An Analysis of Clearance Review Decisions by the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals

The Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) conducts industrial security clearance reviews for Defense contractor employees who appeal the denial or revocation of a security clearance. In December, 1999, USA Today published an article suggesting that DOHA granted security clearances in a manner inconsistent with applicable adjudicative guidelines. The purpose of this study was to assess whether the clearance review decisions reported by USA Today were representative of all DOHA decisions resulting in the granting of a clearance. Results indicated that approximately 72% of DOHA clearance reviews resulted in a security clearance denial/revocation. DOHA denied a security clearance in approximately 86% of cases with issues similar to those presented in the USA Today article. Thus, in cases similar to those chosen by USA Today, DOHA usually denied rather than granted a security clearance.