PSH-20-0034 - In the Matter of Personnel Security Hearing

On January 28, 2021, an Administrative Judge (AJ) determined that an Individual's access authorization should not  be  restored  under  10 C.F.R.  Part  710.  The  Individual  is  employed  by a DOE contractor in a position that requires a security clearance.  During  the  security  clearance reinvestigation process, the Individual submitted a QNSP certifying that he had not    used illegal drugs or controlled substances in the past seven years, nor illegally used drugs or controlled substances while possessing a security  clearance;  however,  he  later  admitted  to  using marijuana two times during that period. Consequently, the DOE suspended his security clearance citing Guidelines E and H of the Adjudicative Guidelines.

At the hearing, the Individual did not  dispute  the  DOE's  allegations  but  rather  provided  witness testimony to clarify and supplement the record. At the conclusion of the hearing, the AJ remain concerned that the Individual's falsifications of relevant information on  the  QNSP  were deliberate because, in part, he did not provide credible  testimony  surrounding  his  motivation for providing inaccurate information. Accordingly, the AJ concluded that the  Individual had not mitigated the Guideline E security concerns. As  for  the  Guideline  H  concerns, the record convincingly  suggested  that  the  Individual's  past  drug  use  was  infrequent, and it occurred long ago under life circumstances that no longer exist. As such, the AJ found that the Individual had mitigated the Guideline H security concerns.

Accordingly, the Administrative Judge concluded that the Individual's  access  authorization  should not be restored. OHA  Case  No.PSH-20-0034 (James  P. Thompson  III,).