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ISCR Case 25-00169 — CASE

Case record

ISCR Case 25-00169

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

Case Profile
Decision Date8/27/2025
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: John Bayard Glendon
Government Counsel: Sakeena Farhath
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 39-year-old mechanic employed by a Department of Defense contractor since March 2024. He applied for a security clearance in May 2024 but faced allegations under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) due to 11 delinquent debts totaling approximately $18,500. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) issued by the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) on March 11, 2025, outlined these financial issues, which were deemed to raise concerns about the applicant's reliability and trustworthiness.
In his response to the SOR, the applicant admitted to the allegations and provided a Debt Relief Agreement with a debt-consolidation company, which outlined a plan to resolve his debts over 42 months. He explained that his financial difficulties stemmed from a low-paying job prior to his current employment, which offered a significantly higher salary. The applicant demonstrated efforts to mitigate the concerns by making regular payments under the Debt Relief Agreement and settling some debts prior to the SOR.
The administrative judge ruled in favor of the applicant, concluding that he had successfully mitigated the financial concerns. The judge noted the applicant's proactive steps to address his debts, including the establishment of a payment plan and evidence of payments made. The judge emphasized the importance of the applicant's current financial stability and his commitment to resolving his past debts, ultimately granting him national security eligibility for access to classified information.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 25-00169

grantedAug 27, 2025· Hon. John Bayard Glendon· hearing

Summary

A 39-year-old mechanic for a DoD contractor was granted national security eligibility despite concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The applicant faced allegations regarding 11 delinquent debts, totaling approximately $18,500. These debts included auto loans, other loan accounts, a cellphone account, and medical accounts. Several of these accounts had been charged off by creditors, and some were placed for collection.

The administrative judge considered the applicant's admission of the allegations and his demonstrated good-faith effort to resolve the debts. This effort included entering into a Debt Relief Agreement and making consistent biweekly payments.

The judge found that the applicant's current employment provided a stable income, which, combined with his commitment to debt repayment, mitigated the financial concerns. Consequently, the applicant's national security eligibility was granted.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant demonstrated a good-faith effort to repay overdue creditors through a Debt Relief Agreement.
He has made consistent payments towards his debts since entering the Agreement.
The applicant's current employment provides him with a stable income to manage his financial obligations.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

AG ¶ 19(a)raisedInability to Satisfy Debts
AG ¶ 19(c)raisedA History of Not Meeting Financial Obligations

Mitigating

AG ¶ 20(a)appliedThe Behavior Happened so Long Ago, Was so Infrequent, or Occurred Under Such Circumstances That It Is Unlikely to Recur
AG ¶ 20(d)appliedThe Individual Initiated and Is Adhering to a Good-faith Effort to Repay Overdue Creditors or Otherwise Resolve Debts

Key Rule Quoted

“Any doubt concerning personnel being considered for national security eligibility will be resolved in favor of the national security.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedMar 11, 2025
Answer filedMar 14, 2025Requested decision on written record.
Hearing held—Decision made based on written record.
Decision dateAug 27, 2025

Cite For

Mitigation of Financial Concerns Under Guideline F
Good-faith Efforts in Debt Repayment
Impact of Stable Employment 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: granted

The judge found that the applicant had multiple delinquent debts totaling approximately $18,500 but ruled in favor of the applicant, determining that the circumstances leading to the debts were unlikely to recur. The applicant demonstrated a commitment to resolving his debts through a debt relief agreement and consistent payments, which contributed to the favorable decision.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Auto Loan Account ($5,871). This account is delinquent, and the creditor has charged off the unpaid debt. $5,871	For Applicant	Auto Loan Debt	Admitted	—	(d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Claimed Debt Paid in Full Documented Payment Plan with Creditor
1.b	Loan Account ($5,871). This account is delinquent, and the creditor has charged off the unpaid debt and placed the account for collection. $5,871	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	(d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Claimed Debt Paid in Full Documented Payment Plan with Creditor
1.c	Loan Account ($1,805). This account is delinquent, and the creditor has charged off the unpaid debt. $1,805	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	(d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Claimed Debt Paid in Full Documented Payment Plan with Creditor
1.d	Cellphone Account ($1,581). This account is delinquent, and the creditor has placed it for collection. $1,581	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	(d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Claimed Debt Paid in Full Documented Payment Plan with Creditor
1.e	Medical Account ($1,218). This account is delinquent, and the creditor has charged off the unpaid debt and placed the account for collection. $1,218	For Applicant	Medical Debt	Admitted	—	(d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Claimed Debt Paid in Full Documented Payment Plan with Creditor
1.f	Account ($881). This account is delinquent, and the creditor has charged off the unpaid debt. $881	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	(d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Claimed Debt Paid in Full Documented Payment Plan with Creditor
1.g	Account ($849). This account is delinquent, and the creditor has placed it for collection. $849	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	(d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Claimed Debt Paid in Full Documented Payment Plan with Creditor
1.h	Account ($581). This account is delinquent, and the creditor has charged off the unpaid debt. $581	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	(d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Claimed Debt Paid in Full Documented Payment Plan with Creditor
1.i	Medical Account ($1,000). This account is delinquent, and the creditor has charged off the unpaid debt and placed the account for collection. $1,000	For Applicant	Medical Debt	Admitted	—	(d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Claimed Debt Paid in Full Documented Payment Plan with Creditor
1.j	Loan Account ($392). This account is delinquent, and the creditor has charged off the unpaid debt. $392	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	(d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Claimed Debt Paid in Full Documented Payment Plan with Creditor
1.k	Loan Account ($360). This account is delinquent, and the creditor has charged off the unpaid debt. $360	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	(d) good-faith effort to repay or otherwise resolve debts	Claimed Debt Paid in Full Documented Payment Plan with Creditor

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

Full decision

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