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ISCR Case 23-00115 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 23-00115

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

Case Profile
Decision Date7/12/2023
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Candace Le'i Garcia
Government Counsel: Jeff A. Nagel
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 29-year-old individual who sought a security clearance and faced allegations under Guideline F (financial considerations) due to three charged-off consumer debts totaling $31,920. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) on January 31, 2023, citing the applicant's inability to satisfy debts and a history of not meeting financial obligations.
The applicant admitted to all allegations in the SOR and provided details about his financial situation. He explained that his debts arose after his military discharge in 2018 when he experienced underemployment and high-interest rates on credit cards. He initiated payment plans for his debts and demonstrated a commitment to resolving them, including making payments and adjusting his financial strategies. The applicant also indicated that he had a stable income of approximately $72,000 annually and had taken steps to manage his expenses, such as refinancing loans and obtaining a roommate.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that he had mitigated the financial concerns. The judge found that the applicant's financial difficulties were largely beyond his control and that he had made a good-faith effort to address his debts. The judge determined that the applicant's current financial situation did not cast doubt on his reliability, trustworthiness, or judgment, ultimately granting him eligibility for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 23-00115

grantedJul 12, 2023· Hon. Candace Le'i Garcia· hearing

Summary

A 29-year-old male applicant with a military background was granted a security clearance despite initial concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The Statement of Reasons cited three charged-off consumer debts, totaling $31,920, which raised disqualifying conditions per Adjudicative Guidelines (AG) ¶ 19(a) and ¶ 19(c).

However, the administrative judge applied mitigating conditions under AG ¶ 20(a), ¶ 20(b), and ¶ 20(d). The judge determined that the financial difficulties were largely beyond the applicant's control and that he had made a good-faith effort to resolve the delinquent debts.

Ultimately, the judge concluded that the applicant's past financial issues did not cast doubt on his current reliability, trustworthiness, or judgment. Consequently, the applicant was granted eligibility for access to classified information.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant demonstrated a good-faith effort to resolve his delinquent debts.
Conditions contributing to the financial issues were largely beyond the applicant's control.
The applicant's financial difficulties do not cast doubt on his current reliability, trustworthiness, and judgment.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(a)appliedBehavior Happened so Long Ago or Occurred Under Circumstances Unlikely to Recur
AG ¶ 20(b)appliedConditions That Resulted in Financial Problems Were Largely Beyond the Person's Control
AG ¶ 20(d)appliedIndividual Initiated and Is Adhering to a Good-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.”
— ISCR Case No. 09-02160 (App. Bd. Jun. 21, 2010)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedJan 31, 2023
Answer filedFeb 4, 2023
Hearing held—Decided on the written record.
Decision dateJul 12, 2023

Cite For

Mitigation of Financial Considerations Under Guideline F
Good-faith Efforts to Resolve Debts
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: Decision on RecordDecided: granted

The judge found that the applicant had three charged-off consumer debts totaling $31,920, but determined that the applicant had made a good-faith effort to resolve these debts through payment plans. Ultimately, the judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that the financial difficulties did not cast doubt on his reliability, trustworthiness, and judgment.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant has three charged-off consumer debts totaling $31,920. $31,920	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Unknown	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Payment Plan with Creditor Claimed Financial Counseling
1.b	Applicant has three charged-off consumer debts totaling $31,920. $31,920	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Unknown	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Payment Plan with Creditor Claimed Financial Counseling
1.c	Applicant has three charged-off consumer debts totaling $31,920. $31,920	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Unknown	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Documented Payment Plan with Creditor Claimed Financial Counseling

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.