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ISCR Case 24-00326 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00326

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

Case Profile
Decision Date11/4/2024
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Pamela C. Benson
Government Counsel: Andrew H. Henderson
Case Summary
Applicant, a 49-year-old honorably retired Air Force veteran, sought a security clearance but faced allegations under Guideline F (financial considerations) and Guideline E (personal conduct) in a Statement of Reasons (SOR) issued by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). The SOR detailed that Applicant owed two creditors a total of $30,333 for past-due accounts and had failed to disclose these debts on his January 2023 security clearance application, which he admitted but attributed to a rush in completing the form.
The administrative judge found that Applicant admitted to the delinquent debts but did not provide evidence of any efforts to resolve them, despite having a monthly net income of over $7,000. He claimed he intended to roll the debts into a mortgage refinance but had not taken any concrete steps to pay or settle the accounts, which had been delinquent since 2017. The judge noted that while Applicant experienced financial difficulties due to personal circumstances, he failed to demonstrate a reasonable plan or good-faith efforts to address his debts.
Ultimately, the administrative judge ruled against Applicant, concluding that he did not mitigate the security concerns related to his financial situation and personal conduct. The judge emphasized that mere promises to pay debts in the future, without confirmed actions, were insufficient to establish trustworthiness necessary for national security eligibility.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline EPersonal Conduct · Against Applicant
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
Similar decisions
Other decisions whose allegations read most like this one. Descriptive similarity of the allegations only — not a prediction.
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00326

deniedNov 4, 2024· Hon. Pamela C. Benson· hearing

Summary

A 49-year-old Air Force veteran was denied a security clearance due to concerns under Guideline E (Personal Conduct) and Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The applicant admitted to owing over $30,000 in delinquent debts, specifically $25,966 for a credit card account and $4,367 for another past-due account.

A significant factor in the denial was the applicant's deliberate failure to disclose any of these delinquent accounts on his January 2023 Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP). Although the applicant had a stable income, the judge determined that he did not demonstrate sufficient efforts to resolve his outstanding financial obligations.

Disqualifying conditions related to personal conduct and financial considerations were raised, while mitigating conditions were also considered. However, the judge concluded that granting the security clearance was not consistent with national security interests, leading to the denial.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to owing over $30,000 in delinquent debts.
He failed to disclose these debts on his security clearance application.
Despite having a stable income, he did not demonstrate efforts to resolve his debts.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(a)raisedInability to Satisfy Debts
AG ¶ 19(c)raisedHistory of Not Meeting Financial Obligations
AG ¶ 16(a)raisedDeliberate Omission or Falsification of Relevant Facts

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(a)rejectedBehavior Occurred Long Ago or Under Unlikely CircumstancesThe applicant's financial issues were ongoing since 2017.
AG ¶ 20(b)rejectedConditions Beyond the Person's ControlWhile the applicant cited personal circumstances, he did not act responsibly to resolve his debts.
AG ¶ 20(d)rejectedGood-faith Effort to Repay DebtsThe applicant failed to show any good-faith efforts to resolve his debts despite having the financial means.

Key Rule Quoted

“Any doubt concerning personnel being considered for national security eligibility will be resolved in favor of the national security.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedApr 2, 2024
Answer filedApr 30, 2024Requested decision based on written record.
Hearing held—Decision based on written record.
Decision dateNov 4, 2024

Cite For

Failure to Disclose Financial Obligations Under Guideline E
Ongoing Financial Issues as a Disqualifying Condition Under Guideline F
Lack of Good-faith Efforts to Resolve Debts as a Basis for Denial of Security Clearance

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 E (Personal Conduct) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found that the applicant deliberately failed to disclose delinquent accounts on his security clearance application. Despite admitting to the allegations, the applicant's explanation of rushing to complete the application was not sufficient to mitigate the concerns. The outcome was against the applicant.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Conduct	Concealed Issue	Response	Disqualifying (¶16)	Mitigating applied (¶17)	Mitigation
2.a	Applicant deliberately failed to list any of his delinquent accounts when he completed his January 2023 Electronic Questionnaires for Investigations Processing (e-QIP).	Against Applicant	Falsification Security FormFOUND DELIBERATE	Financial	Admitted	—	—	—

Descriptive standardized rendering of a decided public case (Guideline E). The verbatim source decision is shown in full below.

Standardized Decision Profile

SEAD-4 Guideline F · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: Decision on RecordDecided: denied

The judge found against the applicant on financial considerations, citing two significant debts totaling $30,333. The applicant admitted to the debts but failed to demonstrate any efforts to resolve them, leading to a denial of his security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant owes $25,966 for a credit card account referred for collection. $25,966	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	Applicant owes $4,367 for a past-due account with a total balance of $5,768. $4,367	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	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.