Procedural Points | DCSA AVS (Part 1) – Responding To Your SOR

In December 2024, the outgoing Biden Administration ended five years of jurisdictional infighting within the Defense Department's security review process by limiting the jurisdiction of the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA). There are indications this grant of increased jurisdiction to the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) will now be adjusted—again—but you need to keep the DOHA and DCSA procedures distinct. They are different processes. This article deals primarily with the now elevated role of DCSA and its new Adjudication Vetting & Services division (AVS). DOHA still facilitates security review procedure for industrial personnel, or contractors. Thus, what follows will be most useful for Federal employees and military members.