PSH-23-0135 - In the Matter of Personnel Security Hearing

On December 12, 2023, an Administrative Judge determined that the Individual's access authorization should not be granted under 10 C.F.R. Part 710. The Individual is employed by a DOE contractor in a position that requires him to hold a security clearance. The Local Security Office (LSO) received potentially derogatory information indicating that the Individual had failed to disclose his illicit drug use in the Questionnaire for National Security Positions (QNSP). 
The Individual testified on his own behalf as to the circumstances. The record revealed that although he disclosed some drug use to the investigator during the Enhanced Subject Interview (ESI), he did not full disclose the totality of his drug involvement until he sent a letter to the investigator following the ESI. As the Individual failed to promptly disclose the omissions, the Administrative Judge could not conclude that the Individual had mitigated the stated Guideline E concerns (OHA Case No. PSH-23-0135, Rahimzadeh)