Security clearance removal consists of any of the following: revocation of all security clearance levels (Confidential, Secret, Top Secret, or any compartmented access), i.e. downgrade from a higher clearance level to "no clearance" status, final denial of clearance after adjudication if the person was provisionally cleared, suspension of clearance, administrative withdrawal of clearance, or loss of eligibility for access to classified information through any mechanism.

The following would NOT constitute clearance removal: downgrade from one clearance level to a lower level (e.g., Top Secret to Secret) unless downgraded to no clearance, expiration of clearance due to routine periodic reinvestigation requirements, administrative termination due to job separation with eligibility intact, denial of access to specific programs while maintaining overall clearance, or voluntary relinquishment.