Statistics
Outcome patterns across decided public DOHA cases. The filters below narrow the view by concern, time period, representation, and judge. Descriptive statistics, not predictions. Data through September 2026.
Reference dates for comparisons: the current adjudicative guidelines took effect in June 2017, and updated marijuana guidance was issued in December 2021.
Key findings
Cases in the record
30,719
decided public DOHA cases
Hearing decisions
26,883
decided after a hearing or on the written record
Appeal decisions
3,836
Appeal Board decisions, counted separately
Most common concern
Guideline F
Financial Considerations · 32% granted of 15,374 decided
Decisions span 1996 to 2026
Using this page: the filters above narrow every section, selecting a chart row opens the cases underneath it, and each section downloads as a CSV file.
Grant rates over time
How often clearances were granted, by year.
34% granted overall (9,087 of 26,503). Yearly rates ranged 22 to 43% where the yearly sample is large enough.
Swipe the chart for earlier years. Select any year to filter the page to it.
How to read this chart
Grey bars count the decisions published in each year, read against the left axis. The blue line is the grant rate for that year, read against the right axis, and it is drawn only for years with 20 or more decided cases. The shaded band over 1999 and 2000 marks two years when very few decisions were published: DOHA published few decisions online before 2002, and almost none survive for those two years. The dashed lines mark the June 2017 adjudicative guidelines and the December 2021 marijuana guidance taking effect. They do not claim that either change caused what the chart shows.
Outcomes by concern
How each type of concern was resolved.
- F · Financial Considerations
32% granted · 4,847 granted · 10,527 denied
- Financial (unspecified)
29% granted · 3,690 granted · 8,847 denied
- Credit-card debt
35% granted · 1,654 granted · 3,024 denied
- Medical debt
34% granted · 1,311 granted · 2,490 denied
- Unpaid taxes
27% granted · 841 granted · 2,330 denied
- Auto-loan debt
29% granted · 797 granted · 1,980 denied
- Utility / phone debt
34% granted · 784 granted · 1,534 denied
- Student-loan debt
32% granted · 703 granted · 1,488 denied
- Mortgage / home-loan debt
41% granted · 862 granted · 1,255 denied
- Failure to file taxes
22% granted · 453 granted · 1,591 denied
- Civil judgment against applicant
25% granted · 501 granted · 1,507 denied
- Bankruptcy filing
33% granted · 460 granted · 919 denied
- Personal-loan debt
32% granted · 233 granted · 493 denied
- Child support debt
23% granted · 161 granted · 528 denied
- Financial (unspecified)
- E · Personal Conduct
23% granted · 1,982 granted · 6,588 denied
- Falsified the security form
10% granted · 305 granted · 2,758 denied
- Personal conduct (unspecified)
26% granted · 779 granted · 2,169 denied
- Omission / failure to disclose
26% granted · 692 granted · 1,946 denied
- Lack of candor in an interview
11% granted · 170 granted · 1,406 denied
- Questionable judgment
25% granted · 348 granted · 1,070 denied
- Workplace rules violation
20% granted · 151 granted · 600 denied
- Pattern of dishonesty / rule violations
14% granted · 85 granted · 531 denied
- Falsified the security form
- B · Foreign Influence
54% granted · 2,137 granted · 1,817 denied
- Foreign relationship (unspecified)
53% granted · 1,315 granted · 1,143 denied
- Parent in a foreign country
52% granted · 1,177 granted · 1,088 denied
- Sibling in a foreign country
57% granted · 993 granted · 748 denied
- In law in foreign country
52% granted · 526 granted · 493 denied
- Spouse dual / foreign citizen
43% granted · 342 granted · 447 denied
- Extended family in foreign country
53% granted · 359 granted · 319 denied
- Foreign relationship (unspecified)
- J · Criminal Conduct
23% granted · 882 granted · 3,027 denied
- Criminal conduct (unspecified)
22% granted · 466 granted · 1,635 denied
- DUI / DWI (criminal)
24% granted · 256 granted · 818 denied
- Drug related criminal charge
19% granted · 152 granted · 660 denied
- Assault / battery
22% granted · 132 granted · 455 denied
- Criminal conduct (unspecified)
- H · Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse
25% granted · 906 granted · 2,721 denied
- Marijuana
25% granted · 786 granted · 2,370 denied
- Drug involvement (unspecified)
23% granted · 357 granted · 1,208 denied
- Cocaine
21% granted · 147 granted · 558 denied
- Marijuana
- G · Alcohol Consumption
28% granted · 608 granted · 1,528 denied
- DUI / DWI (alcohol)
28% granted · 451 granted · 1,132 denied
- Binge / intoxication pattern
23% granted · 248 granted · 818 denied
- Alcohol incident (unspecified)
32% granted · 311 granted · 675 denied
- Alcohol use disorder diagnosed
26% granted · 195 granted · 551 denied
- Continued use after treatment
19% granted · 116 granted · 498 denied
- DUI / DWI (alcohol)
- C · Foreign Preference
51% granted · 766 granted · 744 denied
- Foreign passport possession / use
49% granted · 501 granted · 523 denied
- Foreign citizenship acquisition / application
47% granted · 322 granted · 362 denied
- Foreign passport possession / use
- D · Sexual Behavior
19% granted · 118 granted · 514 denied
Too few cases to break this concern into specific issues.
