Mid-Year Statistics on Reasons for Security Clearance Denial Appeals
We are at the mid-year point and so far the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals (DOHA) Board heard 979 clearance denial appeals. Below is a breakdown by adjudicative category of the types of issues involved (Note – many cases had multiple issues):
| Adjudicative Guideline | YTD |
| Guideline A: Allegiance to the U.S | 0 |
| Guideline B: Foreign Influence | 65 |
| Guideline C: Foreign Preference | 18 |
| Guideline D: Sexual Behavior | 9 |
| Guideline E: Personal Conduct | 122 |
| Guideline F: Financial Considerations | 304 |
| Guideline G: Alcohol Consumption | 37 |
| Guideline H: Drug Involvement | 33 |
| Guideline I: Psychological Conditions | 0 |
| Guideline J: Criminal Conduct | 35 |
| Guideline K: Handling Protected Information | 4 |
| Guideline L: Outside Activities | 0 |
| Guideline M: Use of IT Systems | 6 |
As a reminder, these are only the results from DOD Industrial Security contractor appeals and do not include security clearance denials or appeals processed for the military, the Intelligence Community agencies, State Department, Department of Energy, or the various other government agencies that grant their own clearances. With the wealth of information available on the ClearanceJobs.com main site and this blog site, as well as other resources cited in the various posts, security clearance applicants should be savvy about how to prepare for the background investigation process in order to avoid delays and provide mitigation for potential issues. Knowledge and preparation can help expedite and smooth the potentially long and arduous path to getting a security clearance.
Look at all the Guideline F (Financial Considerations) revocations! All you clearance holders better be paying your debts! Apparently the government is really cracking down.