DISS: The DoD Security Clearance Record System (2026)

DISS, the Defense Information System for Security, is the Department of Defense's system of record for security clearance eligibility and access. It is a database that security officers check, not a clearance you hold. DISS replaced JPAS on March 31, 2021, and in 2026 it took over investigation requests from NBIS Agency.

If you came for the slang "diss" (also spelled "dis", short for disrespect) or the market town in Norfolk, England, this page covers the DoD acronym, the system run by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA).

What is DISS in a security clearance context?

DCSA describes DISS as the enterprise-wide solution for personnel security, suitability and credentialing management for DoD military, civilian and contractor personnel. DCSA's account management policy puts the job more plainly: DISS is used to request, record, document, identify and conduct personnel security actions.

Your clearance is an eligibility determination made by an adjudicator. DISS is where that determination is written down so the next security office can read it. When an FSO says "I'll check DISS," they mean they are going to look up what the government has already recorded about you.

DISS has three parts, per DCSA:

• The Joint Verification System (JVS), used by security officers in government and industry. This is the part most people mean when they say "DISS."
• The Case Adjudication Tracking System (CATS), used by adjudicators to record eligibility determinations.
• The Appeals system, used to support appeals of unfavorable eligibility decisions.

If you are a contractor employee, the security people you deal with work in JVS. You will rarely hear CATS mentioned unless your case is in adjudication or appeal. For the appeal side of that process, see our explainer on the Statement of Reasons.

DISS is the DoD system, and it is not the only one. IC security offices use Scattered Castles as their authoritative personnel security repository, which ODNI's ICPG 704.5 establishes for clearance and access determinations. A person's information may also appear in DISS, so the security office determines which records it must check.

What does DISS record about a clearance holder?

DISS separates two ideas that people often blur together. Eligibility is the government's determination that you can be trusted with classified information up to a level. Access is an organization actually briefing you into that information for a job. You can hold Top Secret eligibility with no current access at all. SCI is the clearest case: it is an access you are indoctrinated into on top of TS eligibility, which we cover in TS/SCI, decoded.

DCSA's DISS FAQs describe what a JVS user works with on a subject's record:

The relationship field has a real consequence for continuous vetting. DCSA's DISS release 14.5 notice says that after 45 days without an active SMO affiliation, the individual's CV status in DISS changes to "unenrolled." DCSA defines "not enrolled" as never having been in the DCSA CV program and "unenrolled" as previously enrolled but no longer. That 45-day rule is about CV enrollment; DCSA does not describe it as a clearance-expiration date.

Who can see DISS, and can you check your own record?

You cannot log in to DISS to look yourself up. DCSA's FAQs say a minimum of interim Secret eligibility is required to access DISS, and that personnel are granted access for the specific purpose of verifying eligibility and determining access for their own service members, employees or visitors. Accounts are requested through a PSSAR and managed by account and hierarchy managers inside each organization.

In practice, the people who can see your record are:

• Your current FSO or security manager, through your organization's SMO.
• A security officer at another organization you are visiting or being processed into, within their role.
• Government security staff and adjudicators with the right permissions.

A 2023 ClearanceJobs reader Q&A makes the same point from the candidate's side: DISS was built for security officers and the government to exchange information, and FSOs generally will not hand you a printout. What an FSO can do is answer a direct question by email: is my eligibility current, who holds my record, is anything open.

If you want something in writing from DCSA, there are two formal routes. DCSA's adjudication and vetting records page points to DCSA Form 335, the August 2026 version. It has a checkbox to request your security clearance status and level, and a separate one for a Privacy Act/FOIA request for your own records. DCSA says use of the form is not mandatory, and it recommends contacting your security manager or FSO for help. For your background investigation file or a copy of your SF-86, DCSA's background investigation records page covers a separate request using the INV 100. File both if you want the full picture.

Did DISS replace JPAS, and when?

Yes. DCSA states that DISS replaced the Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS) as the system of record on March 31, 2021. Plenty of recruiters and job postings still say "JPAS" out of habit. If a posting asks for "active clearance in JPAS," read it as DISS.

DCSA ran follow-up training for security officers after the cutover, such as the Ready, Set, DISS update. JPAS is retired.

What changed in 2026: why are investigation requests moving from NBIS into DISS-JVS?

For several years the plan ran the other way. DoD built the National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) to take over investigation and vetting work, and FSOs were told to onboard to NBIS while still managing subjects in DISS. In 2026 DCSA moved a key piece back: the Initiate, Review and Authorize functions that security officers had been performing in NBIS Agency went to DISS-JVS during the summer.

The dates DCSA published in its industry transition notice, dated August 4, 2026:

DCSA's June 2026 Voice of Industry newsletter, under "Returning Initiation, Review, and Authorize (IRA) to DISS," states the operational consequence: "All remaining NBIS-Agency cases in an IRA phase must be re-initiated in DISS." For a candidate, that means an investigation request your FSO opened in NBIS Agency, and that has not moved past those phases, will be opened again in DISS. If you have a pending questionnaire, ask your FSO whether the NBIS Agency transition affects your case or requires any action. Our SF-86 and eApp guide covers the form itself.

For security teams, DISS-JVS is now where you open the request, review the subject's submission and authorize it to go to DCSA. With NBIS Agency turned off on November 30, 2026, the newsletter's instruction applies to any case still in an IRA phase there.

DISS vs NBIS vs eApp vs continuous vetting: which system does what?

These names get used interchangeably on forums and in recruiter emails. They are different tools with different users.

