I am in the same boat as you, however, I am in the hiring process for the Diversion Investigator position with the DEA. To give you an idea of how long I've been in the hiring process, here's my timeline:

12/02 Mailed resume to DEA headquarters.

03/03 Oral interview.

05/03 Preliminary reference check (they contact the employers you list on your resume).

07/03 Received background information packet via FedEx (SF-86, SF-86a, and the addendum to the SF-86). Fingerprinted, drug test, and medical exam. Sent in the completed forms.

It's now Sept. 2003 and the DEA is still doing their background investigation. The recruiter said that the background investigation usually takes anywhere from 2-6 months depending on the number of places you've lived and how many jobs you've held.

Hope this information helps.

I sent in my application to the DEA recruiter and it was forwarded to headquarters .. whew .. It took me two weeks to get everything done including the SF 86.  Anyway, I'm trying to get an idea from anyone out there of how long I can look forward to before I hear anything.  I intended to do this two years ago, but 9/11 came along and I was re-activated.  I come off active duty in Oct and will stick around to complete my 2d B.A. in March (Good ole GI Bill).  I don't know how much active reserve time I can squeeze from the unit either.  Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Jim