CASE · Clearance Adjudication Search EngineCASE

Loading case…

ISCR Case 22-01507 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 22-01507

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

Case Profile
Decision Date11/9/2023
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeADP POSITION
Related decisionSee the hearing decision (Case 22-01507) →
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Carol G. Ricciardello
Government Counsel: Andrea M. Corrales
Case Summary
The applicant in this case sought a public trust position and faced trustworthiness concerns under Guideline F, specifically related to financial considerations. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) outlined ten delinquent debts totaling approximately $46,746, with none resolved or paid. The applicant admitted to several allegations regarding her financial difficulties but denied one specific debt, claiming confusion with another account.
Key facts revealed that the applicant, a 41-year-old mother of five, attributed her financial issues to unemployment, family obligations, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. She admitted to having made some payments on her debts in the past but had not been able to maintain these due to ongoing financial strain. The applicant expressed intentions to address her debts but had not taken significant steps to resolve them, such as obtaining financial counseling or making consistent payments.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that she failed to mitigate the trustworthiness concerns. The judge noted that while some financial difficulties were beyond her control, the applicant had not demonstrated a good-faith effort to resolve her debts or sought financial counseling. Consequently, the judge determined that the applicant's financial situation raised significant questions about her reliability and trustworthiness, leading to a denial of eligibility for access to sensitive 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. 22-01507

deniedNov 9, 2023· Hon. Carol G. Ricciardello· hearing

Summary

This case concerns a 41-year-old applicant with an associate degree whose eligibility for a public trust position was denied under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The denial stemmed from significant delinquent debts totaling approximately $46,746, which raised substantial trustworthiness concerns.

The applicant admitted to several allegations, including that her debts, which began becoming delinquent around 2016, remain unresolved and unpaid. She also has approximately $56,000 in student loans in deferred status due to financial hardship, on which no payments have been made in five years. While she initially denied one specific debt, she later testified to her responsibility for it.

Despite attributing her financial difficulties to unemployment and family obligations, the applicant failed to demonstrate a good-faith effort to address her financial issues. She admitted to delaying contact with creditors due to a lack of funds for settlement offers or payment plans and had not sought financial counseling. The judge concluded that her financial situation presented significant trustworthiness concerns, leading to the denial of her eligibility.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to multiple allegations of delinquent debts totaling approximately $46,746, with no payments made or resolved.
The applicant did not demonstrate a good-faith effort to address her debts, despite attributing her financial issues to unemployment and family obligations.
The judge found that the applicant's financial situation raised significant trustworthiness concerns.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Key Rule Quoted

“Failure to live within one’s means, satisfy debts, and meet financial obligations may indicate poor self-control, lack of judgment, or unwillingness to abide by rules and regulations, all of which can raise questions about an individual’s reliability, trustworthiness, and ability to protect classified or sensitive information.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedSep 28, 2021
Answer filedOct 20, 2022
Hearing heldOct 18, 2023
Decision dateNov 9, 2023

Cite For

Failure to Mitigate Trustworthiness Concerns Under Guideline F
Significant Delinquent Debts as a Trustworthiness Concern
Lack of Good-faith Effort to Resolve 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: denied

The judge found that the applicant had significant financial issues, including approximately $56,000 in student loans that were in deferred status and other delinquent debts totaling around $46,746. Despite admitting to some debts, the applicant failed to demonstrate sufficient mitigation of the financial concerns, leading to a denial of eligibility for access to sensitive information.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant failed to mitigate the trustworthiness concerns under Guideline F, financial considerations. $25,956	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	Applicant has approximately $56,000 in student loans that are in a deferred status due to financial hardship. $56,000	Against Applicant	Student Loan Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	Applicant denied the debt in SOR ¶ 1.c but later testified that she is responsible for this debt.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	—	—	—
1.d	Applicant admitted the allegations in SOR ¶¶ 1.a, 1.b, and 1.d through 1.j.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.e	Applicant has not made payments in five years on her student loans.	Against Applicant	Student Loan Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.f	Applicant's debts started to be delinquent in about 2016.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.g	Applicant does not have the resources to pay or resolve her debts.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.h	Applicant has delayed addressing her delinquent bills because she does not want to contact a creditor when she does not have the money to make a settlement offer or payment plan.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.i	Applicant has not received financial counseling.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.j	Applicant's debts remain unresolved and unpaid.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—

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.