The CV row connects to another 2026 change. DCSA's updated NISP contractor continuous vetting guidance says periodic reinvestigations for NISP contractor national security personnel are no longer required; instead, individuals submit an updated Personnel Vetting Questionnaire (or SF-86 in eApp, with releases) every five years. That covers NISP contractor national security personnel, not every population in DISS, and it does not remove case-specific investigation requirements a position or agency may set. We go through what it means for how long eligibility lasts in How Long Does a Security Clearance Last?

How do cleared employers use DISS when they hire you?

The moment most cleared people meet DISS is onboarding. You accept an offer for a Secret or TS role on a DoD contract, and the employer's security office looks you up in JVS. They are answering a short list of questions: what eligibility is recorded and at what level, what your CV status and investigation or questionnaire dates show, which SMO is affiliated with your record, and whether anything is pending. Establishing a relationship is part of that process. Whether you can be briefed into access for the position is a separate determination the security office makes.

ClearMatch can show how much of the open market asks for a clearance. In ClearMatch's scan of 123,704 postings from 1,261 employers, October 20 to November 3, 2026, 59,673 required Secret or higher. That number measures what postings ask for. It does not show how or when any employer verifies a new hire, and for IC-sponsored roles the security office may check Scattered Castles as well as, or instead of, DISS.

For hiring teams, the DISS steps look like this: verify recorded eligibility in JVS, review CV status and the investigation or questionnaire dates, confirm nothing is pending, then establish the relationship and decide on access through your normal process. Timing matters for people between employers, because DCSA says CV status changes to "unenrolled" after 45 days without an active SMO affiliation.

What if DISS shows your eligibility as expired, missing or wrong?

You cannot correct DISS yourself, and neither can a recruiter. The fix runs through a security office:

• No record found. Ask the FSO what identifier they searched and which agency granted your clearance. If it came through an IC agency, ask whether they also checked Scattered Castles or another agency's records.
• CV shows unenrolled. Per DCSA, that status follows 45 days without an active SMO affiliation. Ask the gaining security office what it means for your case and what, if anything, it needs to submit; DCSA's notice does not say a new relationship alone restores enrollment.
• Old investigation date. For NISP contractor personnel, DCSA's 2026 guidance ended periodic reinvestigations, so an old date by itself does not settle anything. The security office looks at CV status, the questionnaire due date and the position's own requirements before deciding whether to initiate anything new.
• Something looks wrong on the record. Your FSO can raise it with DCSA through a customer service request, and you can request your adjudication records with DCSA Form 335 to see what was recorded.

If the record shows an incident, the question becomes one of reporting rules, which we cover in security infraction vs. violation. Eligibility belongs to the government, so neither you nor your employer can settle it alone.

Frequently asked questions

Did DISS replace JPAS?

Yes. DCSA says DISS replaced the Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS) as the DoD system of record on March 31, 2021. JPAS is retired. Job postings that still say "JPAS" mean DISS.

What does DISS stand for in the military and DoD?

DISS stands for Defense Information System for Security. It is run by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency and covers personnel security, suitability and credentialing records for DoD military, civilian and contractor personnel. Its main parts are JVS for security officers, CATS for adjudicators and an Appeals system.

Can I look up my own security clearance in DISS?

No. DCSA requires at least interim Secret eligibility and an authorized security role to access DISS, and access is granted only to verify eligibility for an organization's own people or visitors. Ask your FSO for your status, or use DCSA Form 335 to request your clearance status and level or your adjudication records; the INV 100 covers your investigation file.

Is NBIS replacing DISS, or is DISS replacing NBIS?

For the security officer workflow, DISS took over in 2026. DCSA moved the Initiate, Review and Authorize functions from NBIS Agency into DISS-JVS, set September 30, 2026 as the last day to initiate cases in NBIS Agency, and is turning NBIS Agency off on November 30, 2026. DCSA's June 2026 newsletter says remaining NBIS Agency cases in those phases must be re-initiated in DISS.

Does DISS show whether my clearance is active after I leave a job?

DISS keeps the record of your eligibility determination, and a new FSO will see it along with your continuous vetting status. DCSA says that after 45 days without an active SMO affiliation, your CV status changes to "unenrolled," which is a change to CV enrollment rather than a stated expiration of your clearance. Ask the next FSO who looks you up what both fields show.

How do employers verify a security clearance?

For DoD and most NISP contractor roles, the FSO or security manager looks the person up in DISS-JVS to see recorded eligibility, continuous vetting status, investigation dates and current relationships. IC security offices use Scattered Castles as their authoritative repository, and a person may appear in both. Confirming eligibility and establishing a relationship are steps in onboarding; the security office separately decides whether to grant access for the position.

What this looks like inside ClearMatch

ClearMatch does not connect to DISS or Scattered Castles and cannot see anyone's record. We think that is the right line: the agent reads the clearance you state on your resume and the clearance each posting requires, models both as a tier (Secret, TS, TS/SCI, TS/SCI with CI or Full Scope Poly), and only surfaces roles where they line up. Verification stays with the hiring company's FSO, who has the access and the accountability.

To see who is posting at your level right now, browse cleared jobs or run a specific posting against your background with the job fit check. State-level counts are on the Cleared Jobs Index.

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Sources: DCSA: Defense Information System for Security (DISS), DCSA: FAQs, DISS, DCSA: Industry transition to DISS for Initiate and Review functionality, DCSA: Voice of Industry, June 2026, DCSA: Continuous Vetting updates with DISS release 14.5, DCSA: Updates to NISP contractor Continuous Vetting, DCSA: National Background Investigation Services (NBIS), DCSA: Requesting Adjudication and Vetting Records, DCSA Form 335 (August 2026), ODNI: ICPG 704.5, Scattered Castles. Clearance policy and these systems are set by the government, so confirm anything about your own record with your FSO, security office or the official sources above.