Here’s your weekly DOHA dose – a shot of security clearance appeal cases and their outcome. The Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals releases the results of their security clearance appeals cases. They’re one of the best insights into which clearance cases are granted or denied in the Department of Defense.

True or False: Having a Brother in Prison is a Violation of the Criminal Conduct Adjudicative Criteria.

We get a lot of questions on our ClearanceJobsBlog forum that start with ‘my friend…’ It’s easy to smirk and say this is clearly yet another person trying to veil their problems by pretending it’s a ‘friend’ with the issue. But there are legitimate reasons for friends to come to an online forum for security clearance applicants with questions of their own. The security clearance applicant is the only one applying for the security clearance, but friends, coworkers, relatives, and other references make their way onto the form, as well. Applicants also have to list ‘close and continuing’ contacts with foreign-born individuals, as well. When it comes to applying for a security clearance, your friends and your relatives matter – but maybe not in the ways you think.

Too many applicants overthink the role that friends and relatives will play in their security clearance determinations. No, your security clearance background investigator does not care if your college roommate does drugs. No, the government does not care if your parents struggle with mental illness and have financial issues. Just because you have to list them on your SF-86 doesn’t mean they need to have a squeaky clean background.

One DOHA case outlined an individual who had five siblings – one of whom was in prison and who the applicant conveniently left off of the SF-86. With so many siblings, the applicant may have assumed the government may lose track. They didn’t. In a subsequent personal subject interview, the applicant was asked specifically about the sibling in prison and the applicant still denied his existence. This is a rare case of someone who chose a lie, and stuck with it. Many applicants will fail to list derogatory information on the SF-86 but use the personal subject interview to come clean. This strategy doesn’t always work – but it’s certainly better than carrying on with a lie.

False: Your Black Sheep Brother Has No Bearing on Your Security Clearance

The unfortunate reality of this case was that if the applicant had come clean and listed the brother in prison on his SF-86, his security clearance would have almost assuredly have gone through. But in this case, the lie was too big to overcome, and particularly the applicant’s stubborn commitment to it. You can go on the record and say you hate your sibling, you wish they weren’t your sibling – whatever makes you feel better – but if you have a relative or reference that needs to be listed on the SF-86, list them. Anyone you try to hide will absolutely come out of the shadows, and will most likely result in a security clearance denial – not because of who they are, but because you are trying to hide them.

 

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Lindy Kyzer is the director of content at ClearanceJobs.com. Have a conference, tip, or story idea to share? Email lindy.kyzer@clearancejobs.com. Interested in writing for ClearanceJobs.com? Learn more here.. @LindyKyzer