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ISCR Case 24-02030 — CASE

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ISCR Case 24-02030

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

Case Profile
Decision Date3/5/2026
Statusgranted
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Related decisionsSee the appeal decision (Case 24-02030) →See the hearing decision (Case 24-02030) →
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Candace Le'i Garcia
Government Counsel: Troy L. Nussbaum
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 41-year-old individual who had a history of financial difficulties, leading to security concerns under Guideline F (financial considerations). The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing 11 delinquent consumer debts totaling $49,549. The applicant admitted to several of these debts while denying others, attributing her financial issues to various personal circumstances, including being a single mother, medical challenges faced by her spouse, and caring for her terminally ill father.
In her response to the SOR, the applicant provided evidence of her efforts to mitigate her financial issues, including payments made towards her debts, enrollment in a debt-relief program, and the establishment of a strict budget. She also submitted documentation showing that some debts had been settled or were being actively managed. The administrative judge considered these factors and ultimately ruled in favor of the applicant, granting her eligibility for access to classified information. The judge concluded that the applicant had sufficiently mitigated the financial concerns, taking into account her proactive measures and the circumstances that contributed to her financial difficulties.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · For Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 24-02030

grantedMar 5, 2026· Hon. Candace Le'i Garcia· hearing

Summary

A 41-year-old military veteran was granted eligibility for access to classified information despite initial security concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations). The Statement of Reasons cited 11 delinquent consumer debts totaling $49,549.

The applicant admitted to some of these debts and demonstrated active efforts to resolve them. She entered a payment arrangement for credit card debts and enrolled in a debt-relief program for several other accounts. For one alleged debt, she provided documentation showing a zero balance, and another was deleted from her credit profile after an investigation.

The judge determined that the applicant's financial difficulties were largely beyond her control, stemming from personal circumstances including divorce and caring for ill family members. Mitigating factors included her consistent payments, enrollment in a debt-relief program, participation in financial counseling, and creation of a strict budget. These actions demonstrated a commitment to managing her finances, leading to the favorable outcome.

Why the Applicant Prevailed

The applicant demonstrated that her financial issues were largely beyond her control due to personal circumstances such as divorce and caring for ill family members.
She provided evidence of consistent payments toward her debts and enrollment in a debt-relief program.
The applicant received financial counseling and created a strict budget to manage her finances.

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 That Resulted in the Financial Problem Were Largely Beyond the Person’s Control
AG ¶ 20(c)appliedThe Individual Has Received or Is Receiving Financial Counseling
AG ¶ 20(d)appliedThe Individual Initiated and Is Adhering to a Good-faith Effort to Repay Overdue Creditors
AG ¶ 20(g)appliedThe Individual Has a Reasonable Basis to Dispute the Legitimacy of the Past-due Debt

Key Rule Quoted

“The protection of the national security is the paramount consideration.”

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedDec 20, 2024
Answer filedFeb 26, 2025Applicant elected to have her case decided on the written record.
Hearing held—Decision on remand.
Decision dateMar 5, 2026

Cite For

Mitigation of Financial Considerations Under Guideline F
Impact of Personal Circumstances on Financial Obligations
Importance of Financial Counseling and Debt-relief Programs in Security Clearance Cases

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 11 delinquent consumer debts totaling $49,549 but determined that the applicant successfully mitigated the financial concerns. The applicant's efforts included enrolling in a debt-relief program, making payments on credit card debts, and resolving certain debts, leading to a favorable decision for the applicant.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant had 11 delinquent consumer debts totaling $49,549. $49,549	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly	Documented Financial Counseling Documented Budget Change with Documentation
1.b	Applicant admitted SOR 1.b and is paying the credit card debts in accordance with a payment arrangement.	For Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly	Documented Payment Plan with Creditor
1.c	Applicant enrolled in a debt-relief program to resolve her debts in SOR 1.c-1.g.	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Unknown	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly	Documented Debt Settlement
1.d	Applicant denied SOR 1.h-1.j but provided documentation showing a zero balance on account 1.h.	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Denied	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly	Documented Debt Paid in Full
1.e	Applicant requested an investigation into the debt in SOR 1.n, which was deleted from her credit profile.	For Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Unknown	(a) inability to satisfy debts (c) a history of not meeting financial obligations	(b) conditions largely beyond the person’s control; acted responsibly	Documented Debt Disputed with Creditor
1.f–1.n	9 sub-charges — specific text not stated in this decision (for the applicant). (low confidence)	Mixed			—	—	—

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.