When it comes to your livelihood, nothing is more devastating than losing — or being denied — your security clearance. For most cleared professionals, every day without clearance is a day of lost income — often $10,000–$20,000 per month. The stakes couldn’t be higher.

If you work in defense contracting, intelligence, the military, or a federal agency, your clearance isn’t just paperwork. It’s your passport to opportunity. Lose your clearance, lose your career. Don’t take that risk.

In this guide, we’ll break down what disqualifies you from a security clearance, how the government evaluates risks, and most importantly, what you can do to fight back.

Understanding the Rules: The Adjudicative Guidelines

The federal government doesn’t make clearance decisions in a vacuum. Instead, they use the Adjudicative Guidelines for Determining Eligibility for Access to Classified Information. These 13 guidelines are the rulebook — and they cover everything from finances to foreign influence.

The government’s core question is simple:

“Can we trust you to protect classified information?”

Anything that raises doubts about your reliability, trustworthiness, or loyalty can be disqualifying. But not all concerns are fatal — with the right mitigation, many applicants can overcome them.

The 13 Guidelines That Can Disqualify You

1. Guideline A: Allegiance to the United States

Disqualifying factors:

  • Membership in or support for organizations seeking to overthrow the U.S.

  • Advocacy of terrorism or violence against the government

2. Guideline B: Foreign Influence

Disqualifying factors:

  • Immediate family members living abroad

  • Significant financial interests in foreign countries

  • Substantial foreign business connections

3. Guideline C: Foreign Preference

Disqualifying factors:

  • Possession of a foreign passport

  • Military service in a foreign country

  • Applying for or accepting benefits from a foreign government

4. Guideline D: Sexual Behavior

Disqualifying factors:

  • Criminal sexual misconduct

  • High-risk sexual behavior that could lead to coercion or exploitation

5. Guideline E: Personal Conduct

Disqualifying factors:

  • Deliberate omission or falsification on the SF-86

  • Dishonesty in dealings with investigators

  • Untrustworthy patterns of behavior

6. Guideline F: Financial Considerations

Disqualifying factors:

  • Unexplained affluence

  • Significant unpaid debts, foreclosures, or tax liens

  • Gambling problems or financial irresponsibility

7. Guideline G: Alcohol Consumption

Disqualifying factors:

  • Alcohol-related arrests (DUI, disorderly conduct)

  • Diagnosed alcohol dependency

  • Alcohol misuse that affects work or judgment

8. Guideline H: Drug Involvement and Substance Misuse

Disqualifying factors:

  • Illegal drug use (even marijuana in states where legal)

  • Prescription drug abuse

  • Drug-related arrests

9. Guideline I: Psychological Conditions

Disqualifying factors:

  • Diagnosed conditions that impair judgment, stability, or reliability

  • Failure to follow prescribed treatment

10. Guideline J: Criminal Conduct

Disqualifying factors:

  • Felony convictions

  • Repeated misdemeanor offenses

  • Recent criminal behavior of any kind

11. Guideline K: Handling Protected Information

Disqualifying factors:

  • Mishandling classified information

  • Unauthorized disclosures (intentional or negligent)

12. Guideline L: Outside Activities

Disqualifying factors:

  • Employment or business ties with foreign governments or entities

  • Activities that could conflict with national security obligations

13. Guideline M: Use of Information Technology

Disqualifying factors:

  • Improper use of government IT systems

  • Unauthorized access to classified systems

  • Cybersecurity violations

How the Government Decides

Clearance adjudications follow the whole person concept. That means one mistake won’t automatically end your career. Instead, adjudicators weigh:

  • Nature and seriousness of the conduct

  • Frequency and recency

  • Circumstances surrounding the incident

  • Evidence of rehabilitation

  • Likelihood of recurrence

Translation: a DUI from 10 years ago may not matter if you’ve stayed sober since. But unpaid debts last year? That’s a red flag until you prove stability.

Practical Consequences of Disqualifications

For cleared professionals, disqualification doesn’t just mean denial. It means:

  • Immediate suspension from your job

  • Lost paychecks — $10,000–$20,000 a month gone

  • Damaged career — a clearance denial follows you, making future approvals harder

  • Stress at home — families left without stability, uncertainty for months or years

Defenses and Mitigation Strategies

Here’s the good news: most disqualifying issues can be fought — if you know how.

  • Financial Issues (Guideline F): Show repayment plans, counseling, debt reduction, and responsible new habits.

  • Foreign Influence (Guideline B): Demonstrate strong U.S. ties (citizenship, marriage, property, employment, taxes).

  • Alcohol/Drug Issues (Guidelines G & H): Provide treatment records, sobriety evidence, support letters, negative test results.

  • Criminal Conduct (Guideline J): Highlight passage of time, rehabilitation, and evidence of changed behavior.

  • Personal Conduct (Guideline E): Admit omissions, explain context, and demonstrate candor moving forward.

Visit our Security Clearance Education Hub for in-depth mitigation guides, depending on the issue.

