In category: veterans

SF-86 Section 18: Which Relatives You Must List, Including Deceased and Foreign-Born

Section 18 of the Standard Form 86 never gives you a number. It prints 16 relative types as checkboxes, sets one instruction above them and leaves the arithmetic to your family: "Select each type of relative applicable to you, regardless if they are living or deceased." No publis… more

Social Media on the SF-86: What You Must Disclose and What Investigators May Review

Key takeaways "Social media" appears exactly 4 times in the 136-page SF-86 PDF (revised November 2016), all four on the release page, none in any of the 29 numbered sections. Section 27, Use of Information Technology Systems, does ask three seven-year questions about your onlin… more

Security Clearance Psychological Evaluations: When You Get Sent to One, and What It Decides

Key takeaways Since 8 June 2017 the governing guideline has said a formal diagnosis is not required for a Guideline I concern, and no negative inference may be raised solely from mental health counseling. Guideline I carries 5 disqualifying and 5 mitigating conditions. Two miti… more

How to Put 1099, Gig, and Self-Employment Work on the SF-86

The string "1099" appears zero times in the 136 pages of the SF-86. So does "W-2." So do "freelance," "gig," "independent contractor" and the whole word "IRS." The questionnaire that decides your clearance eligibility has no opinion about which tax document a client mailed you in… more

SF-86 Section 13A: Reporting Employment Gaps and Unemployment Without Triggering a Flag

Key takeaways Section 13A covers 10 years and instructs that the entire period be accounted for without breaks. The version OPM serves as of July 2026 is the form revised November 2016. The 90-day exemption most applicants half-remember belongs to Section 11, residence. Section… more