A DOE Administrative Judge (AJ) denied an individual's request to have his security clearance restored. The Individual's clearance was suspended after he intentionally provided false or misleading information during a forensic psychological examination of him by a DOE Psychologist, in which he first claimed he had not been consuming alcohol, and then had admitted he had consumed a minimal amount of alcohol once he was informed that that he would be subject to laboratory tests to detect recent alcohol use. The individual also stated that his counselor had opined that he did not have an alcohol problem. Evidence in the record indicated that he had engaged in moderate to heavy alcohol consumption, and that the counselor had not told him that he did not have an alcohol problem.

At the hearing the individual admitted that he had provided false and misleading testimony, and that he would not repeat this behavior. Through his attorney, the individual presented the testimony of the counselor, who opined that the individual's deceitfulness was a symptom of his alcohol problem, and that the counseling the individual had received for his alcohol problem had made it unlikely that the individual would continue to engage in deceitful behavior. The individual, however, testified that he does not believe he has an alcohol problem. The AJ found that the individual was, in essence, claiming that his dishonesty and lack of candor occurred as a result of an alcohol problem which he claimed he does not have. Accordingly, the AJ found that the individual's security clearance should not be restored. OHA Case No. PSH-18-0011 (Steven L. Fine).