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ISCR Case 22-01893 — CASE

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ISCR Case 22-01893

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

Case Profile
Decision Date1/18/2024
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Braden M. Murphy
Government Counsel: Mark D. Lawton
Case Summary
Applicant, a 28-year-old technician employed by a defense contractor, sought a security clearance after submitting her application in March 2020. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) on November 18, 2022, citing security concerns under Guideline F (financial considerations) due to approximately $37,700 in delinquent debts, including federal student loans, medical debts, and other obligations. The applicant admitted to most of the debts listed in the SOR but denied one, claiming it had been paid.
During the hearing, the applicant acknowledged her financial difficulties stemmed from a period of low income and personal challenges, including caring for her children and living in unsafe housing conditions. She provided evidence of her current employment and efforts to manage her debts, including making payments on overdue accounts and applying for a loan repayment initiative. However, the administrative judge found that the applicant did not present sufficient evidence to mitigate the security concerns related to her financial history, particularly given the ongoing nature of her debts and the lack of a long-term repayment plan. Consequently, the judge ruled to deny the applicant's eligibility for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 22-01893

deniedJan 18, 2024· Hon. Braden M. Murphy· hearing

Summary

A 28-year-old single mother of two was denied a security clearance under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) due to approximately $37,700 in delinquent debts. These debts primarily stemmed from student loans and medical expenses, incurred during a period when her income was diminished. The Statement of Reasons specifically cited her delinquent debts and the lack of sufficient mitigating evidence.

The judge acknowledged the applicant's efforts to address her financial issues, including applying for a repayment initiative. However, the evidence presented was deemed insufficient to mitigate the security concerns raised by her financial history.

Ultimately, the judge concluded that the applicant's financial situation raised doubts about her reliability and trustworthiness, leading to the denial of her security clearance. Disqualifying conditions under AG ¶ 19(a) and AG ¶ 19(c) were raised, while mitigating conditions under AG ¶ 20(b), AG ¶ 20(d), and AG ¶ 20(e) were considered but not found to be adequately met.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant did not provide sufficient evidence to mitigate the security concerns related to her delinquent debts.
The applicant's financial history raised doubts about her reliability and trustworthiness.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(b)rejectedConditions Largely Beyond the Person's ControlWhile the applicant's financial issues stemmed from circumstances beyond her control, she did not take sufficient action to address her debts until late 2023.
AG ¶ 20(d)rejectedGood-faith Effort to Repay DebtsThe applicant's efforts to address her debts were insufficient to demonstrate a track record of payments.
AG ¶ 20(e)rejectedDispute Legitimacy of DebtsThe applicant did not provide sufficient documentation to substantiate her disputes regarding several debts.

Key Rule Quoted

“"The clearly consistent standard indicates that security determinations should err, if they must, on the side of denials."”
— Department of the Navy v. Egan, 484 U.S. 518, 531 (1988)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedNov 18, 2022
Answer filedDec 21, 2022
Hearing heldDec 4, 2023Originally scheduled for 2023-10-14 but rescheduled.
Decision dateJan 18, 2024

Cite For

Insufficient Evidence to Mitigate Financial Concerns Under Guideline F
Impact of Delinquent Debts on Security Clearance Eligibility
Importance of Establishing a Track Record of Debt Repayment

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 incurred delinquent debts totaling approximately $37,700 during a period of diminished income, which raised significant security concerns under Guideline F. Despite some efforts to address her debts, the judge concluded that the applicant did not provide sufficient evidence to mitigate these concerns, resulting in a denial of her security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant incurred delinquent debts during a period of diminished income. $37,700	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.b	Applicant did not provide sufficient evidence to mitigate the resulting security concerns under Guideline F.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Unknown	—	—	—
1.c–1.o	13 sub-charges — specific text not stated in this decision (against the applicant). (low confidence)	Against 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.