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ISCR Case 23-01128 — CASE

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ISCR Case 23-01128

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

Case Profile
Decision Date10/30/2024
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Braden M. Murphy
Government Counsel: William H. Miller
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 48-year-old individual who had served over 23 years in the Army and held a security clearance until 2016. He faced allegations under Guideline F, Financial Considerations, due to four delinquent debts totaling approximately $66,788, as outlined in the Statement of Reasons (SOR) issued by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency. The applicant attributed his financial difficulties to his divorce, retirement, and family obligations, claiming that he had acted in the best interests of his family during these challenging times.
During the hearing, the applicant admitted to the debts listed in the SOR and provided explanations for each, including the impact of his divorce and the financial responsibilities he assumed for his family. He had enrolled in a debt repayment program and was making efforts to address his financial situation, although he had not made arrangements for all debts. The administrative judge found that while the applicant had taken some steps towards debt resolution, he did not provide sufficient evidence to mitigate the financial concerns. Consequently, the judge ruled against the applicant, denying his eligibility for access to classified information, emphasizing the importance of financial responsibility in maintaining national security.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 23-01128

deniedOct 30, 2024· Hon. Braden M. Murphy· hearing

Summary

A 48-year-old military veteran was denied a security clearance under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) due to unresolved delinquent debts totaling approximately $66,788. The Statement of Reasons detailed four specific debts: an $18,986 charged-off debt, an $18,316 charged-off debt, and an $8,982 charged-off auto financing debt. Additionally, a $20,504 debt was listed as unresolved and unrecognized by the applicant.

The denial was based on the applicant's failure to demonstrate a good-faith effort to resolve these financial obligations, raising concerns about his reliability and trustworthiness. Disqualifying conditions under Guideline F, specifically AG ¶ 19(a) and AG ¶ 19(c), were cited.

While mitigating conditions AG ¶ 20(b), AG ¶ 20(c), and AG ¶ 20(d) were considered, the applicant did not provide sufficient evidence to alleviate the financial concerns. The debts remained largely unresolved, and the applicant had not undertaken a good-faith effort to address them, leading to the final decision to deny the security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant did not provide sufficient evidence to mitigate financial concerns related to delinquent debts.
The applicant's debts remain largely unresolved and he has not undertaken a good-faith effort to address them.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(b)appliedConditions Largely Beyond the Person's ControlThe applicant's financial issues were influenced by his divorce and family obligations.
AG ¶ 20(d)rejectedGood-faith Effort to Repay DebtsThe applicant did not establish a track record of steady payments or a good-faith effort to resolve debts.
AG ¶ 20(c)rejectedFinancial CounselingWhile the applicant participated in financial counseling, his debts were not being resolved.

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 issuedJun 13, 2023
Answer filedJul 11, 2023
Hearing heldJun 17, 2024via online platform
Decision dateOct 30, 2024

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Unresolved Financial Obligations Under Guideline F
Insufficient Evidence of Good-faith Efforts to Resolve Debts
Impact of Personal Circumstances on Financial Stability Assessments

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 multiple financial concerns under Guideline F, including charged-off debts and an unresolved collection account. Ultimately, the judge ruled against the applicant, determining that he had not demonstrated sufficient efforts to mitigate these financial issues.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant has a debt of $18,986 that has been charged off. $18,986	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	Applicant has a debt of $20,504 that is unresolved and he does not recognize it. $20,504	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	Applicant has a debt of $18,316 that has been charged off. $18,316	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.d	Applicant has a debt of $8,982 that has been charged off for an auto financing account. $8,982	Against Applicant	Auto Loan Debt	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.