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ISCR Case 21-01003 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 21-01003

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

Case Profile
Decision Date3/22/2023
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Stephanie C. Hess
Government Counsel: Bryan J. Olmos
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 60-year-old service technician analyst employed by a defense contractor since 2011, with a history of military service in the Air Force. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations), alleging that the applicant had nine delinquent accounts totaling $32,848. The applicant admitted to the debts and acknowledged his past difficulties in managing finances, particularly during and after his military deployment.
The administrative judge found that the applicant had taken significant steps to address his financial issues, including paying off or resolving the majority of the debts listed in the SOR. He had engaged a credit-repair company, established repayment plans, and demonstrated improved financial management practices. The applicant had not incurred any new delinquent debts in over two years and was actively working to resolve his remaining obligations.
Ultimately, the administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, granting access to classified information. The judge concluded that the applicant had successfully mitigated the financial concerns raised by demonstrating a commitment to responsible financial management and a proactive approach to resolving his debts.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 21-01003

grantedMar 22, 2023· Hon. Stephanie C. Hess· hearing

Summary

A 60-year-old service technician analyst was granted a security clearance under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) despite a history of debts totaling $32,848. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) detailed nine specific financial allegations, including multiple credit card accounts and a personal loan. Disqualifying conditions under Adjudicative Guidelines (AG) ¶ 19(a) and AG ¶ 19(c) were raised.

The applicant successfully mitigated these concerns by resolving most of the debts, specifically paying or settling $16,086 of the listed amounts. Several credit card accounts and a personal loan were charged off with zero balances, and a mortgage loan was paid for a negotiated amount.

The decision to grant the clearance was based on the applicant's demonstrated commitment to financial improvement. He hired a credit-repair company, sought family assistance, and established a budget. Crucially, the applicant had not incurred any new delinquent debt for over two years, indicating improved financial management. Mitigating conditions under AG ¶ 20(b), AG ¶ 20(c), and AG ¶ 20(d) were applied.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant paid or resolved the majority of the debts listed in the SOR, totaling $16,086.
He demonstrated a commitment to improving his financial management by hiring a credit-repair company and enlisting help from family.
The applicant has not incurred any delinquent debt in over two years and has established a budget to manage his finances.

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 Control
AG ¶ 20(c)appliedReceiving Financial Counseling
AG ¶ 20(d)appliedGood-faith Effort to Repay Debts

Key Rule Quoted

“A security clearance adjudication is an evaluation of an individual’s judgment, reliability, and trustworthiness. It is not a debt-collection procedure.”
— ISCR Case No. 09-02160 (App. Bd. Jun. 21, 2010)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedAug 26, 2021
Answer filedSep 16, 2021
Hearing heldMar 22, 2023
Decision dateMar 22, 2023

Cite For

Mitigation of Financial Issues Under Guideline F
Good-faith Efforts to Resolve Debts
Evaluation of Financial Management as Part of the Whole-person Concept

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 financial concerns under Guideline F, including multiple credit card debts and a personal loan. However, the applicant demonstrated significant efforts to resolve these debts, leading to a decision in favor of granting the security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	$5,783 credit-card account – paid a negotiated amount $5,783	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (c) received/receiving counseling; problem being resolved (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.b	$2,842 credit-card account – charged off, no longer on CBR $2,842	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.c	$2,475 credit-card account – charged off, no longer on CBR $2,475	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.d	$2,051 credit-card account – paid $2,051	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (c) received/receiving counseling; problem being resolved (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.e	$6,013 personal loan – charged off $0 balance $6,013	For Applicant	Personal Loan Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.f	$5,706 mortgage-loan account – paid a negotiated amount $5,706	For Applicant	Mortgage or Home Loan Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (c) received/receiving counseling; problem being resolved (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.g	$3,222 credit-card account – paid $3,222	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (c) received/receiving counseling; problem being resolved (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.h	$2,180 credit-card account – paid $2,180	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (c) received/receiving counseling; problem being resolved (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.i	$2,576 credit-card account – paid $2,576	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (c) received/receiving counseling; problem being resolved (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Debt Paid in Full

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline F). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Full decision

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