PSH-18-0051 - In the Matter of Personnel Security Hearing

On September 25, 2018, an Administrative Judge decided not to restore access authorization to an Individual. The Individual is employed by a DOE contractor in a position that requires her to hold a security clearance. During the course of reinvestigation, investigators discovered that the Individual had been experiencing pseudo seizures related to a psychological condition for over one year. The Individual was referred to a DOE Psychologist for evaluation. The DOE Psychologist diagnosed the Individual with Bipolar II disorder. The Individual's security clearance was suspended.

At the hearing, the Individual's personal psychologist testified that the Individual should be compliant with a treatment plan including medication and therapy for at least six months in order to receive a good prognosis. The DOE Psychologist did not disagree, but testified that she would prefer a year of compliance. As of the hearing date, the Individual had been on medication for Bipolar II for about one month and had irregular therapy attendance in 2018. As such, neither psychologist could give a good prognosis for the Individual at the time of the hearing. Because the Individual was not regularly attending therapy, had not been on medication for Bipolar II for a significant period of time, and because neither psychologist could give the Individual a good prognosis, the Administrative Judge found that the Individual had not mitigated the security concerns under Guideline I and found that the Individual's access authorization should not be restored. OHA Case No. PSH-18-0051 (Richard A. Cronin, Jr.).