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ISCR Case 20-02588 — CASE

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ISCR Case 20-02588

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

Case Profile
Decision Date7/12/2021
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeADP POSITION
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Elizabeth M. Matchinski
Government Counsel: Andrew H. Henderson
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 60-year-old computer-based training specialist who sought a public trust position with the Department of Defense. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing concerns under Guideline F, specifically regarding financial considerations. The SOR detailed that the applicant had incurred approximately $40,000 in delinquent debts, which had been charged off or placed in collection status, primarily due to an unexpected layoff.
In his response to the SOR, the applicant admitted to the debts and explained that they arose from a job loss and insufficient income over the following years. He indicated that he had been making efforts to rectify his financial situation but failed to demonstrate sufficient progress in resolving the debts. The administrative judge noted that while the applicant had a history of stable employment and had maintained timely mortgage payments, he did not provide adequate evidence of a plan to address the delinquent debts.
Ultimately, the administrative judge ruled to deny the applicant's eligibility for a public trust position. The judge concluded that the applicant's financial issues raised significant trustworthiness concerns and that he had not sufficiently mitigated these concerns, thereby failing to meet the national security eligibility standards.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 20-02588

deniedJul 12, 2021· Hon. Elizabeth M. Matchinski· hearing

Summary

This case involves a 60-year-old computer-based training specialist whose eligibility for a public trust position was denied under Guideline F, Financial Considerations. The denial stemmed from approximately $40,000 in delinquent debts, primarily incurred following an unexpected layoff.

The Statement of Reasons detailed several specific charged-off and collection debts, including amounts of $17,983, $6,632, $5,577, $4,956, $2,844, $1,993, $576, and a $516 collection debt. These financial issues raised disqualifying conditions under Adjudicative Guidelines ¶ 19(a), ¶ 19(b), and ¶ 19(c).

Despite acknowledging his financial difficulties and expressing intent to resolve them, the applicant failed to demonstrate sufficient progress in addressing his past-due debts. The lack of timely payments, resulting in debts being charged off or in collection, led to concerns about his reliability and trustworthiness, ultimately resulting in the denial of his security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant incurred approximately $40,000 in delinquent debts due to an unexpected layoff.
He failed to show sufficient progress toward resolving his past-due debts, raising concerns about his reliability and trustworthiness.
The applicant's financial problems were exacerbated by a lack of timely payments on his debts, which were charged off or in collection status.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(a)appliedInability to Satisfy Debts
AG ¶ 19(b)appliedUnwillingness to Satisfy Debts
AG ¶ 19(c)appliedA History of Not Meeting Financial Obligations

Key Rule Quoted

“Applicants for a public trust position are not required to be debt free, but are required to manage their finances in a way as to exhibit sound judgment and responsibility.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedNov 20, 2020
Answer filedNov 23, 2020Requested a decision on the written record.
Hearing held—Decision made on the written record.
Decision dateJul 12, 2021

Cite For

Financial Considerations Under Guideline F
Impact of Delinquent Debts on Trustworthiness
Requirements for Demonstrating Financial Responsibility in Public Trust Positions

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: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant owed approximately $40,000 in charged-off debts and collection accounts, which he admitted were due to a job layoff. Despite securing new employment, the applicant failed to demonstrate sufficient progress in resolving these debts, leading to a decision against him under Guideline F.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant owed charged-off debts of $17,983 (SOR ¶ 1.a) $17,983	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	$6,632 (SOR ¶ 1.b) $6,632	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	$5,577 (SOR ¶ 1.c) $5,577	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.d	$4,956 (SOR ¶ 1.d) $4,956	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.e	$2,844 (SOR ¶ 1.e) $2,844	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.f	$1,993 (SOR ¶ 1.f) $1,993	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.g	$576 (SOR ¶ 1.g) $576	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.h	a $516 collection debt (SOR ¶ 1.h) $516	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—

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.