PSH-24-0167 - In the Matter of Personnel Security Hearing

On November 15, 2024, an Administrative Judge found that an Individual's access authorization should not be granted. The Individual reported several defaulted accounts in his Questionnaire for National Security Positions but failed to list two accounts. When confronted about the accounts by an investigator, the Individual acknowledged them and stated that he had only been able to access a credit report from one of the three reporting agencies when filling out his paperwork. During an evaluation for an unrelated matter, the Individual told a DOE Contractor Psychologist that he was current on all his bills. However, he had not paid his defaulted accounts.

At the hearing, the Individual presented evidence that he had forgotten the two accounts he failed to list and did not intend to mislead investigators. The Psychologist testified that it was possible for the Individual to have interpreted his questions about finances to be referring to bills for which he still received a monthly statement, not defaulted accounts. The Individual credibly testified that this had been the case. However, the Individual was still unable to pay any of his defaulted accounts. The Administrative Judge found that the Individual had mitigated the Guideline E security concerns but had not mitigated the Guideline F concerns, and, accordingly, his access authorization should be denied. (OHA Case No. PSH-24-0167, Martin)