Financial irresponsibility could jeopardize clearance

  • Published
  • By Mark Mooney
  • 22nd Security Forces Squadron
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Bills, bills and more bills - are you tired of them? No, this isn't a television commercial for a loan company, but it does deal with the importance of managing your financial obligations. 

If you didn't know, your financial status plays an important role in the Personnel Security Program and is a crucial part of national security.
In 2005 approximately 1,000 security clearances were denied or revoked by the Central Adjudication Facility due to financial irresponsibility. That's more than twice the number of cases in 2004. 

Why are finances such a concern? When individuals have financial difficulties, it could indicate a lack of personal responsibility. The weight of the monetary obligation may pressure a person into engaging in illegal acts to generate funds. This pressure may put into question the person's loyalty, reliability and trustworthiness. 

Throughout a person's military or civil service career, they will have many reviews of their security clearances conducted. During the review process questions concerning their financial history will be asked. Questions such as: have you ever filed for bankruptcy or have your wages been garnished for any reason? If the answer is yes to any of the questions, detailed information must be provided. 

Guidelines have been established allowing the adjudicator to take into consideration the whole person. These guidelines assist the adjudicator in determining if the individual has a history of not meeting financial obligations, or worse - being involved in deceptive or illegal financial practices. Some of these illegal practices such as embezzlement, employee theft, check fraud, and other intentional financial breaches of trust, raise security concerns and may disqualify an individual from a security clearance. 

As with anything in life there are always mitigating factors which are taken into consideration when financial obligations are reviewed. Instances showing the behavior was an isolated incident, or resulted from an event that was largely beyond the person's control are factored in before the final decision is made. The adjudicator has access to a person's entire financial history. Hiding information or not being completely honest will most assuredly peak the interest of the adjudicator and could cause a denial or revocation of a security clearance. 

Having a security clearance denied or revoked could have a devastating effect on a person's life, coworkers and the Air Force mission. Depending on their job, a person may be required to maintain a security clearance, failing to do so could result in a loss of a job, position and ultimately a career. This definitely has a direct impact on the Air Force mission. 

How can a person prevent financial problems from jeopardizing their security clearance? First, keep tabs on your financial situation. Take advantage of "The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003" and get a free credit report every year. People can go to www.annualcreditreport.com for more information. Second, make timely payments to creditors; if this isn't possible contact them and work out a payment plan. Keep accurate records of all correspondence. Finally, live within your means by not over extending financial obligations. 

Should there be financial problems, don't wait till it's time to submit security clearance paperwork before taking action. This lack-of-action could have serious consequences on security clearance eligibility. Keep all legal documents such as bankruptcy, marriage and divorce documents; this will aid in explaining any issues that may surface when a security clearance review begins. 

Financial problems are issues each of us have experienced at some point in our life; how we handle them, fix them, and prevent them from happening again is what is really important. Keep in mind there are three key factors for an individual to get or to retain their clearance; loyalty, reliability and trustworthiness. Do not become a security risk. Keep your financial house in order.