Personnel Security Clearances: Actions Needed to Address Significant Data Reliability Issues That Impact Oversight , December , 2025
Personnel Security Clearances: Actions Needed to Address Significant Data Reliability Issues That Impact Oversight , December , 2025
From the report: "In 2019, ODNI began requiring over 100 agencies that vet cleared personnel to submit data on timeliness, the number of investigations completed, and other key aspects of the personnel security clearance process. But more than 60 percent of the data we reviewed were not reliable across eight reporting requirements and seven agencies.
ODNI officials look closely at data measuring the time for agencies to complete the process. Of the timeliness data we analyzed, 86 percent were inaccurate—a third by 20 percent or more. Most of these inaccuracies were due to a calculation method inconsistent with ODNI guidance. This affected the timeliness measurement of 95 percent of the clearances completed across the government. Agency officials stated they revised their method to align with ODNI’s guidance for data collected starting in fiscal year (FY) 2025. However, much of the data reported to Congress and the public from 2020–2024 has underestimated the time to complete the clearance process.
ODNI reviews data it collects from agencies, but not in a way that aligns with data reliability principles. It also has not issued adequate guidance to agencies for assessing their data. Addressing these gaps will ensure ODNI and Congress have more reliable data to enable better oversight."
Authors - Government Accountability Office (GAO)Related Resources