- M · Use of Information Technology
31% granted · 93 granted · 206 denied
Too few cases to break this concern into specific issues.
- K · Handling Protected Information
44% granted · 129 granted · 165 denied
Too few cases to break this concern into specific issues.
- I · Psychological Conditions
25% granted · 68 granted · 199 denied
Too few cases to break this concern into specific issues.
- L · Outside Activities
46% granted · 26 granted · 30 denied
Too few cases to break this concern into specific issues.
- A · Allegiance to the United States
25% granted · 1 granted · 3 denied
Too few cases to break this concern into specific issues.
† marks fewer than 20 cases, too few to be reliable. A case can raise several concerns, so the rows overlap.
Mitigations judges credited most
How often each mitigation was expressly accepted by the judge, not merely claimed, across the cases in this view. This is a count of how often something was credited, so the bars are neutral: they carry no outcome.
Outcomes by representation
Whether represented and self-represented applicants were granted at different rates.
Represented by a lawyer
51% granted · 2,591 granted · 2,500 denied
Self-represented
30% granted · 6,425 granted · 14,862 denied
Difference
1.7 times
the grant rate with a lawyer
| Representation | Cases | Granted | Denied | Grant rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-represented | 21,287 | 6,425 | 14,862 | |
| Represented by a lawyer | 5,091 | 2,591 | 2,500 | |
| A personal representative who is not a lawyer | 117 | 68 | 49 | |
| Not stated in the decision | 9 | 3 | 6 |
- Cases
- 21,287
- Granted
- 6,425
- Denied
- 14,862
- Grant rate
- Cases
- 5,091
- Granted
- 2,591
- Denied
- 2,500
- Grant rate
A personal representative who is not a lawyer
- Cases
- 117
- Granted
- 68
- Denied
- 49
- Grant rate
- Cases
- 9
- Granted
- 3
- Denied
- 6
- Grant rate
An association, not proof of cause: the groups being compared differ in many ways. Select a row to filter the page.
Outcomes by judge
How the cases each judge decided were resolved.
| Administrative Judge | Cases | Granted | Denied | Grant rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark W. Harvey | 503 | 111 | 392 | Filter |
| LeRoy F. Foreman | 499 | 133 | 365 | Filter |
| Carol G. Ricciardello | 473 | 89 | 384 | Filter |
| Edward W. Loughran | 426 | 172 | 254 | Filter |
| Richard A. Cefola | 422 | 144 | 278 | Filter |
| Darlene Lokey Anderson | 410 | 98 | 312 | Filter |
| Robert E. Coacher | 355 | 105 | 250 | Filter |
| Roger C. Wesley | 318 | 82 | 236 | Filter |
| Braden M. Murphy | 286 | 86 | 200 | Filter |
| Candace Le'i Garcia | 272 | 109 | 163 | Filter |
| Robert Robinson Gales | 260 | 79 | 181 | Filter |
| Marc E. Curry | 252 | 88 | 164 | Filter |
| Noreen A. Lynch | 245 | 81 | 164 | Filter |
| Elizabeth M. Matchinski | 244 | 60 | 184 | Filter |
| Pamela C. Benson | 237 | 63 | 174 | Filter |
- Cases
- 503
- Granted
- 111
- Denied
- 392
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 499
- Granted
- 133
- Denied
- 365
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 473
- Granted
- 89
- Denied
- 384
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 426
- Granted
- 172
- Denied
- 254
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 422
- Granted
- 144
- Denied
- 278
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 410
- Granted
- 98
- Denied
- 312
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 355
- Granted
- 105
- Denied
- 250
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 318
- Granted
- 82
- Denied
- 236
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 286
- Granted
- 86
- Denied
- 200
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 272
- Granted
- 109
- Denied
- 163
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 260
- Granted
- 79
- Denied
- 181
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 252
- Granted
- 88
- Denied
- 164
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 245
- Granted
- 81
- Denied
- 164
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 244
- Granted
- 60
- Denied
- 184
- Grant rate
- Filter
- Cases
- 237
- Granted
- 63
- Denied
- 174
- Grant rate
- Filter
† marks judges with fewer than 20 decided cases in this window. Judges hear different mixes of cases, so these rates describe the decided record, not the judges.
