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ISCR Case 23-00838 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 23-00838

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

Case Profile
Decision Date1/18/2024
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Related decisionSee the appeal decision (Case ISCR Case No. 23-00838) →
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Richard A. Cefola
Government Counsel: Nicole A. Smith
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 37-year-old individual who submitted a security clearance application on May 30, 2022. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) on May 2, 2023, citing security concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The SOR alleged that the applicant had multiple past-due debts totaling approximately $45,000, which raised questions about her financial responsibility and reliability.
In her response to the SOR, the applicant admitted to having two significant past-due debts totaling about $42,225 and another debt of approximately $984, while claiming that a debt of $1,364 had been paid off. She provided documentation to support her claim regarding the paid debt but did not submit further information regarding the other debts. The administrative judge found the allegations concerning the unpaid debts to be substantiated, while the claim of having paid off one debt was accepted.
The administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that she had not sufficiently mitigated the financial concerns raised in the SOR. The judge emphasized that the applicant's substantial outstanding debts indicated a lack of financial responsibility, which could compromise her reliability and trustworthiness in handling classified information. Consequently, the judge determined that granting the applicant security clearance was not consistent with national security interests, resulting in a denial of her application.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 23-00838

deniedJan 18, 2024· Hon. Richard A. Cefola· hearing

Summary

A security clearance applicant, representing herself, was denied due to significant unmitigated financial concerns under Guideline F. The Statement of Reasons detailed multiple past-due debts totaling approximately $45,000.

Specifically, the applicant admitted to two past-due debts with Creditor A, amounting to about $42,225. She also acknowledged a past-due debt of approximately $1,364 with Creditor C, which she stated was paid off. Additionally, she admitted to a past-due debt of about $984 with Creditor D and eight past-due debts totaling approximately $2,115 with Creditor E.

The administrative judge found that the applicant failed to provide sufficient evidence to mitigate these financial issues. Consequently, the judge concluded that the applicant's financial irresponsibility posed an unacceptable security risk, leading to the denial of the security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to multiple past-due debts totaling approximately $45,000.
The applicant failed to provide sufficient evidence to mitigate the financial concerns raised.
The judge concluded that the applicant's financial irresponsibility posed a security risk.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 18raisedFinancial Considerations

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20rejectedFinancial ConsiderationsThe applicant did not demonstrate a good-faith effort to resolve her debts.

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedMay 2, 2023
Answer filed—
Hearing held—
Decision dateJan 18, 2024

Cite For

Failure to Mitigate Financial Concerns Under Guideline F
Impact of Significant Past-due Debts on Security Clearance Eligibility
Consideration of Financial Irresponsibility as a Security Risk

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: denied

The judge found multiple financial concerns against the applicant under Guideline F, including significant past-due debts totaling over $42,000. While one debt was found to be paid off, the overall financial history raised security concerns that were not mitigated, leading to a denial of the applicant's security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant admits that she has two past-due debts to Creditor A totaling about $42,225. $42,225	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.c	Applicant admits that she had a past-due debt to Creditor C totaling about $1,364, which she claims is paid off. $1,364	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.d	Applicant admits that she has a past-due debt to Creditor D totaling about $984. $984	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.e	Applicant admits that she has eight past-due debts to Creditor E totaling about $2,115. $2,115	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—

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.