Public Trust Clearance

I am a bit confused and have been trying to figure it out. Is a public trust a security clearance? I know it's not Top Secret but it's better than nothing right?

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Comments

ITSpectre

Yes... its the lowest clearance they have... the next level from that is Secret, then Top secret.

ITSpectre

You can't get one on your own though. A company has to sponsor you for a clearance. Also you have to find a job, normally a govt contractor to sponsor you. Getting one is not hard... you just have to have a clean background and you finances in order. Once you have that together, getting one is a breeze

jibtech

Public Trust isn't exactly a "clearance". It follows many of the same guidelines and investigations, but is targeted differently. PT is used to determine suitability for a position, whereas a clearance is a level of information for which you are cleared to have access, should you have a need to know.

For example, if you have a Secret clearance, you can be permitted access to documents classified as Secret or Confidential, if there is a need to know. However, you cannot have access to documents classified as Top Secret.

Using the same example, the position is a Public Trust Position. After the investigation, you are either qualified to hold a Public Trust Position, or you are not.

The PT is about the risk and sensitivity of the position, and the data is only tangential to that fact. Clearances are all about the data.

jibtech

ITSpectre wrote: »

Yes... its the lowest clearance they have... the next level from that is Secret, then Top secret.

That would be "Confidential". Easiest way to remember them:

US Can Stop Terrorism

Unclassified
Sensitive But Unclassified
Confidential
Secret
Top Secret

Top Secret can be subdivided into SCI, SSBI, various Polys, Code Word, etc. But the ones above are the official classification.

Until you get into non-DoD stuff. Then things like Q come into play.

dmoore44

A public trust clearance is usually used for non defense related positions within the government, and is not considered a security clearance for the purposes of accessing classified information. The purpose of a public trust clearance is to determine suitability for a position that requires access to agency sensitive information (i.e. PII, financials, etc...).

LordQarlyn

Moderate Risk Public Trust, or MRPT, is what the Department of State uses for foreign national employees or contractors to determine if they can work on DoS projects. In some cases when access to classified information is not required, the MRPT is used to also vet American employees as well.

pevangel

Public trust is a pretty common requirement for civilian agencies such as Department of Agriculture and NASA where they handle a lot of sensitive but unclassified information. It's not a security clearance, but it is better than nothing. It could still take a long time to get a public trust, but you can usually work at the facility while your investigation is ongoing. You normally can't start working with the DOD until you get an interim security clearance at the minimum.

mizterkewl

Is it a gateway to other clearances or help you get others faster when the time comes?

LordQarlyn

It probably doesn't hurt or hinder, but as far as I know it's not a natural progression to getting security clearances. What they look for in a person's background for a security clearance aren't the same items in a public trust, though if one cannot get a public trust they most likely won't be able to get a clearance.

devilbones

mizterkewl wrote: »

Is it a gateway to other clearances or help you get others faster when the time comes?

No. It means you are equal to a postal carrier as far as clearance goes.

mizterkewl

devilbones wrote: »

No. It means you are equal to a postal carrier as far as clearance goes.

oh...

devilbones

mizterkewl wrote: »

oh...

I wasnt saying it in a bad way, the Postal Carriers bring your tax refunds and W2s. Its just a different type of clearance than having access to classified material.