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ISCR Case 19-01596 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 19-01596

A decided public DOHA case, shown for research — not advice or a prediction.

Case Profile
Decision Date1/22/2020
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Noreen A. Lynch
Government Counsel: Jeff Kent
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 32-year-old single mother of two, who had held a security clearance for approximately 12 years. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations), alleging that the applicant had approximately $8,752 in delinquent debt, failed to file her Federal and state income tax returns for several years, and had multiple judgments against her.
During the proceedings, the applicant admitted to the allegations but provided explanations for her financial difficulties, attributing them to a lack of income following her partner's departure and her status as a single parent. She indicated that she was working with tax preparers to address her unfiled tax returns and had made some arrangements to pay off certain debts. However, the administrative judge found that the applicant's financial issues were longstanding and unresolved, and she had not demonstrated sufficient efforts to mitigate the concerns raised. The judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that her financial irresponsibility raised questions about her reliability and trustworthiness, ultimately determining that granting her security clearance was not consistent with national interest.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 19-01596

deniedJan 22, 2020· Hon. Noreen A. Lynch· hearing

Summary

A 32-year-old single mother of two was denied a security clearance under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) due to significant financial concerns. The applicant had approximately $8,752 in delinquent debts and failed to file federal and state income tax returns from 2011 to 2017. Specific allegations included three judgments from 2014, February 2017, and 2018 for $312, $449, and $703 respectively.

Further financial issues involved a collection account for $5,452 and another for $1,468 stemming from a car note that resulted in a judgment. While a cable account for $368 was paid in full, the overall pattern of financial irresponsibility led to the denial.

The judge determined that the applicant did not make good-faith efforts to resolve her financial obligations or seek financial counseling. Her financial problems were deemed not under control, raising concerns about her reliability and trustworthiness, ultimately leading to the denial of her security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant has unresolved delinquent debts and has not filed tax returns for several years.
The applicant did not demonstrate good-faith efforts to address her financial obligations or seek financial counseling.
The applicant's financial problems are not under control, raising concerns about her reliability and trustworthiness.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(a)raisedInability to Satisfy Debts
AG ¶ 19(c)raisedA History of Not Meeting Financial Obligations
AG ¶ 19(f)raisedFailure to File or Fraudulently Filing Annual Federal, State or Local Income Tax Returns or Failure to Pay Annual Federal, State or Local Income Tax as Required

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 issuedJul 5, 2019
Answer filed—
Hearing heldJan 10, 2020Record kept open until January 24, 2020 for additional information.
Decision dateJan 22, 2020

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Unresolved Financial Issues Under Guideline F
Failure to Demonstrate Good-faith Efforts to Resolve Debts
Impact of Financial Irresponsibility on National Security Eligibility

Editorial summary generated for research. Not legal advice; not a prediction. Verify against the full decision before relying on any quoted language.

Standardized Decision Profile

SEAD-4 Guideline F · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found multiple financial concerns against the applicant, including delinquent debts, unpaid judgments, and failure to file tax returns. While one account was found in favor of the applicant, the overall financial situation was deemed insufficiently mitigated, leading to a denial of the security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant has delinquent debt in the approximate amount of $8,752. $8,752	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.b	Applicant failed to timely file her Federal and state income tax returns for tax years 2011 through 2017.	Against Applicant	Tax Filing Failure	Admitted	(f) failure to file / fraudulent filing of tax returns or unpaid tax	—	—
1.c	A 2014 judgment in the amount of $312. $312	Against Applicant	Judgment Against Applicant	Unknown	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.d	A February 2017 judgment in the amount of $449. $449	Against Applicant	Judgment Against Applicant	Unknown	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.e	A 2018 judgment in the amount of $703. $703	Against Applicant	Judgment Against Applicant	Unknown	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.f	A collection account in the amount of $5,452. $5,452	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Unknown	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.g	The cable account in the amount of $368 is paid in full. $368	For Applicant	Utility or Phone Debt	Unknown	—	—	—
1.h	A collection account in the amount of $1,468, resulting from a car note that ended in a judgment. $1,468	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Unknown	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline F). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Full decision

The complete, official text — footnotes and signatures included — is in the original PDF.