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ISCR Case 25-00361 — CASE

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ISCR Case 25-00361

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

Case Profile
Decision Date1/21/2026
Statusdenied
LevelHEARING
TypeSTANDARD ISCR
Participants
Applicant Representation: Pro Se
Judge: Richard A. Cefola
Government Counsel: Tovah A. Minster
Case Summary
The applicant in this case was a 25-year-old employee of a defense contractor who sought a security clearance. The Department of Defense issued a Statement of Reasons (SOR) citing security concerns under Guideline F (Financial Considerations), alleging that the applicant had multiple past-due debts totaling approximately $21,678. The applicant admitted to all allegations in the SOR, which included debts to various creditors, but did not provide evidence of efforts to resolve these financial issues.
During the hearing, the applicant acknowledged his financial difficulties and stated he was working with a financial advisor. However, he failed to submit any documentation to support his claims or to address the debts after being given additional time to do so. The administrative judge found that the applicant's financial situation raised significant concerns regarding his reliability and trustworthiness, as he had not taken steps to mitigate the issues despite having the opportunity to do so.
Ultimately, the administrative judge ruled against the applicant, concluding that he had not mitigated the financial concerns raised in the SOR. The judge emphasized that the applicant's failure to address his debts and the lack of evidence demonstrating rehabilitation or responsible financial behavior led to the decision that granting a security clearance was not clearly consistent with the national interest.
Guidelines Evaluated
- Guideline FFinancial Considerations · Against Applicant
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Case Headnote

ISCR Case No. 25-00361

deniedJan 21, 2026· Hon. Richard A. Cefola· hearing

Summary

A 25-year-old defense contractor employee was denied a security clearance under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) due to multiple past-due debts totaling approximately $21,678. The applicant admitted to ten outstanding debts, including two related to a truck, five medical accounts, an engagement ring, and a credit card.

Specifically, the applicant acknowledged a $9,287 debt to Creditor A and a $4,137 debt to Creditor B, both for the same vehicle, and stated he had never contacted either creditor. He also admitted to two medical debts totaling about $2,200 with Creditor C and three medical debts totaling about $2,492 with Creditor E, again without having contacted these creditors. Additionally, he acknowledged a $361 debt for an engagement ring with Creditor H, which he claimed to have contacted, and an unalleged credit card debt of about $729.

Despite claiming to work with a financial advisor and being given two months post-hearing to address these issues, the applicant failed to provide any documentation or evidence of mitigation for any of the admitted debts. Consequently, the administrative judge concluded that the applicant did not meet the necessary criteria for national security eligibility, and the security clearance was denied.

Why the Applicant Was Denied

The applicant admitted to ten past-due debts totaling about $21,678.
The applicant failed to provide any documentation or evidence of mitigation despite being given opportunities to do so.
None of the mitigating conditions applied to the applicant's situation.

Conditions Referenced

Disqualifying

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

Procedural Posture

SOR issuedJun 5, 2025
Answer filedJul 5, 2025
Hearing heldNov 19, 2025
Decision dateJan 21, 2026

Cite For

Failure to Provide Evidence of Financial Mitigation Under Guideline F
Impact of Financial Obligations on National Security Eligibility
Importance of Documentation in Addressing Security Concerns

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 against the applicant under Guideline F, including several past-due debts related to a vehicle and medical accounts. The applicant admitted to these debts but failed to provide any evidence of mitigation, leading to a decision against his eligibility for a security clearance.

¶	Allegation	Finding	Type	Response	Disqualifying (¶19)	Mitigating applied (¶20)	Mitigation
1.a	Applicant admits a past-due debt to Creditor A in the amount of about $9,287, related to his 'truck.' He avers, 'they've probably always been delinquent'; and at the time of his hearing, he had never contacted this creditor. Despite having two post-hearing months to address this admitted debt, Applicant has submitted nothing further in this regard. $9,287	Against Applicant	Auto Loan Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.b	Applicant admits a past-due debt to Creditor B in the amount of about $4,137, related to the same vehicle noted above. He avers he has not contacted this creditor. Despite having two post-hearing months to address this admitted debt, Applicant has submitted nothing further in this regard. $4,137	Against Applicant	Auto Loan Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.c	Applicant admits two past-due debts to Creditor C for medical accounts in an amount totaling about $2,200. He avers he has not contacted this creditor. Despite having two post-hearing months to address these admitted debts, Applicant has submitted nothing further in this regard. $2,200	Against Applicant	Medical Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.d	Applicant admits three past-due debts to Creditor E for medical accounts in an amount totaling about $2,492. He avers he has not contacted this creditor. Despite having two post-hearing months to address these admitted debts, Applicant has submitted nothing further in this regard. $2,492	Against Applicant	Medical Debt	Admitted	—	—	—
1.e	Applicant admits a past-due debt to Creditor H in the amount of about $361, for an 'engagement ring.' He avers he has contacted this creditor; but despite having two post-hearing months to address this admitted debt, Applicant has submitted nothing further in this regard. $361	Against Applicant	Unspecified Financial	Admitted	—	—	—
1.f	Applicant admits another past-due 'credit card' debt, not alleged, in the amount of about $729. $729	Against Applicant	Credit Card Debt	Admitted	—	—	—

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.