Summary
A 54-year-old senior programmer was denied a security clearance under Guideline F, Financial Considerations, due to an unresolved delinquent debt. The Statement of Reasons cited a single delinquent credit card debt of $31,702, which originated in April 1998 and was last active in November 2012. This condition raised disqualifying concerns under Adjudicative Guidelines paragraphs 19(a), 19(b), and 19(c).
The applicant admitted to the debt but failed to provide evidence of any efforts to resolve it. While the applicant claimed financial distress due to past unemployment, no documentation was submitted to support these claims or demonstrate responsible financial behavior regarding repayment efforts.
Despite consideration of potential mitigating conditions under Adjudicative Guidelines paragraphs 20(a), 20(b), 20(c), 20(d), and 20(e), the judge concluded that the applicant's financial situation remained a security concern, leading to the denial of the security clearance.
Why the applicant was denied
- The applicant admitted to a delinquent debt of $31,702 but provided no evidence of efforts to resolve it.
- The applicant did not demonstrate responsible financial behavior or provide documentation to support claims of repayment efforts.
- The judge found that the applicant's financial issues remain a security concern.
Conditions referenced
- AG ¶ 19(a)raisedInability to Satisfy Debts
- AG ¶ 19(b)raisedUnwillingness to Satisfy Debts Regardless of the Ability to Do So
- AG ¶ 19(c)raisedA History of Not Meeting Financial Obligations
- AG ¶ 20(a)rejectedBehavior Happened so Long Ago, Was so Infrequent, or Occurred Under Such Circumstances That It Is Unlikely to RecurThe applicant's financial issues were not resolved and remained a concern.
- AG ¶ 20(b)rejectedConditions That Resulted in the Financial Problem Were Largely Beyond the Person’s ControlDespite past unemployment, the applicant did not act responsibly to resolve the debt.
- AG ¶ 20(c)rejectedReceived or Is Receiving Financial CounselingThe applicant provided no evidence of financial counseling.
- AG ¶ 20(d)rejectedInitiated and Is Adhering to a Good-faith Effort to Repay Overdue CreditorsThe applicant failed to provide evidence of any repayment efforts.
- AG ¶ 20(e)rejectedReasonable Basis to Dispute the Legitimacy of the Past-due DebtThe applicant did not provide documented proof to substantiate any disputes.
Key rule quoted
“Any doubt concerning personnel being considered for national security eligibility will be resolved in favor of the national security.”
Procedural posture
- SOR issuedApr 20, 2018
- Answer filedJul 12, 2018
- Hearing held—Decided on the written record.
- Decision dateNov 30, 2018
Cite for
- Failure to Mitigate Financial Concerns Under Guideline F
- Importance of Providing Evidence of Financial Responsibility
- Burden of Proof Lies with the Applicant to Demonstrate Mitigation Efforts