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ISCR Case 23-01268 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 23-01268

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

Case Profile
Decision Date3/27/2024
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Roger C. Wesley
Government Counsel: Cassie L. Ford
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 53-year-old employee of a defense contractor seeking a security clearance. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing financial considerations as the primary concern, specifically alleging that the applicant had accumulated four delinquent debts exceeding $25,000, which remained unresolved.
During the proceedings, the applicant admitted to some of the allegations but denied others, providing explanations for his financial difficulties. He attributed his delinquencies to unforeseen medical issues and other personal circumstances. The applicant demonstrated efforts to mitigate his financial concerns by settling one of the debts for a reduced amount and disputing two medical accounts that were subsequently removed from his credit report. He also provided evidence of his current financial stability, including a steady income and a budget plan.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that he had sufficiently mitigated the financial concerns raised in the SOR. The judge noted the applicant's proactive steps to address his debts, his stable employment, and the positive endorsements from his supervisors, which contributed to the determination that granting him eligibility for access to classified information was consistent with the national interest.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 23-01268

grantedMar 27, 2024· Hon. Roger C. Wesley· hearing

Summary

This case involved a 53-year-old defense contractor whose security clearance eligibility was reviewed under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The Statement of Reasons alleged four delinquent debts totaling over $25,000, which were initially described as unresolved and outstanding. The applicant attributed these financial difficulties to unforeseen medical circumstances.

Disqualifying conditions 19(a) and 19(c) were raised, but the judge ultimately applied mitigating conditions 20(b), 20(d), and 20(e). The applicant demonstrated a good-faith effort to repay creditors and resolve his debts. Specifically, he successfully disputed two medical debts, leading to their removal from his credit report.

Furthermore, the applicant provided evidence of actual debt reduction through payments made on settled accounts. Based on these mitigating actions, the judge found that the applicant had sufficiently addressed the financial concerns, and his security clearance was GRANTED.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant demonstrated a good-faith effort to repay overdue creditors and resolve debts.
He successfully disputed two medical debts, which were removed from his credit report.
The applicant provided evidence of actual debt reduction through payments made on settled accounts.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Mitigating

20(b)appliedThe Conditions That Resulted in the Financial Problem Were Largely Beyond the Person’s Control
20(d)appliedThe Individual Initiated and Is Adhering to a Good-faith Effort to Repay Overdue Creditors or Otherwise Resolve Debts
20(e)appliedThe Individual Has a Reasonable Basis to Dispute the Legitimacy of the Past-due Debt

Key Rule Quoted

“Eligibility for access to classified information may only be granted "upon a finding that it is clearly consistent with the national interest to do so."”
— Exec. Or. 10865, Safeguarding Classified Information within Industry § 2 (Feb. 20, 1960), as amended.

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedJul 6, 2023
Answer filedundated
Hearing heldDec 15, 2023via Microsoft Teams Teleconferencing Services
Decision dateMar 27, 2024

Cite For

Mitigation of Financial Considerations Under Guideline F
Good-faith Efforts to Resolve Debts
Impact of Unforeseen Medical Circumstances on Financial Stability

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: granted

The judge found that the applicant had accumulated four delinquent debts exceeding $25,000, but ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that the financial considerations security concerns were mitigated. The applicant provided explanations for the debts and demonstrated a tangible track record of debt reduction, leading to a decision granting eligibility for access to classified information.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant allegedly accumulated four delinquent debts exceeding $25,000. $11,656	For Applicant	Auto Loan Debt	Admitted	—	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.b	Allegedly, his delinquent debts remain unresolved and outstanding. $121	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	—	—	—
1.c	Allegedly, his delinquent debts remain unresolved and outstanding. $74	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	—	—	—
1.d	Applicant attributed his debt delinquencies to a series of unforeseen circumstances. $13,766	For Applicant	Auto Loan Debt	Admitted	—	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly	Documented Debt Paid in Full

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.