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ISCR Case 20-00286 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 20-00286

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

Case Profile
Decision Date10/20/2022
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Robert Robinson Gales
Government Counsel: Gatha L. Manns
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 59-year-old employee of a defense contractor who applied for a security clearance in September 2018. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) in March 2022, citing security concerns under Guideline F (financial considerations). The SOR detailed nine delinquent accounts totaling approximately $36,613, which raised doubts about the applicant's financial responsibility and reliability.
In her response to the SOR, the applicant admitted to some of the allegations but claimed that her financial difficulties stemmed from a medical hardship that began in 2015, which included a coma and subsequent rehabilitation. She indicated that she had made efforts to address her debts, including setting up payment arrangements and engaging a law firm for assistance with creditor disputes. However, the applicant did not provide sufficient documentation to substantiate her claims of payments or resolutions regarding her debts.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that she had mitigated the security concerns related to her financial issues. The judge noted the applicant's proactive steps to manage her debts and her efforts to improve her financial situation, ultimately determining that granting her eligibility for a security clearance was consistent with the national interest.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
Similar decisions
Other decisions whose allegations read most like this one. Descriptive similarity of the allegations only — not a prediction.
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 20-00286

grantedOct 20, 2022· Hon. Robert Robinson Gales· hearing

Summary

This case concerns a 59-year-old defense contractor employee whose security clearance was initially questioned under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) due to nine delinquent accounts totaling approximately $36,613. The Statement of Reasons detailed several outstanding debts, including a charged-off note loan of $11,078, a loan account with an unpaid balance of $9,194 sold to a debt purchaser, and another loan account of $1,505 placed for collection.

Additional financial concerns included a medical account of $85, a credit union credit card with a $14,755 balance ($1,435 of which was 120 days past due), and a mortgage loan of $298,550 ($4,362 of which was 90 days past due). Three other medical accounts, with balances of $348, $127, and $127 respectively, were also placed for collection.

Despite these issues, the administrative judge granted the applicant's security clearance. The decision highlighted that the applicant's health issues were a significant contributing factor to her financial difficulties. Furthermore, she demonstrated substantial efforts to address her debts, including establishing payment plans. Ultimately, the judge found no continuing doubts regarding her reliability and trustworthiness.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant's health issues significantly contributed to her financial difficulties.
She demonstrated substantial efforts to address her debts, including setting up payment plans.
The judge found no continuing doubts about her reliability and trustworthiness.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(a)appliedInability to Satisfy Debts
AG ¶ 19(c)appliedHistory of Not Meeting Financial Obligations

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(b)appliedConditions Largely Beyond the Person's Control
AG ¶ 20(d)appliedGood-faith Effort to Repay Overdue Creditors

Key Rule Quoted

“An applicant is not required, as a matter of law, to establish that he [or she] has paid off each and every debt listed in the SOR.”
— ISCR Case No. 07-06482 at 2-3 (App. Bd. May 21, 2008)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedMar 31, 2022
Answer filedApr 5, 2022Applicant elected to have her case decided on the written record.
Hearing held—Decision made based on written record.
Decision dateOct 20, 2022

Cite For

Mitigation of Financial Concerns Under Guideline F Due to Health Issues
Good-faith Efforts to Address Delinquent Debts
Importance of Overall Reliability and Trustworthiness in Clearance Decisions

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: granted

The judge found that the applicant had several delinquent accounts totaling approximately $36,613, but ultimately ruled in favor of the applicant on all allegations under Guideline F. The applicant's financial difficulties were attributed to significant medical hardships, and the judge recognized her efforts to address her debts despite the challenges she faced.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	refers to a note loan with an unpaid balance of $11,078 that was placed for collection and charged off. $11,078	For Applicant	Personal Loan Debt	Unknown	—	—	—
1.b	refers to a loan account with an unpaid balance of $9,194 that was placed for collection and sold to a debt purchaser who was seeking $8,479. $9,194	For Applicant	Personal Loan Debt	Unknown	—	—	—
1.c	refers to a loan account with an unpaid balance of $1,505 that was placed for collection. $1,505	For Applicant	Personal Loan Debt	Unknown	—	—	—
1.d	refers to medical account with an unpaid balance of $85 that was placed for collection. $85	For Applicant	Medical Debt	Unknown	—	—	—
1.e	refers to a credit union credit-card account with a balance of $14,755 of which $1,435 was 120 days past due. $14,755	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Unknown	—	—	—
1.f	refers to a mortgage-loan account with a balance of $298,550 of which $4,362 was 90 days past due. $298,550	For Applicant	Mortgage or Home Loan Debt	Unknown	—	—	—
1.g	refers to a medical account with an unpaid balance of $348 that was placed for collection. $348	For Applicant	Medical Debt	Unknown	—	—	—
1.h	refers to a medical account with an unpaid balance of $127 that was placed for collection. $127	For Applicant	Medical Debt	Unknown	—	—	—
1.i	refers to a medical account with an unpaid balance of $127 that was placed for collection. $127	For Applicant	Medical Debt	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.