PSH-18-0047 - In the Matter of Personnel Security Hearing

On September 24, 2018, an Administrative Judge determined that an Individual's access authorization under 10 C.F.R. Part 710 should not be granted. In his application for access authorization, the Individual listed several past due or defaulted debts. Many had not received a payment in years. At his hearing, the Individual provided evidence that he had settled one debt and started a payment plan on another. However, the Individual stated that he intended to leave three other debts in default for at least the next few months, but possibly the next few years, so that he could avoid accruing a large tax debt from settlements.

The Administrative Judge found that the Individual did not mitigate the security concerns related to his financial issues because he had not resolved several of his debts and appeared unwilling to resolve them in the near future. Furthermore, the Individual was only a few months into his payment plan, which was simply not long enough to overcome a years long pattern of nonpayment. The Administrative Judge concluded that the evidence in this case established that the Individual's financial issues were still a concern. She therefore concluded that the Individual's access authorization should not be granted. OHA Case No. PSH-18-0047 (Katie Quintana).