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ISCR Case 24-00641 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-00641

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

Case Profile
Decision Date9/19/2025
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Judge: Braden M. Murphy
Government Counsel: Tovah A. Minster
Applicant's Counsel: Maurice Arcadier
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 37-year-old HVAC technician who had a history of severe alcohol use disorder (AUD), with two diagnoses occurring more than three years apart. The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline G (alcohol consumption) due to incidents including a 2012 DUI arrest, a 2020 hospitalization for alcohol-related issues, and a 2024 psychological evaluation confirming severe AUD. The applicant admitted to the allegations in the SOR but provided explanations regarding his circumstances.
Key findings included the applicant's acknowledgment of his problematic drinking history, particularly during a stressful period in 2020, which led to his hospitalization. He admitted to consuming alcohol prior to his admission but maintained that he did not believe his drinking was problematic at the time. Although he participated in inpatient treatment and outpatient therapy, he later resumed drinking and expressed a lack of need for ongoing support or treatment. The administrative judge noted that the applicant's abstinence from alcohol was not supported by consistent participation in counseling or a support network, leading to concerns about his reliability and judgment.
The administrative judge ruled to deny the applicant's eligibility for access to classified information, citing insufficient evidence of sustained recovery and a lack of insight into the severity of his alcohol use. The judge emphasized that the applicant needed a more substantial track record of abstinence and engagement in support systems to mitigate the security concerns raised by his history of alcohol consumption.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline GAlcohol Consumption · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-00641

deniedSep 19, 2025· Hon. Braden M. Murphy· hearing

Summary

A 37-year-old HVAC technician was denied a security clearance under Guideline G (Alcohol Consumption) due to a history of severe alcohol use disorder and related incidents. The Statement of Reasons cited a January 2024 diagnosis of severe alcohol use disorder, an alcohol-related hospitalization in October 2020, and an involuntary hospitalization for suicidal ideation in the same month. Additionally, a 2012 arrest for driving under the influence (DUI) was noted.

Disqualifying conditions under Guideline G were raised, including AG ¶ 22(a), (c), (d), (e), and (f). The denial was based on several factors: the applicant had two diagnoses of severe alcohol use disorder spanning over three years, and despite a period of abstinence, this was not supported by ongoing treatment or a formal support network.

Furthermore, the applicant had resumed drinking after previous treatment, which indicated a lack of sustained recovery. These concerns regarding reliability and trustworthiness ultimately led to the denial of his security clearance.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant has two diagnoses of severe alcohol use disorder over three years apart.
The applicant's abstinence from alcohol was unsupported by ongoing treatment or a formal support network.
The applicant resumed drinking after treatment, indicating a lack of sustained recovery.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 22(a)appliedAlcohol-related Incidents Away From Work
AG ¶ 22(c)appliedHabitual or Binge Consumption of Alcohol
AG ¶ 22(d)appliedDiagnosis of Alcohol Use Disorder
AG ¶ 22(e)appliedFailure to Follow Treatment Advice
AG ¶ 22(f)appliedAlcohol Consumption Not in Accordance with Treatment Recommendations

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedJul 25, 2024
Answer filedAug 20, 2024
Hearing heldJun 11, 2025via video teleconference
Decision dateSep 19, 2025

Cite For

Denial of Security Clearance Due to Severe Alcohol Use Disorder
Importance of Ongoing Treatment and Support for Mitigating Alcohol-related Security Concerns
Impact of Past Alcohol-related Incidents on Current Reliability and Trustworthiness

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 G (Alcohol Consumption) · descriptive summary of a decided case

Posture: HearingDecided: deniedAUD DIAGNOSED

The judge ruled against the applicant on all allegations related to alcohol consumption, including a diagnosis of severe alcohol use disorder, an alcohol-related hospitalization, and a DUI arrest. The applicant's history of alcohol use and lack of a sufficient track record of abstinence contributed to the denial of eligibility for access to classified information.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Incident	Response	Disqualifying (¶22)	Mitigating applied (¶23)	Mitigation
1.a	Diagnosis of severe alcohol use disorder (AUD) in January 2024.	Against Applicant	Alcohol Use Disorder Diagnosed	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	Alcohol-related hospitalization in October 2020.	Against Applicant	Alcohol Related Hospitalization	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	Involuntary hospitalization for suicidal ideation in October 2020.	Against Applicant	Unspecified Alcohol Incident	Admitted	—	—	—
1.d	2012 arrest for driving under the influence (DUI).	Against Applicant	DUI or DWI Alcohol	Admitted	—	—	—

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

Full decision

The complete, official text — footnotes and signatures included — is in the original PDF.