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ISCR Case 22-00336 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 22-00336

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

Case Profile
Decision Date5/16/2023
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Stephanie C. Hess
Government Counsel: Carroll J. Connelley
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 49-year-old systems administrator employed by a federal contractor since 2013. The Department of Defense (DOD) issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations), alleging 24 delinquent accounts totaling $120,663, primarily due to student loans and credit card debts. The applicant admitted to the debts and explained that they arose from circumstances beyond his control, including unemployment and a lack of understanding regarding the student loan repayment process.
The administrative judge found that the applicant had taken significant steps to address his financial issues, including working with creditors to resolve delinquent accounts and successfully rehabilitating his student loans. The judge noted that the applicant's financial difficulties were unlikely to recur and did not reflect negatively on his current reliability or judgment. As a result, the judge ruled in favor of the applicant, granting eligibility for access to classified information, based on the applicant's demonstrated efforts to manage his financial situation and the resolution of most of his debts.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 22-00336

grantedMay 16, 2023· Hon. Stephanie C. Hess· hearing

Summary

A 49-year-old systems administrator was granted a security clearance despite initial concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The Statement of Reasons cited 24 delinquent accounts totaling $120,663. This included 13 delinquent student loan accounts amounting to $106,636 and 9 delinquent credit card accounts totaling $14,027. These issues raised Disqualifying Conditions AG ¶ 19(a) and AG ¶ 19(c).

However, the decision applied Mitigating Conditions AG ¶ 20(a), AG ¶ 20(b), AG ¶ 20(c), and AG ¶ 20(d). The applicant's financial difficulties were determined to be largely due to circumstances beyond his control, specifically unemployment and high student loan payments.

Crucially, the applicant demonstrated significant efforts to address these issues. He implemented a structured repayment plan and has either resolved or is actively resolving the majority of his delinquent accounts. This demonstrated financial responsibility led to the granting of his security clearance eligibility.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant's financial difficulties were largely due to circumstances beyond his control.
He has resolved or is currently resolving the majority of his delinquent accounts.
The applicant demonstrated financial responsibility and a structured repayment plan.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(a)appliedBehavior Unlikely to Recur
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 a person’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 issuedApr 1, 2022
Answer filed—
Hearing heldApr 25, 2023via Microsoft Teams video-teleconference
Decision dateMay 16, 2023

Cite For

Mitigating Conditions Under Guideline F for Financial Considerations
Evaluation of Financial Responsibility and Structured Repayment Plans
Impact of Circumstances Beyond Control on Financial Obligations

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 applicant has 24 delinquent accounts totaling $120,663, which include 13 delinquent student-loan accounts and 9 delinquent credit-card accounts. The judge found that the applicant's past financial difficulties were due to circumstances beyond his control and are unlikely to recur, leading to a decision to grant the applicant's eligibility for a security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant has 24 delinquent accounts totaling $120,663, including 13 delinquent student-loan accounts totaling $106,636 and 9 delinquent credit-card accounts totaling $14,027. $120,663	For Applicant	Student Loan Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(a) behavior happened long ago / infrequent / unlikely to recur	Claimed Other 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

The complete, official text — footnotes and signatures included — is in the original PDF.