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ISCR Case 23-02711 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 23-02711

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

Case Profile
Decision Date3/26/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Jennifer I. Goldstein
Government Counsel: Troy L. Nussbaum
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 26-year-old high school graduate seeking a security clearance under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing five debts totaling over $35,310, which raised security concerns regarding her financial responsibility. The applicant denied all allegations in the SOR, asserting that the debts were either not her responsibility or were being addressed.
Key facts included the applicant's admission of financial difficulties stemming from various personal challenges, including a shooting incident that limited her ability to work, lack of child support from the fathers of her children, and significant childcare expenses. She provided some evidence of attempts to make payments on her debts, but also acknowledged that she had not consistently documented these efforts. The administrative judge found that while the applicant faced extenuating circumstances, the overall pattern of financial irresponsibility and the substantial amount of delinquent debt did not sufficiently mitigate the security concerns.
Ultimately, the administrative judge ruled to deny the applicant's eligibility for a security clearance, concluding that the applicant's financial issues raised significant questions about her reliability and trustworthiness, which are essential for safeguarding classified information. The judge emphasized that the applicant's financial difficulties were not resolved to a degree that would alleviate concerns about her judgment and ability to manage sensitive information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 23-02711

deniedMar 26, 2025· Hon. Jennifer I. Goldstein· hearing

Summary

A 26-year-old single mother with two minor children was denied a security clearance due to financial considerations under Guideline F. The applicant faced allegations of over $35,310 in unresolved debts across five accounts. These included a $1,196 medical collection, a $289 delinquent account opened by her mother in the applicant's name, a $180 delinquent credit union account, and two delinquent auto loans totaling $13,582 and $20,063 respectively.

Disqualifying conditions related to overdue debts and an inability to meet financial obligations were raised. While the judge acknowledged some financial challenges beyond the applicant's control, mitigating conditions concerning the circumstances of the debt and efforts to resolve it were considered.

Ultimately, the security clearance was denied because the applicant failed to present a reasonable plan to address her ongoing financial difficulties, and her circumstances did not sufficiently mitigate the concerns.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant failed to demonstrate a reasonable plan to address her unresolved debts.
The applicant's financial difficulties were ongoing and not sufficiently mitigated by her circumstances.

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 experienced significant challenges, including unemployment and medical issues.
AG ¶ 20(d)rejectedGood-faith Effort to Repay Overdue CreditorsThe applicant did not provide sufficient evidence of a good-faith effort to resolve her debts.

Key Rule Quoted

“Eligibility for a security clearance is predicated upon the applicant meeting the criteria contained in the adjudicative guidelines.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedDec 19, 2023
Answer filedMar 12, 2024
Hearing heldFeb 26, 2025via Microsoft Teams
Decision dateMar 26, 2025

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Unresolved Financial Obligations
Impact of Financial Difficulties on Security Clearance Eligibility
Consideration of Mitigating Circumstances Under Guideline F

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 debts related to medical and auto loans, with the majority of allegations ruled against the applicant. While one debt was found to be for the applicant, the overall financial situation was deemed inconsistent with the national interest, leading to a denial of the security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant was indebted on a medical account placed for collections in the amount of $1,196. $1,196	Against Applicant	Medical Debt	Denied	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.b	Applicant was indebted on a delinquent account placed for collections in the amount of $289, incurred by her mother opening an account in Applicant's name. $289	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	—	—	—
1.c	Applicant was indebted on a delinquent credit union account placed for collections in the amount of $180. $180	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.d	Applicant was indebted on a delinquent account placed for collections in the amount of $13,582 for a vehicle loan. $13,582	Against Applicant	Auto Loan Debt	Denied	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—
1.e	Applicant was indebted on a delinquent account placed for collections in the amount of $20,063 for an auto loan. $20,063	Against Applicant	Auto Loan Debt	Denied	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	—	—

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.