If you are listed as an authorized contact from a Submitting Office (SON) or Security Office (SOI), you may obtain the following information via the DCSA Telephone Liaison who can be reached by dialing (878) 274-5228. When calling Telephone Liaison, please have necessary verifying information. If your agency has access to the Central Verification System (CVS) the below information can also be obtained electronically. For more information about accessing CVS, see information under the Information Systems menu.
| Type of Information Available |
Information Available to SON Contacts |
Information Available to SOI Contacts |
| Ability to ask questions regarding case papers, fingerprints, reprints, and childcare |
Yes |
Yes |
| Request copy of pending investigation to be sent to your Security Office (SOI) once the case is closed complete |
Yes |
Yes |
| Receive current status of investigation |
Yes |
Yes |
| Receive expected completion date |
Yes |
Yes |
| Authority to discontinue a case (not available via CVS) |
Yes (if same SON)* |
Yes (if same SON)* |
| Authority to Upgrade or Downgrade an open investigation (See Upgrade/Downgrade Instructions below) |
Yes (if same SON)* |
Yes (if same SON)* |
| Receive SII search results |
No |
Yes |
| Receive NAC search results (for any pending investigation) |
No |
Yes |
| Access to a Reviewer for case specific information |
No |
Yes (if same SON)* |
| Receive types of issues in case |
No |
Yes (if same SON)* |
| Receive pending items in case |
No |
Yes (if same SON)* |
| Request transfer of case to new SON within the same agency |
Yes (if same SON)* |
Yes (if same SON)* |
| Request transfer of case to new SOI within the same agency |
Yes (if same SON)* |
Yes (if same SON)* |
| Request Transfer of case to new agency |
Yes (with approval from releasing agency)** |
Yes (with approval from releasing agency)** |
*Action is available to an SON/SOI contact if the requester is listed as an authorized contact on the SON/SOI of the respective investigation.
**Action is available to the SON/SOI contact if the requester received approval from the original requesting agency.
If the originating agency grants permission for the gaining agency to take jurisdiction over the pending investigation, the gaining agency will send an email request to: dcsa.boyers.dcsa.mbx.ctr-application-ingestion-correction@mail.mil.
The email request must state "Request to change SOI" in the subject line and include the following in the text:
-
Current OPM case number and subject name
-
Current SOI
-
New agency SON/SOI/IPAC/TAS
-
Authorized contact at originating/losing SON/SOI who granted permission for the change
-
Authorized contact at gaining SON/SOI who takes jurisdiction of the investigation
Submitting Office Number (SON)
DCSA assigns a unique four-character alphanumeric code, known as the Submitting Office Number (SON), to each office that requests investigations from DCSA. The SON identifies the office that initiates the investigation and is recorded in the appropriate Agency Use Block (AUB) of the SF 85, SF 85P, SF 85P-S, and SF 86. To obtain an SON from DCSA, complete a PIPS 12 form. Agencies are required to keep the contact information for their SON current and accurate.
Submitting offices may have multiple SONs. Everyone authorized by the head of the Submitting Office can use the SON to obtain information on the case status of a background investigation from DCSA, provided the caller can answer the questions asked by Telephone Liaison. Security/Suitability Investigations Index (SII) data is not available to the SON.
Security Office Identifier (SOI)
SOI Authorized Contacts must have a favorable determination based on the results of, at a minimum, a Tier 2.
An agency's Security Office is responsible for receiving completed investigation reports from DCSA, controlling the agency's cases, and making the suitability and security determinations on individuals being investigated for employment. Each Security Office is issued a unique alphanumeric four-character identifier from DCSA, the Security Office Identifier (SOI), which is used to identify the appropriate agency official who will receive case results, data, or other information from DCSA. Security offices are responsible for designating security office employees (authorized contacts) who may contact DCSA to obtain SII data (detailed information about a case). Only these "Authorized Contacts" approved by DCSA may obtain detailed case information. The authorized contacts must be able to answer identification questions posed by Telephone Liaison before information will be provided.
Each Security Office is responsible for providing DCSA with an official mailing address, contact information, and an approved list of employees authorized to request information about agency cases in process. The SOI should update this list regularly. Approved employees are the only individuals who may receive information by telephone. Complete a PIPS 11 form to obtain an SOI and update the SOI contact information. When submitting investigation requests to DCSA, the SOI may also be used in the SON block of the standard form if the SOI and SON are the same office.
Agency security officers must have a favorable determination based on the results of, at a minimum, a Tier 3 or Tier 4. All persons assigned adjudicative responsibility must be familiar with the laws and regulations governing suitability adjudications. Each Adjudicator must have been subject to a favorable determination based on the results of, at a minimum, a Tier 3 or Tier 5, in accordance with the results of the Position Designation System for Adjudicator's position. It is recommended that at least one or two individuals in an Adjudications Office have had a Tier 5. This is to ensure that in the event that classified material at the Top Secret level is included in a file, this material can be handled in accordance with current laws and regulations.