Appeal outcomes
How appealed decisions were treated by the Appeal Board.
The Appeal Board reviews the specific errors a party claims. It can affirm a decision, leaving it in place; reverse it, replacing the outcome; or remand it, sending it back to the judge. It does not rehear the case. Based on 3,584 appeal decisions with a verified outcome.
- affirmed · 3,146 of 3,584 (88%)
- reversed · 239 of 3,584 (7%)
- remanded · 199 of 3,584 (6%)
Most appeals do not change the outcome: the Board overturned about 7% of the decisions brought to it.
Appeals by party, with outcomes
Applicants appeal denials; the Government appeals grants it disagrees with. Whether an outcome helped the applicant therefore depends on who appealed.
| Appealed by | Appeals | Affirmed | Reversed | Remanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The applicant | 3,247 | 3,082 (95%) | 14 (0%) | 151 (5%) |
| The Government (Department Counsel) | 327 | 55 (17%) | 224 (69%) | 48 (15%) |
| Both parties | 10 | 9 (90%) | 1 (10%) | 0 (0%) |
The applicant
- Appeals
- 3,247
- Affirmed
- 3,082 (95%)
- Reversed
- 14 (0%)
- Remanded
- 151 (5%)
The Government (Department Counsel)
- Appeals
- 327
- Affirmed
- 55 (17%)
- Reversed
- 224 (69%)
- Remanded
- 48 (15%)
Both parties
- Appeals
- 10
- Affirmed
- 9 (90%)
- Reversed
- 1 (10%)
- Remanded
- 0 (0%)
Grounds for reversal or remand
The grounds the Board gave. A case can have more than one.
Errors alleged on appeal
The errors the parties raised, across every appeal in this selection.
Error found, but harmless
15%
of affirmances · 478 of 3,146
The Board agreed the judge erred but left the outcome in place, because the error did not change the result.
Most-cited authorities
- Department of the Navy v. Egan2,414
- Motor Vehicle Mfrs. Ass’n of the United States v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co.966
- ISCR Case No. 06-17409 at 3 (App. Bd. Oct. 12228
- Dorfmont v. Brown208
- ISCR Case No. 06-17409164
- ISCR Case No. 06-10320 at 2 (App. Bd. Nov. 7162
- ISCR Case No. 06-11172 at 3 (App. Bd. Sep. 4140
- ISCR Case No. 06-1032081
Appeal Board judges by number of appeals
Appeals are decided by three-member panels, so an outcome belongs to the panel and not to any single judge. There is no per-judge rate for that reason.
A structured reading of the decided public Appeal Board record. The outcome the Board stated matched our independent read in 100% of cases.
Browse appeal decisionsQuestions about these statistics
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Professional plan detailsPublications and measured series
Ongoing analyses computed from the decided record, each on its own page, with its method and the counts behind every rate.
- Measured timelines
How long each stage took, measured from dates stated in the decisions.
- Time since the conduct
How long before the decision the last incident occurred.
- Candor in the record
How falsification and omission allegations were resolved.
- Veterans in the record
Decisions that state United States military service, counted by branch.
- Decisions by country
Foreign-influence decisions arranged by the country involved.
- The Issue Encyclopedia
Every specific issue inside each guideline, with its decided record.
- The statutory bars
The bars set by statute, and how they appear in decided cases.
- Docket reports
The decided record summarized the same way every quarter and every year.
Granted ÷ decided; † marks groups under 20 cases. Full methodology
Reading the statistics
- Granted = access granted or continued; Denied = denied or revoked.
- Grant rate = granted ÷ (granted + denied).
- † marks figures based on fewer than 20 cases, too few to be reliable.
- Hovering any rate shows its statistical range (a 95% confidence interval).
- Figures are descriptive counts over decided, public DOHA ISCR decisions, never predictions or assessments of any pending case.
Decided public cases: descriptive, never a prediction.