PSH-20-0036 - In the Matter of Personnel Security Hearing

On December 23, 2020, an Administrative Judge determined that an  Individual  should  be  granted access authorization under 10 C.F.R. Part  710.  The  Individual  was  arrested  and  charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) in December  2018.  The Individual  subsequently met with a DOE-contracted Psychologist (DOE Psychologist) for a clinical  interview. During the clinical interview, the Individual reported that he continued to consume alcohol after his arrest and only stopped after he was court-ordered to abstain from  alcohol. The Individual also disclosed that, prior to his arrest for DUI, he consumed  alcohol  to  intoxication on a weekly basis. The DOE Psychologist concluded that the Individual binge consumed alcohol to the point of impaired  judgment  and  met  the  diagnostic  criteria  for  Alcohol Use Disorder under  the  Diagnostic  and  Statistical  Manual  of  Mental  Disorders  -  Fifth Edition (DSM-5). The DOE Psychologist recommended that the Individual demonstrate rehabilitation or reformation by abstaining from alcohol  for  at  least  nine  months  and undergoing laboratory testing to verify his abstinence from alcohol.  The  DOE  Psychologist  stated that he would have more confidence in the Individual's recovery if the Individual also participated in an intensive outpatient program for alcohol use or Alcoholics Anonymous.  At the hearing, the Individual testified that he had not  consumed  alcohol  for  approximately  eighteen months, provided the results  of  alcohol  testing  to  support  his  claimed  abstinence  from alcohol, participated in individual  therapy  with  a  psychologist,  and  successfully  completed a court-ordered substance abuse program. The DOE Psychologist opined that he believed that the Individual's treatment regimen was effective  and  that  the  Individual  had  a  very good prognosis for avoiding returning to problematic alcohol consumption. In light of the Individual's abstinence from alcohol and participation in treatment, as well as the positive  prognosis from the DOE Psychologist, the Administrative Judge found that the Individual had resolved the security concerns under Guideline G.  Therefore,  the Administrative Judge concluded that the Individual should be granted access authorization. OHA Case No. PSH-20-0036 (Kimberly Jenkins-Chapman).