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ISCR Case 23-00788 — CASE

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ISCR Case 23-00788

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

Case Profile
Decision Date2/18/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Marc E. Curry
Government Counsel: David F. Hayes
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 42-year-old veteran of the U.S. Army, who had been employed by a defense contractor since March 2022. He faced security concerns under Guideline F, related to financial considerations, due to approximately $80,000 in delinquent debt. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) issued by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) outlined the applicant's failure to resolve his debts, which he attributed to a divorce in 2017 and a job loss related to COVID-19.
The applicant admitted to the allegations in the SOR and indicated that he was working with a debt resolution company to consolidate his debts. However, he provided no evidence to support this claim or to demonstrate any progress in addressing his financial issues. The administrative judge noted that while the applicant's financial problems were partially due to circumstances beyond his control, he had not taken sufficient steps to mitigate the security concerns, such as enrolling in financial counseling or making good-faith efforts to repay his creditors.
Ultimately, the administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that he failed to mitigate the financial considerations that raised questions about his reliability and trustworthiness. The judge emphasized that the applicant's lack of evidence regarding efforts to resolve his debts did not support a favorable decision, leading to the denial of his application for a security clearance.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 23-00788

deniedFeb 18, 2025· Hon. Marc E. Curry· hearing

Summary

A 42-year-old veteran and defense contractor was denied a security clearance under Guideline F, Financial Considerations. The denial stemmed from approximately $80,000 in unresolved delinquent debt, which was the primary allegation in the Statement of Reasons. Disqualifying conditions under Adjudicative Guideline (AG) ¶ 19(a) and AG ¶ 19(c) were raised due to the applicant's history of financial problems and the significant delinquent debt.

While the applicant attributed his financial difficulties to a divorce and job loss, he presented insufficient evidence of progress in resolving the outstanding debt. Although mitigating conditions under AG ¶ 20(b), AG ¶ 20(c), and AG ¶ 20(d) were considered, the applicant failed to demonstrate responsible actions to mitigate his financial concerns.

Ultimately, the security clearance was denied because the applicant did not provide adequate proof of efforts to resolve his delinquent debt or show a pattern of responsible financial management.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

Applicant presented insufficient evidence of progress in resolving delinquent debt.
He failed to demonstrate responsible actions to mitigate financial concerns.

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 ControlApplicant attributed his financial problems to divorce and job loss.
AG ¶ 20(c)rejectedReceiving Financial CounselingApplicant provided no evidence of receiving financial counseling.
AG ¶ 20(d)rejectedGood-faith Effort to Repay CreditorsApplicant failed to show any good-faith efforts to resolve his debts.

Key Rule Quoted

“The protection of the national security is the paramount consideration.”
— AG ¶ 1(d)

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedMay 16, 2023
Answer filedAug 11, 2023Applicant requested a decision based on written record.
Hearing held—
Decision dateFeb 18, 2025

Cite For

Insufficient Evidence of Financial Responsibility Under Guideline F
Importance of Demonstrating Mitigation Efforts for Financial Issues
Impact of Personal Circumstances on Security Clearance Eligibility

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 that the applicant has a history of financial problems, including approximately $80,000 of delinquent debt. The applicant's failure to provide sufficient evidence of progress in resolving these debts led to a decision against him under Guideline F.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant has a history of financial problems, including approximately $80,000 of delinquent debt. $80,000	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Unknown	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.b–1.o	14 sub-charges — specific text not stated in this decision (against the applicant).	Against Applicant			—	—	—

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.