GAO has removed the DoD personnel security clearance process from the annual list of programs and initiatives it publishes deemed at risk of mismanagement and waste, among other problems.
DoD issued a statement crediting a more streamlined clearance process to four years of effort in working with the Director of National Intelligence, OMB and OPM to make changes to policies, introduce extensive IT improvements, and eliminate a backlog of about 100,000 pending cases.
The wait time to get employees cleared is a sore point for managers who still must accomplish agency missions without them, but DoD said the improvements led to a 72 percent reduction in the time it takes to process a clearance – from 165 days in 2006 to 47 days today.
