A veteran's resume crosses your desk. One line reads "TS/SCI with CI poly, current." Another reads "Secret clearance, active." A third just says "Top Secret eligible." Do you know what each one actually means? Most recruiters do not. They see the word "clearance" and either over-value it or skip past it.

That line is one of the most valuable signals on a veteran's resume. A clearance can be worth tens of thousands of dollars to the right contract. It can also mean nothing if it lapsed three years ago. The difference is in the words next to it.

This guide teaches you to read that line fast. You will learn the clearance levels, what "SCI" and "eligibility" mean, how to spot the polygraph notes, and how to tell a current clearance from a dead one. You do not need to be a security officer. You just need to know what you are looking at.

What Are the Security Clearance Levels?

There are three national security clearance levels. The official term is "eligibility." Here they are, from lowest to highest access:

Confidential is the entry level. It covers information that could damage national security if exposed. You will see it less often on veteran resumes. Many roles need more.

Secret is the most common one you will read. It covers info that could cause serious damage if exposed. A huge share of defense and GovCon roles run on a Secret clearance. The investigation is lighter than Top Secret.

Top Secret is the highest of the three. It covers info that could cause exceptionally grave damage. The investigation goes deeper and takes longer. A Top Secret clearance carries real market value.

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) runs the background investigations behind these levels. DCSA is the agency that handles most clearance vetting across the government and the defense industrial base.

What Does TS/SCI Mean on a Resume?

This trips up a lot of recruiters. SCI is not a fourth, higher clearance level. SCI stands for Sensitive Compartmented Information. It is a separate access determination that sits on top of a Top Secret clearance.

Think of it this way. Top Secret is the clearance level. SCI is an add-on that grants access to specific compartmented programs. A person needs the Top Secret base first. Then they get read into SCI through its own favorable review.

So "TS/SCI" tells you two things. The candidate holds a Top Secret clearance. And they have been granted SCI access. This is common for intelligence and signals roles. You will see it a lot on analyst and cyber resumes.

You may also see "SAP" next to a clearance. That stands for Special Access Program. Like SCI, it is an access add-on, not a clearance level. Both SCI and SAP signal the candidate has cleared an extra layer of vetting.

Eligibility vs Access: Why the Wording Matters

Two words on a resume change everything: "eligible" and "access." They are not the same. Knowing the difference saves you from a bad hire decision.

Eligibility is the determination that a person can be trusted with classified info at a given level. It is the government saying "this person passed the investigation." DCSA describes it as a determination that someone is able and willing to safeguard classified information.

Access is being read into actual classified material. A person can be eligible without having current access. Access happens when a contract or job needs it and a security officer grants it.

So when a resume says "Secret eligible," the candidate cleared the investigation but may not be in an active access status right now. When it says "active Secret clearance," they are eligible and currently in access. Both are useful. But "active" moves faster onto a new contract.

Why does the wording trip people up? Because access can switch off when a person leaves a job, even if their eligibility stays good. A veteran can be fully eligible at the Secret level and still show no active access on the day they apply. That is normal. It does not mean their clearance is dead. Your security officer can place them back into access on a new contract.

How Do You Read the Polygraph Notes?

Some cleared resumes list a polygraph next to the clearance. This matters for the most sensitive intelligence roles. A poly is a separate gate. It is not automatic with a Top Secret clearance.

There are a few types you will see. Per the Director of National Intelligence guidance, here is the plain version:

CI poly stands for Counterintelligence Scope Polygraph. It covers topics like espionage, sabotage, terrorism, and unauthorized disclosure of classified info. It is the narrowest of the three main types.

Lifestyle poly covers personal conduct. Think criminal involvement, drug use, and falsifying security forms. It does not cover the CI topics.

Full Scope poly is the broadest type. The official name is the Expanded Scope Polygraph, or ESP. It combines the CI poly and the Lifestyle poly into one exam. So Full Scope and Lifestyle are not the same thing. A Full Scope candidate passed both screens. A Lifestyle candidate passed only the personal conduct screen.

