PSH-23-0049 - In the Matter of Personnel Security Hearing

On May 17, 2023, an Administrative Judge (AJ) determined that an Individual's access authorization under 10 C.F.R. Part 710 should be restored.

A DOE Contractor Psychologist (the "Psychologist") found that the Individual had met the criteria set forth in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition (DSM-5) for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), Severe and that the Individual was neither reformed nor rehabilitated since she had only been abstaining from alcohol use for two months.

The AJ noted that the Individual had complied with the Psychologist's treatment recommendations by attending and completing an intensive outpatient program, attending aftercare, receiving individual counseling, and abstaining from alcohol use for nine months as evidenced by laboratory testing, thereby demonstrating a clear and established pattern of abstinence in accordance with the Psychologist's recommendations that she abstain from alcohol for nine months.

The Administrative Judge therefore concluded that the Individual's access authorization should be restored. (OHA Case No. PSH-23-0049, Fine)