicant‘s intent to respond to SOR with intent to respond or not respond |
| SOR | Statement of Reasons – document used to tell the applicant their clearance is in the process of being denied or revoked |
This is good info, thought I would try to format it
I have been asking what exactly “Cancelled” means on “Security clearance eligibility” and “SCI Eligibility” means and have not been able to see it anywhere in any DNI or DOD documents. It’s almost like it’s made up.
I got one answer on blog but he wasn’t exactly sure what it meant on his but his clearance was able to be used.