CASE · Clearance Adjudication Search EngineCASE

Loading case…

ISCR Case 20-03829 — CASE

DOHA Record Explorer

ISCR Case 20-03829

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

Case Profile
Decision Date11/30/2022
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Noreen A. Lynch
Government Counsel: Michelle P. Tilford
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 36-year-old individual who submitted a security clearance application in August 2020. The Department of Defense (DOD) issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations), alleging four delinquent debts totaling approximately $35,000 from three automobile loans and a $168 medical bill. The applicant admitted to all debts listed in the SOR but did not provide any substantial explanations or documentation to mitigate the concerns.
The applicant acknowledged during a 2020 interview that all debts were unpaid and indicated a desire to consolidate his auto loans. However, he failed to provide evidence of any financial counseling or a budget, and he did not demonstrate any good-faith efforts to repay his creditors. The administrative judge found that the applicant's financial issues dated back to 2014 and were not mitigated by any circumstances beyond his control. The applicant's admissions and the corroborating credit reports established disqualifying conditions under the guideline.
Ultimately, the administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that he did not meet the burden of proof to mitigate the financial concerns. The judge emphasized that the applicant's financial irresponsibility raised questions about his reliability and trustworthiness, leading to the denial of his eligibility for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
Similar decisions
Other decisions whose allegations read most like this one. Descriptive similarity of the allegations only — not a prediction.
Finding similar decisions…

Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 20-03829

deniedNov 30, 2022· Hon. Noreen A. Lynch· hearing

Summary

A 36-year-old married applicant with three children was denied a security clearance under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) due to significant delinquent debts. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) detailed approximately $35,000 in charged-off automobile loans and a $168 medical bill from an October 2017 emergency room visit, which had been placed for collection. The applicant acknowledged all SOR debts were unpaid and indicated a history of not meeting financial obligations.

Disqualifying conditions under Guideline F were raised, specifically concerning a history of not meeting financial obligations and an inability or unwillingness to satisfy debts. While the applicant admitted to the debts and expressed a willingness to pay, this was insufficient for mitigation.

The denial was based on the applicant's failure to provide evidence of financial counseling or a budget demonstrating financial stability. Furthermore, the applicant did not show any good-faith efforts to repay the overdue creditors, leading to the ultimate denial of the security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to having significant delinquent debts totaling approximately $35,000 and a medical bill of $168.
The applicant did not provide evidence of financial counseling or a budget to demonstrate financial stability.
The applicant failed to show any good-faith efforts to repay overdue creditors.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Key Rule Quoted

“Any doubt concerning personnel being considered for national security eligibility will be resolved in favor of the national security.”
— AG ¶ 2(b)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedJun 28, 2022
Answer filedJul 19, 2022Requested decision on the record without a hearing.
Hearing held—Decision made based on written record.
Decision dateNov 30, 2022

Cite For

Insufficient Evidence of Financial Stability Under Guideline F
Failure to Demonstrate Good-faith Efforts to Repay 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: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant has delinquent debts totaling approximately $35,000 for three automobile loans that were charged off, along with a $168 medical bill that was placed for collection. The applicant acknowledged that all debts were unpaid and did not provide sufficient evidence of mitigation, leading to a decision against the applicant under Guideline F.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant has delinquent debts totaling approximately $35,000 for three automobile loans that were charged off, and $168 for a medical bill that was placed for collection. $35,000	Against Applicant	Auto Loan Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.b	The medical bill of $168 was the result of an emergency room visit in October 2017. $168	Against Applicant	Medical Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.c	Applicant acknowledged that all SOR debts were unpaid.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.d	Applicant has a history of not meeting financial obligations.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(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.