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ISCR Case 20-03022 — CASE

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ISCR Case 20-03022

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

Case Profile
Decision Date9/7/2021
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Noreen A. Lynch
Government Counsel: Patricia M. Lynch-Epps
Case Summary
Applicant, a 31-year-old married individual with a high school diploma and an undergraduate degree, sought a security clearance for the first time while employed as a development engineer. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations), alleging approximately $41,849 in delinquent debts, including consumer loans and a vehicle repossession. Applicant admitted to the debts without providing substantial explanations.
During the hearing, Applicant acknowledged his financial difficulties began in 2018, following periods of unemployment and job terminations. He indicated that he intended to pay off his debts when financially able but had not established any payment plans prior to the hearing. Although he made some payments shortly before the hearing, he did not demonstrate a consistent effort to resolve his financial issues. The administrative judge found that Applicant's admissions and the evidence presented established disqualifying conditions under Guideline F, specifically his inability or unwillingness to satisfy debts and a history of not meeting financial obligations. Consequently, the judge ruled against granting the security clearance, emphasizing that the financial irresponsibility raised significant concerns about Applicant's reliability and trustworthiness in handling classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 20-03022

deniedSep 7, 2021· Hon. Noreen A. Lynch· hearing

Summary

A security clearance application was denied under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) due to significant delinquent debts totaling approximately $41,849. The applicant, representing himself, admitted to the allegations detailed in the Statement of Reasons.

These allegations included a past-due account from 2017, which had grown to $2,929.67 by July 2021, and a credit card account opened in 2014 that was charged off in 2019 for $15,443. Other debts comprised a $6,475 balance from a 2019 vehicle repossession, a $1,919 charged-off PayPal account, and a $473 charged-off insurance account that was paid in May 2021. Additionally, there were two collection accounts for outstanding energy bills, totaling $358 and $232 respectively.

The administrative judge found that while the applicant admitted to these financial issues, he failed to demonstrate sufficient efforts to mitigate the concerns. Consequently, the judge concluded that granting the security clearance would not be consistent with national security interests, leading to the denial of the application.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant had significant financial issues, including delinquent debts totaling approximately $41,849.
The applicant admitted to the allegations but did not demonstrate sufficient efforts to mitigate the financial concerns.
The judge concluded that granting the security clearance would not be consistent with national security interests.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

F.1appliedFinancial Considerations

Key Rule Quoted

“the ultimate determination of whether the granting or continuing of national security eligibility is clearly consistent with the interests of national security must be an overall common sense judgment based upon careful consideration of the applicable guidelines”
— AG ¶ 2(c)

Procedural Posture

Decision DateSep 7, 2021
SOR Issued—
Answer Filed—
Hearing Held—

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Significant Financial Issues Under Guideline F
Failure to Mitigate Financial Concerns Despite Admission of Allegations
Consideration of the Whole Person Concept in Security Clearance Determinations

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 under Guideline F, including delinquent debts totaling approximately $41,849, which included consumer loans, a vehicle repossession, and collection accounts. The applicant admitted to the debts but failed to demonstrate that his financial situation was under control, leading to a decision against him on all allegations.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant has delinquent debt in the approximate amount of $41,849. The debts include consumer loans, a vehicle repossession and collection accounts. $41,849	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.b	A past-due account from 2017, in the amount of $645, Applicant provided information that he has a balance of $2,929.67 as of July 2021. $2,929	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.c	A charged off account in 2019, in the amount of $15,443. Applicant opened this credit card account in 2014. $15,443	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.d	A debt in the amount of $6,475 for the balance on a vehicle that was repossessed in 2019. $6,475	Against Applicant	Auto Loan Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.e	A charged-off account in the amount of $1,919 for a rolling PayPal account. $1,919	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.f	A charged-off account in the amount of $473, Applicant paid the insurance account in May 2021. $473	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.g	A collection account in the amount of $358, this was an outstanding energy bill. $358	Against Applicant	Utility or Phone Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.h	A collection account in the amount of $232 is for another energy account. $232	Against Applicant	Utility or Phone Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.i	specific text not stated in this decision	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Unknown	—	—	—

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.