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ISCR Case 24-00799 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00799

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

Case Profile
Decision Date10/10/2024
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Robert Robinson Gales
Government Counsel: Jeff A. Nagel
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 37-year-old individual seeking a security clearance for a position as a senior principal subcontract specialist with a defense contractor. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline F (financial considerations), which detailed five delinquent financial accounts totaling approximately $22,900. The SOR indicated that the applicant's financial issues raised doubts about his reliability and trustworthiness.
In his response to the SOR, the applicant admitted to all allegations, attributing his financial difficulties to unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic. He stated that he had been in contact with creditors and intended to resolve the debts once he secured employment. The applicant described his financial situation as "dire" but noted that he was living within his means with assistance from his mother. He provided evidence of a repayment plan for one of the accounts and expressed intentions to establish plans for the others.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that he had mitigated the security concerns regarding his financial situation. The judge found that the applicant's proactive steps to address his debts, including initiating repayment plans and maintaining communication with creditors, demonstrated a commitment to resolving his financial issues. Consequently, the judge determined that granting the applicant eligibility for a security clearance was consistent with the national interest.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00799

grantedOct 10, 2024· Hon. Robert Robinson Gales· hearing

Summary

A 37-year-old defense contractor was granted a security clearance despite initial concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The applicant had multiple delinquent accounts totaling approximately $22,900. These included a bank holding company credit card with a $10,401.98 unpaid balance that resulted in a default judgment, and several other bank credit cards and accounts with balances ranging from $642 to $7,969 that became delinquent between April 2021 and February 2022, leading to collection actions, charge-offs, or sales to debt purchasers.

Disqualifying conditions related to financial issues were raised, but mitigating factors were applied. The decision highlighted that the applicant's financial difficulties were largely due to circumstances beyond their control, specifically the COVID-19 pandemic.

The applicant demonstrated a commitment to resolving these debts, maintaining communication with creditors, and initiating repayment plans. These good-faith efforts to repay, coupled with the external circumstances impacting their finances, led to the granting of the security clearance.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant maintained communication with creditors and expressed a commitment to resolving debts once employed.
The financial difficulties were largely due to circumstances beyond the applicant's control, specifically the COVID-19 pandemic.
The applicant demonstrated a good-faith effort to repay debts, including initiating repayment plans.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(a)appliedInability to Satisfy Debts
AG ¶ 19(c)appliedHistory of Not Meeting Financial Obligations

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(b)appliedConditions Largely Beyond the Person's Control
AG ¶ 20(d)appliedGood-faith Effort to Repay Overdue Creditors

Key Rule Quoted

“Eligibility for access to classified information is granted only 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 issuedJun 10, 2024
Answer filedJun 13, 2024Elected to have the case decided on the written record.
Hearing held—Decision made based on written record.
Decision dateOct 10, 2024

Cite For

Mitigating Conditions Under Guideline F Due to COVID-19 Impact
Good-faith Efforts to Resolve Financial Issues
Consideration of Whole-person Concept in Financial Cases

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: granted

The judge found that the applicant had several delinquent financial accounts but ultimately ruled in favor of the applicant, citing substantial mitigating evidence. The applicant's willingness to resolve debts and the context of financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic were considered significant factors in the decision.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant admitted to having a bank holding company credit-card account with an unpaid balance of $10,401.98 that became delinquent in April 2021 and was placed for collection and eventually became a default judgment in May 2022. $10,401	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	Applicant admitted to having a bank credit-card account with an unpaid balance of $7,969 that became delinquent in October 2021 and was placed for collection and charged off. $7,969	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	Applicant admitted to having an unspecified type of bank account with an unpaid balance of $2,712.00 that became delinquent in December 2021 and was placed for collection and sold to a debt purchaser. $2,712	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.d	Applicant admitted to having a bank credit-card account with an unpaid balance of $1,169.00 that became delinquent in November 2021 and was placed for collection and sold to a debt purchaser. $1,169	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.e	Applicant admitted to having a bank credit-card account with an unpaid balance of $642 that became delinquent in February 2022 and was placed for collection and charged off. $642	For Applicant	Credit Card 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.