Which situation would be considered a Transfer of Trust?

• A. A Federal employee becomes a contractor, or a contractor moves from one contract company to another.
• B. A Federal employee transfers between federal agencies.
• C. A contractor completes a project and returns to the same contract company.
• D. A contractor becomes a government employee through a direct appointment.

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how trusted access and the vetting relationship can move with a person when their employer changes. A Transfer of Trust happens when someone shifts from federal employment to a contractor role, or when a contractor moves from one contract company to another. In these cross-employer moves, the receiving organization inherits or must reassess the individual’s trusted status and access to sensitive information, so the vetting process extends across the new employer to maintain security.

This is why the described situation is the best fit: it explicitly involves changing the employer across sectors, which is exactly when the trust relationship is transferred and the new organization must evaluate or carry forward the appropriate security posture. The other scenarios stay within a single sector or the same employer, so they do not meet the cross-boundary transfer behavior described.