Personnel Security Hearing (PSH)

Personnel Security; Access Authorization Restored; Guideline G (Alcohol Consumption)

On May 21, 2019, an Administrative Judge issued a decision in which she determined that an individual’s DOE access authorization should be restored. In invoking Guideline G, the LSO cited as security concerns the DOE Psychologist’s conclusion that the Individual meets the DSM-5 criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder-Mild without adequate evidence of rehabilitation or reformation, the Individual’s statements during his PSI about his drinking habits, and a January 2018 alcohol-related incident that led to the Individual’s hospitalization. During the hearing, the Individual presented testimony and evidence that he had been abstaining from alcohol for approximately six months and attending AA for approximately four months. After the hearing, in which the DOE Psychologist gave the Individual a positive prognosis with a low risk for relapse despite his sobriety falling short of the recommended 12 months, the Administrative Judge found that the Individual mitigated the Guideline G security concerns, and accordingly, determined that the Individual’s access authorization should be restored. OHA Case No. PSH-19-0010 (Brooke A. DuBois)