The “Alcohol Consumption” criterion under the National Security Adjudicative Guidelines affects many security clearance applicants, particularly those who have received alcohol counseling and those who have been involved in alcohol-related incidents, such as drunk driving, disorderly conduct, and public intoxication. Others who have been cautioned by a superior about alcohol use or experienced work, social, legal, financial, or health problems as a result of drinking can also be affected.

A 2003 national survey of drug use showed that about 60% of Americans between 19 and 30 years of age had used an illegal drug and about 20% had used a prescription drug for nonmedical reasons some time in their lives. The “Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse” (Guideline H) criterion under the “National Security Adjudicative Guidelines For Determining Eligibility for Access To Classified Information or Eligibility to Hold a Sensitive Position” affects the clearance eligibility of many applicants by making any illegal use of drugs a potentially disqualifying condition. It also makes simple possession, purchase, sale, . . .

“An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans . . . suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.” Nearly two-thirds of these people do not seek treatment; some because of the stigma that is associated with mental health treatment. Mental health issues can adversely affect an individual’s eligibility for a federal security clearance, but many clearance applicants worry unnecessarily and sometimes choose not to seek treatment due to fears that it could result in the denial or revocation of a clearance.

The “Criminal Conduct” criterion in the National Security Adjudicative Guidelines (NSAG) affects security clearance applicants who have been arrested, charged or convicted of a single serious crime or multiple lesser offenses. Others who have intentionally provided false information on their clearance application forms, who have had illegal drug involvement, or who have been involved in previously unreported crime can also be affected. Over the years Criminal Conduct has consistently been among the 5 most common reasons for security clearance denial.

In 2010 over 64% of cases involving Guideline K: Handling Protected Information decided at Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) resulted in security clearance denials or revocations. All of these cases also cited Guideline E: Personal Conduct and/or Guideline M: Use of Information Technology as potentially disqualifying issues. These addition issues were directly related to the Guideline K conduct, because they displayed questionable judgment and unreliable behavior and/or because they involved computers.

Outside activities that present a security concern are usually those involving a foreign business, organization, or government. Without a favorable security evaluation of the outside activity by the appropriate federal agency, the applicant is left with the problem of deciding whether to preemptively eliminate the potential security concern by terminating the activity and suffer a loss of income or other personal benefit before being told if the activity actually represents a disqualifying condition.

Most cases involving misuse of information technology (Guideline M) have involved only 1 of the 8 potentially disqualifying conditions”—the “unauthorized use of a government or other information technology system.” These cases have almost always involved the viewing of pornographic material on a government or company-owned computer in violation of their employers’ rules.