Security Clearance and Credit Issues

[AprilShowers4]

I have been working hard to fix my credit but I have a tentative job offer for a job that requires a secret background investigation. I haven’t starting filling out forms but I am proactive and concerned. This position would require me to move many states.

The issue is I have an unpaid judgement from 2010. I was evicted and the apartment complex transferred the debt to hunter warfield, while it is no longer on my credit report it is still in the county court records. I have also paid off all but one collection account so I just need those to update to reflect that. Anyone familiar with this process? I don’t have any criminal issues, no tax issues or any other issue other than financial and this is stressing me out I can barely sleep. Please help me. My credit score is 677 but it doesn’t seem like they care about that. I pay all things on time now but I had a rough past :/

[RobertEG]

Detailed consideration of financial issues usually is done when the job involves feduciary/budget formulation duties or mid to higher level management responsibilities, where your actions can affect policy.

All federal jobs have, as part of their job description, a security level assessment of the job, which is then a factor in job grade assessment and applicant qualification.  That will be a prime focus.

Does the job require such duties, or is access to classified information essentially to perform technical duties in your job description?

Most importantly in any security investigation is truthfulness of the employee/applicant.

If you omit or try to conceal anything, that raises issues of possible susceptibility to coercion/blackmail, and can be a show-stopper.

Above all, be above board and dont attempt to hide requested information. 

[AprilShowers4]

I currently have public trust, the position involves analyzing data, charting data, things like that. I understand I would never lie

[Anonymous]

From what I've experienced, again this was under a whole different set of rules for clearances, as long as you were making substantive efforts to address the financial issues, that was sufficient to go ahead and grant a clearance.  I know of a few people personally who had tax liens and bank levies that were eventually granted a clearance, they just had to make some arrangements to be working actively to address those.

[Anonymous]

I have gone through the same process, with a lot worse items on my credit report, just be honest and open with them and let them know  your plan to take care of the issue. If the issue has been resolved and you have the paperwork to prove it, make a copy and have the copy notorized for them at the security clearance interview. I was given a clearance with bad credit and a tax lien, I told them the history of the items and that in the case of the lien that I had a payment plan set up and I showed them the paperwork.