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ISCR Case 21-01790 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 21-01790

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

Case Profile
Decision Date3/23/2023
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Candace Le'i Garcia
Government Counsel: Patricia M. Lynch-Epps
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 34-year-old individual who sought a security clearance after being issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline F (financial considerations). The SOR detailed allegations of financial difficulties, including a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in October 2018, which was dismissed in December 2018, and multiple delinquent debts totaling over $18,000.
During the hearing, the applicant admitted to all allegations in the SOR and attributed her financial issues to factors such as financial illiteracy, periods of unemployment, and health problems. She provided evidence of her efforts to improve her financial situation, including settling some debts and entering into a payment agreement with a consumer advocacy firm. The applicant also demonstrated an increase in income and a commitment to resolving her outstanding debts.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that she had mitigated the financial considerations security concerns. The judge noted the applicant's proactive steps to address her financial issues, her improved financial stability, and her commitment to resolving her debts, which indicated a likelihood of responsible behavior in the future. Consequently, the judge granted her eligibility for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 21-01790

grantedMar 23, 2023· Hon. Candace Le'i Garcia· hearing

Summary

A 34-year-old mother of three was granted eligibility for access to classified information despite initial security concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). These concerns stemmed from a Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing in October 2018, which was dismissed in December 2018, and a total of thirteen delinquent debts. Specifically, she had four delinquent consumer debts totaling $14,069 and nine delinquent medical debts totaling $4,375.

Disqualifying conditions related to these financial issues were raised. However, the applicant successfully demonstrated mitigating factors. She made a good faith effort to resolve her financial problems, which included increasing her income and actively pursuing debt settlement efforts.

Additionally, her employer provided support, which further enhanced her reliability and trustworthiness. These combined efforts and mitigating circumstances led to the decision to grant her security clearance.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant demonstrated a good faith effort to resolve her financial issues.
Increased income and debt settlement efforts were significant factors in the decision.
The applicant's employer provided support, enhancing her reliability and trustworthiness.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(a)raisedInability to Satisfy Debts
AG ¶ 19(c)raisedHistory 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

“A security clearance adjudication is an evaluation of an individual’s judgment, reliability, and trustworthiness. It is not a debt-collection procedure.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedSep 3, 2021
Answer filedSep 4, 2021
Hearing heldJan 26, 2023rescheduled from November 17, 2022
Decision dateMar 23, 2023

Cite For

Mitigation of Financial Considerations Under Guideline F
Good Faith Efforts in Resolving Debts
Impact of Increased Income 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: HearingDecided: granted

The judge found that the applicant's financial issues, including a Chapter 7 bankruptcy and several delinquent debts, were mitigated by her efforts to address these debts and the circumstances that contributed to her financial difficulties. Ultimately, the judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that her financial situation does not cast doubt on her reliability and trustworthiness.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in October 2018, and her bankruptcy case was dismissed in December 2018.	For Applicant	Bankruptcy Filing	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly	Claimed Financial Counseling
1.b	Applicant has four delinquent consumer debts totaling $14,069. $14,069	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly	Claimed Financial Counseling
1.c	Applicant has nine delinquent medical debts totaling $4,375. $4,375	For Applicant	Medical 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	Claimed Financial Counseling
1.d–1.n	11 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.