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ISCR Case 21-01877 — CASE

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ISCR Case 21-01877

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

Case Profile
Decision Date1/21/2022
Statusgranted
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 56-year-old individual who sought a security clearance after being issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) by the Department of Defense (DOD) on September 7, 2021, citing security concerns under Adjudicative Guideline F (financial considerations). The SOR detailed approximately $59,000 in delinquent medical debts incurred between 2013 and 2020, primarily attributed to unemployment, underemployment, lack of health insurance, and single parenthood.
The applicant admitted to the allegations in the SOR and provided explanations for her financial difficulties. She indicated that her medical debts arose after losing her job and health insurance in 2013, leading to multiple hospital visits for serious medical issues. Despite these challenges, she maintained her other financial responsibilities and began making monthly payments toward her medical debts. The applicant also demonstrated efforts to mitigate her financial situation by raising funds through a GoFundMe page, consulting debt consolidation companies, and securing new employment with health insurance.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that she had mitigated the security concerns related to her financial situation. The judge found that the applicant's financial difficulties were largely beyond her control and that she had made a good-faith effort to resolve her debts. The judge emphasized the applicant's long history of federal employment and her overall reliability, ultimately granting her eligibility for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 21-01877

grantedJan 21, 2022· Hon. Noreen A. Lynch· hearing

Summary

A 56-year-old federal employee was granted a security clearance despite initial concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The Statement of Reasons alleged approximately $59,000 in medical debts, which the applicant admitted, providing explanations for each account. These debts raised disqualifying conditions under Adjudicative Guidelines Paragraphs 19(a) and 19(c).

However, the applicant demonstrated a good faith effort to resolve these financial issues. This included making consistent monthly payments and actively seeking financial assistance to address the medical debts. She also maintained all other financial responsibilities, with no other outstanding debts or financial concerns.

The decision to grant the clearance was further supported by the applicant's long and stable history of federal employment. The combination of her proactive efforts to resolve the medical debts, her otherwise sound financial record, and her extensive federal service led to the application of mitigating conditions under Adjudicative Guidelines Paragraphs 20(b) and 20(d), resulting in the clearance being granted.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant demonstrated a good faith effort to resolve her medical debts.
She maintained all other financial responsibilities and had no other debts.
The applicant's long history of federal employment and lack of other financial issues supported her case.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(b)appliedConditions Largely Beyond the Person's ControlThe applicant's financial issues were due to unemployment and medical emergencies.
AG ¶ 20(d)appliedGood-faith Effort to Repay DebtsThe applicant has made consistent payments and taken steps to resolve her debts.

Key Rule Quoted

“The administrative judge’s overarching adjudicative goal is a fair, impartial, and commonsense decision.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedSep 7, 2021
Answer filed—Applicant elected to have her case decided on the written record.
Hearing held—Decision made based on documentary evidence.
Decision dateJan 21, 2022

Cite For

Good Faith Effort to Resolve Medical Debts Under Guideline F
Consideration of Long-term Federal Employment in Security Clearance Decisions
Impact of Financial Distress on Security Clearance 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: granted

The judge found that the applicant had significant medical debts totaling approximately $59,000, which were attributed to various personal hardships including unemployment and lack of health insurance. Despite these financial challenges, the judge ruled in favor of the applicant, acknowledging her efforts to address the debts and her long-standing service to the government.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant admitted SOR allegations 1.a through 1.t, medical accounts, totaling about $59,000, with explanations. $59,000	For Applicant	Medical Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(a) behavior happened long ago / infrequent / unlikely to recur (b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly	Claimed Debt Paid in Full Claimed Financial Counseling
1.b–1.t	19 sub-charges — specific text not stated in this decision (for the applicant). (low confidence)	For 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.