Category Archives: Security Clearance
Do I Have Any Recourse After Being Found “Unsuitable?”
In order to obtain certain government positions, a person must apply for and be granted a security clearance. This is a process that can be long and involved; given the high stakes of granting a clearance, the relevant agency has to be certain that the person’s appointment would not damage the workings or the… Read More »
Can My Family Ties In Foreign Countries Be Used Against Me When Applying For A Security Clearance?
Most of the time, when a person is applying for a job, they are doing so on their own merits, with only their record and their achievements to speak for them. However, when a person is applying for a security clearance, much more than their own record is scrutinized – everything from past friends… Read More »
Will Falling Behind on My Student Loan Payments Doom My Efforts to Obtain a Security Clearance?
Student loan debt is a significant burden carried by many people in this country. Unlike other types of consumer debts, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to discharge unpaid student loans in bankruptcy. As a result, it is not uncommon for people to default on their student loans or otherwise fall behind on… Read More »
How Will an Old Credit Card Debt Affect the Renewal of My Security Clearance?
Many people who require a security clearance for their jobs run into problems due to financial difficulties. Under the Department of Defense’s guidelines, the “failure to live within one’s means, satisfy debts, and meet financial obligations” may be cited as grounds for rejecting or revoking a clearance. The main concern is that a clearance… Read More »
Suitability and Fitness Determinations: How they Differ from Security Clearance Actions
Potential clients end up calling our offices all the time and the story similar, “I’ve been denied a security clearance and I need help!” When it comes time for the appointment and the individual shares their documentation, it is apparent that they have not been denied a security clearance, they have been denied or… Read More »
How Poor Financial Decisions Can Affect Your Ability to Obtain a Security Clearance
Financial problems can seriously affect your ability to obtain or retain a government security clearance. Under the guidelines used by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), an applicant’s “[f]ailure or inability to live within one’s means, satisfy debts, and meet financial obligations” may be cited as evidence they cannot be trusted with classified information…. Read More »
Responding to Interrogatories from Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) or Department of Defense Consolidated Adjudications Facility (DoD CAF)
Have you received Interrogatories from the Department of Defense Consolidated Adjudications Facility (DoD CAF) or the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA)? If so, you are probably feeling like all other individuals who have received them in the past, and as those will feel in the future – nervous, anxious, scared, and confused…. Read More »
Can I Get and Extension of Time to Respond to the Statement of Reasons (SOR)?
Have you received a Statement of Reasons (SOR) from the Department of Defense Consolidated Adjudications Facility (DoD CAF) or other Government Entity revoking or denying you a security clearance? If so, you are probably feeling like all other individuals who have received them in the past, and as those will feel in the future… Read More »
Can Hearsay Evidence Count Against Me in a Security Clearance Appeal?
When the Department of Defense denies your application for a security clearance, you do have the right to appeal and ask for a hearing. Such hearings are administrative in nature, however, rather than criminal. This means that certain types of evidence that are not admissible in a normal court may still be considered by… Read More »
Failing to Pay Your Taxes on Time Can Cost You Your Security Clearance
Many Americans find themselves in a financial pinch where they cannot pay their taxes on-time. If you work in a normal job, this may not be a big deal; you simply pay the additional penalties and interest and go on with your life. But if you work in a position that requires a federal… Read More »
