Summary
A 43-year-old security lieutenant was denied a security clearance under Guideline F (Financial Considerations) due to unresolved financial obligations. The Statement of Reasons (SOR) detailed three specific debts: a $1,479 online education account, a $17,058 debt owed to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS), and a $707 child support delinquency. These issues raised disqualifying conditions under Adjudicative Guidelines (AG) ¶ 19(a) and AG ¶ 19(c).
While the applicant made some efforts to address smaller debts, the primary concern was the significant DFAS debt, which had been delinquent for over 10 years. The applicant failed to provide documentation demonstrating a good-faith attempt to resolve this particular obligation.
Despite the application of mitigating conditions under AG ¶ 20(a), (b), (c), (d), and (e), the applicant's failure to follow up with a written dispute to DFAS or provide evidence of actions to resolve the long-standing debt ultimately led to the denial of the security clearance, citing concerns about his financial responsibility, reliability, and trustworthiness.
Why the Applicant Was Denied
- The applicant failed to provide documentation showing a good-faith attempt to resolve the DFAS debt.
- The DFAS debt had been delinquent for over 10 years, raising concerns about the applicant's financial responsibility.
- The applicant did not follow up with a written dispute to DFAS or provide evidence of actions to resolve the debt.
Conditions Referenced
- AG ¶ 19(a)raisedInability or Unwillingness to Satisfy Debts
- AG ¶ 19(c)raisedA History of Not Meeting Financial Obligations
- AG ¶ 20(a)rejectedBehavior Happened so Long Ago, Was Infrequent, or Occurred Under Circumstances Unlikely to Recur
- AG ¶ 20(b)rejectedConditions That Resulted in the Financial Problem Were Largely Beyond the Person's Control
- AG ¶ 20(c)rejectedReceived or Is Receiving Counseling for the Problem
- AG ¶ 20(d)rejectedInitiated a Good-faith Effort to Repay Overdue Creditors
- AG ¶ 20(e)rejectedHas a Reasonable Basis to Dispute the Legitimacy of the Past-due Debt
Key Rule Quoted
“"Any doubt concerning personnel being considered for access to classified information will be resolved in favor of the national security."”
Procedural Posture
- SOR issuedNov 2, 2015
- Answer filedDec 2, 2015
- Hearing heldJul 25, 2016Hearing was rescheduled from June 30, 2016.
- Decision dateAug 17, 2016
Cite For
- Denial of Security Clearance Due to Unresolved Financial Obligations Under Guideline F
- Importance of Documented Efforts to Resolve Debts in Security Clearance Cases
- Presumption Against Granting Security Clearance When Financial Concerns Are Unmitigated