When a military member requires a Security Clearance for their assignment or job, they’re directed to fill out a Security Clearance Background Investigation Questionnaire using the Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing system (e-QIP). This system, part of an e-government initiative by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), lets applicants securely enter, update, and transmit their investigative data to their agency or security office for review.
Access e-QIP below, which houses all security investigative forms. Through an interface with the Joint Clearance Access and Verification System (JCAVS), authorized requesters can electronically send investigation requests (SF 86), avoiding mailing, if they have the appropriate JCAVS user level (2, 3, 4, 5, or 6) and permission from their Security Management Office (SMO) account manager.
e-QIP replaces the Electronic Personnel Security Questionnaire (EPSQ). For CONFIDENTIAL and SECRET Clearances, provide five years of information; for TOP SECRET Clearances, provide ten years. False information on a Security Document is a violation of federal law (Title 18, United States Code, Section 101) and the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Penalties may include fines, imprisonment up to five years, reduction in rank, pay forfeiture, confinement up to five years, and a dishonorable discharge.
The SF-86, page 10, authorizes the release of any information to Security Clearance Investigators, including sealed, juvenile, expunged, and medical records. Once you complete the questionnaire, it goes to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), responsible for verifying and conducting the background investigation, tailored to the required access level.