Which adjudication determines eligibility to access classified information or perform sensitive duties?

• A. National security adjudications
• B. Suitability adjudications
• C. HSPD-12 adjudications
• D. Fitness determinations

Answer: (A)

When determining eligibility to access classified information or perform sensitive duties, the process used is national security adjudications. This involves a security clearance decision based on a comprehensive background investigation that weighs factors such as allegiance, foreign ties, financial considerations, substance use, criminal conduct, and overall trustworthiness. The goal is to assess any risk to national security before granting access to classified material or responsibilities that require heightened safeguards.

Suitability adjudications, by contrast, evaluate a person’s overall fitness for federal employment and general reliability for a position, but they do not by themselves authorize access to classified information. HSPD-12 adjudications are about identity credentialing and determining eligibility for physical and logical access, not about granting security clearances. Fitness determinations relate to medical or other personal fitness for duty and are separate from security clearance decisions.