Hypotheticals & Examples

Hypothetical 1: The Contractor with Debt Problems

Situation: John owes $50,000 in unpaid credit cards after his wife’s job loss.
Wrong Move: “This debt isn’t a big deal, I’ll pay it off eventually.”
Winning Move: John hires NSLF. We show repayment plans, financial counseling, and repayment records. Adjudicators agree he’s rehabilitated. Clearance saved.

Hypothetical 2: The Analyst with Family Abroad

Situation: Ahmed’s parents live in Egypt.
Wrong Move: “I talk to them every day, but it doesn’t affect my work.”
Winning Move: NSLF demonstrates Ahmed’s deep U.S. ties — U.S. spouse, mortgage, taxes, long employment. Clearance granted.

Hypothetical 3: The Officer with a DUI

Situation: Maria, an Army officer, got a DUI in 2021.
Wrong Move: “It wasn’t fair, everyone drinks.”
Winning Move: NSLF presents her alcohol treatment, sobriety records, and command letters. Clearance retained.

Hypothetical 4: The Applicant Who Lied on the SF-86

Situation: Samantha failed to disclose marijuana use.
Wrong Move: “I didn’t think it counted.”
Winning Move: With NSLF, she provides full disclosure, explains mistake, shows drug-free history. Clearance preserved.

FAQs

Q: Will one mistake automatically disqualify me?
A: No. The government considers the whole person concept. Mitigation is possible.

Q: Can marijuana use still disqualify me if it’s legal in my state?
A: Yes. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Any use can be disqualifying.

Q: What about old debts I’ve already paid off?
A: If you can show documentation of repayment, old debts are often not fatal.

Q: Should I try to handle this myself?
A: No. Clearance cases are highly specialized. One wrong word can sink your case.

If you’re facing potential disqualification, time is not on your side. The earlier you get help, the stronger your case. Don’t wait for a denial to hit — fight back now with the team that knows the government’s playbook.

⚖️ NSLF’s Security Clearance Defense Package

When you retain the National Security Law Firm (NSLF), you don’t just get a lawyer—you get a battle-hardened team of government insiders, military veterans, and former judges who know exactly how the clearance system works from the inside out.

Here’s what you get:

✅ Free Consultation ($500 value) – No charge, no pressure
✅ Government Insiders – Insider perspective you won’t get elsewhere
✅ Attorney Review Board Guarantee – Your case reviewed by multiple clearance attorneys, not left to one lawyer’s judgment
✅ Flat-Fee Pricing, No Surprises – Know exactly what it costs
✅ Flexible Legal Financing – Through Pay Later by Affirm, spread payments over 3–24 months. Start today with $0 down
✅ Plus: NSLF’s Security Clearance Resource Hub – Direct access to one of the nation’s most comprehensive clearance libraries, relied on by thousands

💵 What Does It Cost to Fight Clearance Loss?

At NSLF, we believe in transparent, flat-fee pricing:

  • Statement of Reasons (SOR) Response: $5,000

  • Letter of Interrogatory (LOI) Response: $3,500 (with $3,000 credited if escalated to an SOR)

  • Hearing Representation (Includes Travel): $7,500

  • SF-86 Review: $950

We also offer flexible financing through Pay Later by Affirm.

👉 Learn more here

🛡️ Why Choose National Security Law Firm?

At NSLF, we are:

  • The go-to clearance firm with a 4.9-star Google rating

  • Attorneys with decades of combined experience in military law, federal employment, and DOHA litigation

  • Former adjudicators, prosecutors, judges, and federal investigators

  • Based in Washington, D.C., the hub of clearance decision-making

  • Built by disabled veterans who understand sacrifice

  • A team that meets weekly to strategize every complex case

Meet Our Elite Security Clearance Team:

  • Brett O’Brien – Founder, DOHA insider, Navy classified litigation + Army trial advocacy trained, 14+ years in intelligence & counterintelligence.

  • Luke Rose – 16 years Army National Security Law attorney, Iraq & Afghanistan deployments, intelligence law advisor.

  • Sean Rogers – Retired Army JAG Lt. Colonel, Special Victim Prosecutor, career litigator with clearance & national security experience.

  • Katie Quintana – Former DOE Administrative Judge & Acting Chief Judge, adjudicated clearance denials nationwide, FOIA expert.

📚 Additional Resources

Visit our Security Clearance Resource Hub to explore:

  • How to avoid SF-86 mistakes

  • Strategies for responding to LOIs & SORs

  • What triggers investigations—and how to get ahead of them

  • Defense tactics for foreign contacts, financial issues, drug use, and more

🚀 Book a Free Consultation — Take Back Control

Every day you wait is another day without clarity. Whether you’ve just been suspended, received an SOR, or lost your clearance outright, we can help you build a winning defense.

👉 Book your free consultation here

It’s quick, easy, and confidential — and it may be the most important step you take today.

National Security Law Firm: It’s Our Turn to Fight for You.