WPCd  O1~ɑ0DFb45r<—i65(W"v!MteӃUy]آ"~1'{(/jr1LaP\.H ' {A! o.HZcK㣫 *uWe GWc/;OgNHL.ܦCW/EY:5xbM_Eh5teLo}A`>(MgPdG~ 5s Ԑ%>'Y'>GLM)E,3D~clƕ 0e`1ٷD\-W"|*y gh>~wSLoa(K|PÙ ލb CP [TDEF|4ɨYG|ڈ`x3 Dp< &! !6Ul!v5A2}@N"}Ȇpn=;p?p8ZaZ#UN % 0: ZC ^ w 4   m Z EC NE E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E BG Hewlett-Packard HP LaserJet P3010 Series0(9 Z6Times New Roman RegularX($USUS.,8DocumentManagement::ModifiedBooleanTRUESEK;EJers3|xU8DocumentManagement::ModifiedBooleanTRUE d !USUS.,  _KEYWORD:GuidelineF  DIGEST:Applicantsargumentis,ineffect,adisagreementwiththeJudgesweighingofthe  evidence,whichisnotenoughtoshowthattheJudgeweighedtheevidenceinamannerthatwas t arbitrary,capricious,orcontrarytolaw.Adversedecisionaffirmed. ` _CASENO_:1603438.a1 8  DATE:10/5/2017  `    `     h      p DATE:October5,2017  8  .؉7r(#(#.AY) xdEgA   InRe:        W ApplicantforSecurityClearance / AY) xdEgA W )   )   ) p ) \ ) H ) 4 )  p )  \  H pX p _ISCR_ԀCaseNo.1603438 \"  H# .؉7r. \XXp  #    APPEALBOARDDECISION  $ APPEARANCES '  &%XX FORGOVERNMENT  X ) JamesB.Norman,Esq.,ChiefDepartmentCounsel 0!*  FORAPPLICANT  "0,  Prose #XX%&)# #-     TheDepartmentofDefense(DoD)declinedtograntApplicantasecurityclearance.On f&!0 December22,2016,DoDissuedastatementofreasons(_SOR_)advisingApplicantofthebasisfor R'"1 thatdecision!securityconcernsraisedunderGuidelineF(FinancialConsiderations)ofDepartment >(#2 ofDefenseDirective5220.6(Jan.2,1992,asamended)(Directive).Applicantrequestedahearing. *)z$3 OnJuly26,2017,afterthehearing,DefenseOfficeofHearingsandAppeals(DOHA) *f%4 AdministrativeJudgeCarolG._Ricciardello_ԀdeniedApplicantsrequestforasecurityclearance. +R&5 ApplicantappealedpursuanttoDirectiveE3.1.28andE3.1.30. +>'6   Applicantraisedthefollowingissueonappeal:whethertheJudgesadversedecisionwas -)8 arbitrary,capricious,orcontrarytolaw.Consistentwiththefollowing,weaffirm.    TheJudgesFindingsofFact  t   ApplicanthasbeenemployedbyaFederalcontractorsinceJanuary2015.His_SOR_Ԁlists L  numerousdelinquentdebts,oneofwhichisaleasethathecosignedwithhisson,thoughthe 8  predominanceofthemaremedicalexpenses.Applicanthiredacreditcounselingservicetoassist $ t himinresolvinghisdebts,andtheJudgefoundthatfourofthoselistedinthe_SOR_Ԁhadbeen  ` addressed.However,forthebalance,shefoundtheopposite.ShestatedthatApplicantseffortsto  L  resolvehisdebtsdidnotbeginuntilhehadreceivedthe_SOR_,despitetheirhavingbeeninexistence  8  forseveralyears. $    Applicantattributedhisfinancialproblemstoseveralperiodsofunemployment,alackof   healthinsurance,andadivorce.Hestatedthat,afterhisdivorce,hemovedfourtimesandchanged   insurancecompanies.Sometimesmedicalbillswerenottransferredtothenewcarrier.When   interviewedabouthisdebtsbyaGovernmentinvestigator,Applicantadvisedthathewouldpayall p ofhisoutstandingdebts.InhisAnswertothe_SOR_,Applicantstatedthathewasintheprocessof \ determiningthevalidityofchargesandwouldhavetheinformationatthetimeofthehearing.As H statedabove,manyofthe_SOR_Ԁdebtshadbeendelinquentsince2013andlonger. 4   TheJudgesAnalysis   \   TheJudgestatedthatmostofApplicantsdebtsareoverfouryearsoldandremain 4 unresolved.Shestatedthatshecouldnotconcludethatapplicantsfinancialproblemswereunlikely   torecur.Thoughnotingcircumstancesoutsidehiscontrolthataffectedhisfinancialproblems,the   Judgefoundthathehadnotdemonstratedresponsibleactioninregardtothem.Shecitedto  evidencethatapplicantseffortstoresolvehisproblemsdidnotoccuruntilafterhehadreceivedthe  _SOR_.ShenotedthecreditcounselingfirmthatApplicanthashiredbutstatedthatitistooearlyto  concludethatheisadheringtoagoodfaithefforttorepaycreditors. l   Inthewholepersonanalysis,theJudgecitedtoApplicantsunemployment,lackofhealth D! insurance,anddivorce.Ontheotherhand,shealsocitedtoApplicantscontinuousemployment 0"  sinceJanuary2015andtohisrelativetardinessinaddressinghisfinancialproblems.Shestatedthat #l! thereislittleevidencetoshowthat,onceemployed,Applicantundertookresponsibleactionto $X" addresshisdelinquentdebts. $D #   Discussion  &"%   Applicantcontendsthathehassuccessfullymitigatedalloftheallegationsinthe_SOR_.He (#' citestohisexhibits,which,hebelieves,showthathisfinancialproblemsareundercontrol.The )$( JudgediscussedmuchofApplicantsevidence,bothinherfindingsandinheranalysis.Applicants |*%) argumentis,ineffect,adisagreementwiththeJudgesweighingoftheevidence,whichisnot h+&* enoughtoshowthattheJudgeweighedtheevidenceinamannerthatwasarbitrary,capricious,or T,'+ contrarytolaw.See,e.g.,_ISCR_ԀCaseNo.1508711at3(App.Bd.Aug.24,2017).Giventhe @-(, JudgesfindingsabouttherelativeageofApplicantsdebtsandhishavingundertakentoresolve  themonlyafterhavingreceivedthe_SOR_,weconcludethattheJudgesdecisionissustainable.    TheJudgeexaminedtherelevantevidenceandarticulatedasatisfactoryexplanationforthe t decision.Thedecisionissustainableonthisrecord. Thegeneralstandardisthataclearancemay ` begrantedonlywhenclearlyconsistentwiththeinterestsofthenationalsecurity.Department L  oftheNavyv.Egan,484U.S.518,528(1988).SeealsoDirective,Encl.2,App.A2(b): Any 8  doubtconcerningpersonnelbeingconsideredfornationalsecurityeligibilitywillberesolvedinfavor $ t ofthenationalsecurity.  ` @( Order0 p  8 p(#p(#   TheDecisionis AFFIRMED .      `     h   Signed:Michael_Raanan_Ԁ t    `     h   Michael_Raanan_ `    `     h   AdministrativeJudge L    `     h   Chairperson,AppealBoard 8    `     h   Signed:JamesE.Moody 8    `     h   JamesE.Moody $    `     h   AdministrativeJudge     `     h   Member,AppealBoard     `     h   Signed:JamesF.Duffy x   \     `     h   _James_ԀF.Duffy H!    `     h   AdministrativeJudge 4"     `     h   Member,Appeal_Board___