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ISCR Case 20-01163 — CASE

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ISCR Case 20-01163

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

Case Profile
Decision Date11/24/2021
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Noreen A. Lynch
Government Counsel: David F. Hayes
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 29-year-old individual seeking a security clearance, facing allegations under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) and Guideline E (Personal Conduct). The Statement of Reasons (SOR) indicated that the applicant had 12 student loan debts totaling approximately $38,000 and one consumer collection account for $160. The applicant admitted to the student loan debts but denied knowledge of the consumer account.
Key findings revealed that the applicant had been unemployed since April 2019 and attributed her financial difficulties to low-paying jobs and familial obligations. She acknowledged her debts but claimed a lack of knowledge regarding her financial status and the implications of her security clearance application. The applicant also admitted to falsifying information on her SF-86 regarding her employment history, including failing to disclose terminations and reprimands from multiple employers.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that the financial issues raised significant concerns about her reliability and judgment. The judge noted that the applicant's long-standing delinquent debts and lack of evidence demonstrating efforts to resolve them did not mitigate the security concerns. The ruling emphasized the importance of financial responsibility in maintaining national security eligibility, ultimately denying the applicant's request for a security clearance.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline EPersonal Conduct · Against Applicant
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 20-01163

deniedNov 24, 2021· Hon. Noreen A. Lynch· hearing

Summary

A 29-year-old female applicant was denied a security clearance due to concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) and Guideline E (Personal Conduct). The applicant had 12 student loan debts totaling approximately $38,000, which were in collection, and one consumer collection account for $160. While she acknowledged her student loan debts, she denied knowledge of the consumer collection account.

Further issues arose from her employment history. The applicant failed to disclose multiple job terminations, reprimands, and warnings from previous employers on her security clearance application. Specifically, she did not disclose being fired in December 2015 or a termination in August 2013 for failing to follow company policy. These omissions were considered falsifications of material facts.

The judge determined that the applicant failed to mitigate the concerns raised by her financial delinquencies and her lack of candor regarding her employment history. Her admitted financial issues, coupled with the falsified information on her application, demonstrated a lack of reliability and trustworthiness, leading to the denial of her security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to having significant student loan debts and a consumer collection account, which she could not explain.
The applicant falsified information regarding her employment terminations on her security clearance application, demonstrating a lack of candor and reliability.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(a)raisedInability to Satisfy Debts
AG ¶ 19(c)raisedA History of Not Meeting Financial Obligations
AG ¶ 16(a)raisedDeliberate Omission, Concealment, or Falsification of Relevant Facts

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 issuedOct 16, 2020
Answer filed—
Hearing heldNov 4, 2021Applicant testified pro se.
Decision dateNov 24, 2021

Cite For

Failure to Mitigate Financial Concerns Under Guideline F
Lack of Candor and Reliability Under Guideline E
Deliberate Falsification of Information on Security Clearance Applications

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 E (Personal Conduct) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found against the applicant on multiple allegations of personal conduct, including failure to disclose financial delinquencies and falsification of employment history. The applicant's responses were deemed insufficient to mitigate the concerns raised by her conduct, leading to a denied security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant failed to disclose material facts regarding her financial delinquencies on her security clearance application.	Against Applicant	Omission or Failure to DiscloseFOUND DELIBERATE	Financial	Denied	—	—	—
2.b	Applicant falsified her employment history by not disclosing terminations from previous jobs.	Against Applicant	Falsification of Employment or Other RecordsFOUND DELIBERATE	Employment History	Denied with Explanation	—	—	—
2.c	Applicant failed to disclose reprimands and warnings from previous employers on her application.	Against Applicant	Falsification of Employment or Other RecordsFOUND DELIBERATE	Employment History	Denied with Explanation	—	—	—
2.d	Applicant did not disclose being fired from a job in December 2015.	Against Applicant	Falsification of Employment or Other RecordsFOUND DELIBERATE	Employment History	Denied	—	—	—
2.e	Applicant failed to disclose being terminated in August 2013 for failure to follow company policy.	Against Applicant	Falsification of Employment or Other RecordsFOUND DELIBERATE	Employment History	Admitted	—	—	—

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

Standardized Decision Profile

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

Posture: HearingDecided: denied

The judge found against the applicant on financial considerations due to 12 student loan debts totaling approximately $38,000 and one consumer collection account of $160. The applicant admitted to the student loan debts but denied knowledge of the consumer collection account, which contributed to the decision to deny the security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant has 12 student loan debts placed in collection in the approximate amount of $38,000, and one consumer collection account in the amount of $160. $38,000	Against Applicant	Student Loan Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.b–1.m	12 sub-charges — specific text not stated in this decision (against the applicant).	Against Applicant			—	—	—

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.