PSH-19-0057 - In the Matter of Personnel Security Hearing

On December 4, 2019, an Administrative Judge determined that an individual's access authorization under 10 C.F.R. Part 710 should not be granted. The Individual is employed by a DOE contractor in a position that requires her to hold a DOE security clearance. In applying for her clearance, the Individual completed an Electronic Questionnaire for Investigations Processing (e-QIP) in December 2016. In response to one of the financial questions, the Individual indicated that she was currently over 120 days delinquent on her student loans. Subsequently, the Local Security Office (LSO) asked her to complete a Letter of Interrogatory (LOI). The LSO determined that the Individual had 10 collection accounts, totaling $225,244, consisting of: (1) three medical debts, (2) two miscellaneous debts, and (3) five student loan debts. Additionally, the LSO determined that the Individual was 120 days past due on one of her student loans. During the hearing, the    Individual testified that she had paid two of the three medical debts in full, but was unable to find any information related to the third debt. Further, she paid both of the miscellaneous debts in full. With regard to her student loan debt, the Individual acknowledged that she had only made eight months of payments, and she had not made a payment in over five years. She stated that she is currently unsure of the exact amounts owed on the student loans. The Administrative Judge determined that the Individual had not resolved the security concerns associated with Guideline F. Accordingly, she concluded that the Individual's access authorization should not be granted. OHA Case No. PSH-19-0057 (Katie Quintana).