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ISCR Case 24-01249 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-01249

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

Case Profile
Decision Date3/11/2025
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Robert E. Coacher
Government Counsel: Lauren A. Shure
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 35-year-old employee of a U.S. defense contractor and a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline F, related to financial considerations. The core allegations included the applicant's failure to timely file her federal and state income tax returns for the tax year 2021.
The applicant denied the allegations, explaining that her failure to file was due to her responsibilities as a full-time caretaker for her brother, who had significant medical issues. She admitted to not filing her 2021 tax returns but provided evidence that she filed both her federal and state returns on September 27, 2024, and had since filed her 2022 and 2023 returns on time. The applicant argued that her circumstances were largely beyond her control and demonstrated responsible behavior by addressing her tax obligations.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that she mitigated the financial considerations security concerns. The judge noted that the applicant's failure to file was a one-time issue, largely due to her caregiving responsibilities, and that she had taken appropriate steps to resolve her tax situation. The judge found no lingering doubts about her eligibility for a security clearance, ultimately granting her access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-01249

grantedMar 11, 2025· Hon. Robert E. Coacher· hearing

Summary

A 35-year-old defense contractor and U.S. Army Reserve staff sergeant was granted a security clearance despite initial concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The Statement of Reasons alleged that the applicant failed to timely file her federal and state income tax returns for tax year 2021. This raised a disqualifying condition under Adjudicative Guideline (AG) ¶ 19(f).

However, the judge applied mitigating conditions, specifically AG ¶ 20(b) and AG ¶ 20(g). The applicant explained that her failure to file was due to becoming her brother's full-time caretaker, a circumstance deemed beyond her control. She subsequently demonstrated responsible action by gathering the necessary documentation and filing her 2021 tax returns.

Furthermore, the applicant timely filed her federal and state income tax returns for both 2022 and 2023, indicating that her tax issues were resolved. Based on these mitigating factors and her demonstrated compliance, the judge found her actions responsible, and eligibility for a security clearance was granted.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant became her brother's full-time caretaker, which was a circumstance beyond her control.
She demonstrated responsible action by filing her 2021 tax returns after gathering the necessary documentation.
The applicant timely filed her 2022 and 2023 tax returns, indicating that her tax issues were resolved.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(f)raisedFailure to File or Fraudulently Filing Annual Federal, State, or Local Income Tax Returns

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(b)appliedConditions That Resulted in the Financial Problem Were Largely Beyond the Person's Control
AG ¶ 20(g)appliedIndividual Has Made Arrangements with the Appropriate Tax Authority to File or Pay the Amount Owed and Is in Compliance with Those Arrangements

Key Rule Quoted

“The administrative judge’s overarching adjudicative goal is a fair, impartial, and commonsense decision.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedSep 12, 2024
Answer filed—Applicant elected to have her case decided on the written record.
Hearing held—Decision made based on written record.
Decision dateMar 11, 2025

Cite For

Mitigation of Financial Concerns Under Guideline F Due to Caregiving Responsibilities
Responsible Actions Taken to Resolve Tax Issues
Timely Filing of Subsequent Tax Returns as Evidence of Rehabilitation

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 failed to timely file her federal and state income tax returns for the tax year 2021. However, the applicant demonstrated that this was a one-time issue, as she subsequently filed her 2022 and 2023 tax returns on time, leading to a decision in her favor regarding the financial considerations.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant failed to timely file her federal and state income tax returns for tax year 2021, as required.	For Applicant	Tax Filing Failure	Denied	—	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (g) arrangements made with the tax authority; in compliance	Claimed Other
1.b	Applicant failed to timely file her federal and state income tax returns for tax year 2021, as required.	For Applicant	Tax Filing Failure	Denied	—	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly (g) arrangements made with the tax authority; in compliance	Claimed Other

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.