Why does this matter to you? Some contracts require a specific poly. If a role needs a Full Scope poly and the candidate only has a CI poly, that is a gap. A current Full Scope poly is a strong, high-value signal. It is hard to get and it opens doors to the most sensitive programs. You can read more on what each one covers in the official DNI polygraph guidance.

How Do You Tell If a Clearance Is Current or Lapsed?

This is the part most recruiters get wrong. A clearance on a resume is only useful if it can be used. The line tells you a lot if you read it closely.

Look for these words. "Active" or "current" means the candidate is in access now. That is the strongest signal. "Eligible" means they passed but may not be in active status. Still good. "Inactive" or "lapsed" means access ended, often when they left a job or the service.

Here is the rule that drives everything. If a person has been out of a cleared position for less than 24 months, their prior clearance can often be reinstated without a brand new investigation. DCSA confirms a clearance can be reinstated if no more than 24 months have passed since it was terminated, there is no known adverse info, and the prior investigation meets the criteria.

Past 24 months, the rules change. If the break in cleared service runs longer than 24 months, the candidate generally needs a new initial investigation before access. That can mean months of wait and real cost. So a resume that says "Secret, separated 8 months ago" is far more actionable than "Secret, separated 4 years ago." We cover this in depth in our guide on hiring a veteran whose clearance lapsed and the 24-month rule.

What Is DISS and Why Did It Replace JPAS?

If a candidate or a security officer mentions DISS, here is what they mean. DISS is the Defense Information System for Security. It is the government system of record for clearance status across the defense world.

DISS became the system of record on March 31, 2021. It replaced the old system called JPAS. So if you see "JPAS verified" on an older resume, that system is retired. The current record lives in DISS. A newer system called NBIS, the National Background Investigation Services platform, is being built to replace DISS over time. As of 2026, DISS is still the active system of record.

Why does this matter to you? You cannot verify a clearance yourself by reading a resume. Only a cleared facility security officer can pull a candidate's true status from DISS. So treat the resume line as a claim to confirm, not a final fact. Your security officer checks the record.

This is also why a strong candidate's clearance is easy to confirm fast. A current record in DISS, with a recent investigation, means your security officer can verify in days. That speed is part of the value of a cleared veteran hire.

How Do You Spot a Strong Cleared Candidate Fast?

Now put it together. You have a stack of veteran resumes and limited time. Here is how to triage the clearance line in seconds.

First, read the level and the access words. "Active TS/SCI" beats "Secret eligible" for a high-sensitivity role. Match the level to what the contract needs. Do not over-hire a level you do not need.

Second, check recency. A clearance tied to a recent separation, inside that 24-month window, is far more usable. A clearance from a job they left five years ago needs a closer look.

Third, read the poly note against the contract. If the role needs a Full Scope poly, a candidate who already has one jumps the line. Most applicant tracking systems rack and stack resumes by keyword match. A cleared candidate with the exact clearance terms in the job posting will rank near the top. A strong match does not get filtered. It rises.

The intel and cyber career fields produce the most cleared talent. A veteran from a role like the Army 35F Intelligence Analyst or 17C Cyber Operations Specialist field almost always carries a clearance from active service. Those resumes are worth a close read.

What Should You Do Next?

Reading the clearance line is step one. Sourcing enough cleared resumes to read is the real challenge. Cleared veteran talent is in demand and the pool is tight.

That is where BMR fits. Our veteran candidate pool grows by over 1,000 new profiles every month, and we have built more than 60,000 resumes for the military community. A large share of that talent comes from intel, cyber, and defense roles where clearances are standard. So the resumes you read through BMR often carry the exact clearance line you now know how to decode.

Once you can read a clearance, the next moves get easier. Learn how to find cleared veteran talent for defense roles, how an interim clearance sets a new hire's start date, and what the various polygraph requirements mean for cleared roles. To map a veteran's record to a billable contract role, see our guide on GovCon LCATs and mapping military experience. And for a full screening pass, use our recruiter's checklist for screening veteran applicants.

When you are ready to reach cleared veteran talent directly, reach out to access BMR's veteran talent pool. The clearance line on a resume is a fast read once you know the words. Now you do.