WASHINGTON, May 2 (UPI) -- Critics are slamming the Defense Security Service's for halting its vetting procedures for lack of funds.
The DSS's decision to stop advancing security clearance applications until funding issues are resolved will likely add to the increasing value of job applicants who have already passed the process, an industry official told GovExec.com Monday.
"There's no question there's already a premium in the market for that," said Stan Soloway, president of the Arlington, Va.-based Professional Services Council. "This will drive that up."
The PSC sent a letter last week to the Department of Defense pleading for a hasty resolution to the funding crisis. Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., on Monday told DSS' acting director to present the House Government Reform Committee -- of which he is chairman -- with an explanation of the agency's action, which he called "baffling," "disturbing" and "drastic."
The Office of Personnel Management said Monday that DSS is just days away from being able to get back on its feet. OPM took over the task of conducting background checks last February, but DSS still has to cover the cost of processing applications, which can be thousands of dollars each, depending on the level of clearance needed.
In an announcement Friday, DSS said that with a funding cut of $20 million this year, it could not handle a workload that had grown exponentially since Sept. 11, 2001. The agency has a backlog of more than 300,000 applications from government workers and private sector employees.
"We do not have the money to cover that cost," Cindy McGovern, a DSS spokeswoman, told GovExec.com. "We are not forwarding any requests."
The decision has affected at least 3,000 requests so far, according to DSS.
