Book Description

In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Energy's (DOE) personnel clearance and security program, including: (1) the timeliness of the process for granting, suspending, and revoking clearances; (2) factors that affect the clearance work load; and (3) the accuracy of DOE clearance databases. GAO found that: (1) because DOE personnel security clearance processes were lengthy, they lowered productivity, increased costs, and posed security concerns; (2) clearance staffs lacked resources to complete some clearance steps; (3) DOE has not fully implemented steps to reduce clearance levels that are too high or to terminate unnecessary clearances; and (4) contractors failed to obtain pre-employment information (PEI) on job applicants before hiring them. GAO also found that DOE security clearance files were inaccurate because: (1) DOE created new databases without validating the data; (2) field offices often failed to enter new data; (3) contractors', field offices', and headquarters' databases did not communicate effectively; and (4) DOE did not always validate database information.