Debt and TS clearance

[LHR-lovehonorrespect]

Hello everyone.  I am new here and this is my first post, but I've been going around reading different ones and it looks like everyone is really helpful.  (I am also learning a LOT of acronyms)

Right now my husband is going in for AECF, he wanted to go in to CT, but MEPS said there were no openings.  I have been reading about DAR, but CT also requires that he needs TS clearance.  Well, we have some credit card debt, school debt and late on some payments.

We are going into this late in life (He is 33 and in great shape physically and mentally). We just had some life timing issues that didn't pan out for him to enlist until now.  He is going for Active duty.

Is it worth it to try and request a DAR for CT?  He needs to ship out sooner rather than later, and we are comfortable with the AECF rate (and it looks great) but the CT job had the appeal of having more shore based duty.  I am worried about the TS clearance and our credit is not the best right now and I read that debt plays a role in getting that TS.

Thank you in advance :)

[Craig]

LHR - I have done the CT stuff for about 35 years now, and his chances of getting into the CT field would be next to impossible.  The problem isn't the Top Secret clearance, it's the SBI access.  With what you're saying, there is just too much "dirt" in his background for the Navy to accept him as a CT.  

Frankly, I'm a little worried about the AECF group also.  He most likely will need a Top Secret clearance and he might not be cleared because of the finacial background.  Just to get him ready is case that happens while in boot camp he should make a list of 5 ratings (jobs) he would also consider.  Also, if the Navy says he's not eligible for AECF, they will offer him a discharge if he wants that.  So he needs to be prepared.

Lastly, over in our Facebook PIR group I post about the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). This will allow you guys to get your credit interest lowered because of a Federal law.  Read on:

*** Time to Learn the Navy ***
Car payment?  Credit Card debt?
- Sailors save $$ Thousands $$$ using the SCRA Federal Law -

What is SCRA?
I deal will sailors daily and one of the saddest thing I see is seeing sailors fail to take advantage of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) and the benefits it offers.  As active duty member of the United States Military, and per Federal law, these service members are eligible for SCRA benefits and protections on the following products:

- Line of credit, credit card and installment loans

- Mortgage and home equity secured loans

- Student loans

What does mean for them?  For all loans that they incurred PRIOR to military service they can ask the credit card or installment loan companies for the loan interest rate to be adjusted per the SCRA law.  This will lower the interest rate to 6%.  All interest rate above that will be permanently forgiven.  One catch, if there is a co-maker on the loan it might not be eligible, but is still worth calling about. 

The SCRA covers all Active Duty servicemembers, Reservists and the members of the National Guard while on active duty. The protection begins on the date of entering active duty.

When they call the various loan institutions, have them find out what is required for this benefit.  Some institutions will automatically adjust the interest rate, while some others will have you fill out a form and have the Commanding Officer sign.

There is a lot of info out there about SCRA.  Here is a couple of them:
http://archive.defense.gov/specials/Relief_Act_Revision/
and
See https://www.bankofamerica.com/military-banking/resources/scra/overv... for more info.

Craig

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[LHR-lovehonorrespect]

edited:

wow. ok a lot of information to process there, and quite a bit to consider as well.

I need help understanding some of this.  Other than our debt, which we are in the process of getting down, and can get most of the credit card stuff taken care of before bootcamp and the remainder sometime in A school...  the other items that show up on our debt is the car and us getting reeled into a timeshare thing and student loans (granted the student loans are quite a bit - we were paying off mine first and getting deferments on his)

so, other than that, we have a clean history, no drugs, no dui, we only occasionally (like once-twice a year have any alcohol and even that is mainly the toast drink at weddings) he has only ever had one speeding ticket, which was paid and had driving school to remove the point on the record... we volunteer in our church and are involved with our community... 

I am not sure what else we can do, or does even having debt remain on your record somehow?

Are you saying that even though he was signed at MEPS for AECF that he can still be dropped during DEP?

I have also found these 2 links:

http://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/security-clearance-jobs/securi...

the late payments and debt growth stemmed from a loss of employment and since then we have been making efforts to pay.

the second link is a little old, but is this still how it is done because I think we will be able to get much of this settled before A school graduation:

http://www.navydep.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1999

thank you for your help I will also look into that SCRA link

[LHR-lovehonorrespect]

thank you. I received that and I appreciate it.  :)

[Craig]

LHR - When you sign up for a rating, it doesn't mean you are promised to get it.  It only means that if you meet requirements of the job, then you'll get it.  For example, you might pass the MEPS medical screening for Colored Blindness, however you might not pass it at boot camp.  Remember MEPS is run by the Army.  The Navy has a harder test.  If you don't pass the test in boot camp, and you need to be color proficiant, then they will either re-rate you to another job, or, give you the opition of getting out.  Same as the clearance, if they pass the clearance, they will re-rate them or give them the opition of getting out.

Per the clearance, he will have his Secret clearance while in DEP.  It's just a National Agency check that they run and you get you clearance.  It's a very simple process.

For the Top Secret, it's harder.  Expecially now that Edward Snowden disclosed some of our classified stuff.  The problem is the type of debt you talked about.  When the investigators look, there is good debt (education for example) and bad debt (credit cards, cars for example).  The bad debt is the one that kills you.  Everyone knows a doctor will have a half-million student loan, but that's all good.  It's acceptable.  

I know you will be saying "the debt if from a long time ago".   That might be true, but the Navy looks at it as a life style.  Some habits are really hard to change, and rather than accepting someone that already has a track record, its easier to accept someone that has no record (ie a 18 year old just out of high school).  

The Navy will run a debt-to-income ratio to figure out where money is going and to see if it meets the eligiblity.  Kind-of like how they do it when you buy a house.  

I noticed you referred to the NavyDEP.com website.  That is good because that info might be old, but is still correct.  How do I know?  Because I wrote that.  I am the admin for NavyDEP.  That is my website.  

With that said, you will find a guy on there that I had through-out his DEP time, and while he was in the Navy.  His user name is Logicalchaos.  He was a Master-at-Arms (MA) that went to boot camp, "A" school, and was stationed in Japan.  About 1 year into his tour in Japan the command needed for him to get a Top Secret clearance, with the SBI access.  While they did their investigation they found out he didn't disclose a bankruptcy.  In about 2 months, we was discharged for a fraudulent enlistment. Yea, he was a great guy, but those skeletons in the closet popped up.    Sad, but true.

What many fail to realise is no matter how your life is now, the Navy looks at the whole picture.  You will hear all the time how people in jail change their life around.  They are off drugs, not alcholics, are leaders of their chuch, but they still have things on their records.  

With all this said, I just want you to be sure you understand how the Navy side works.  It's a extremely long time to get a Top Secret, with a SBI access clearance.  

Please don't kill the messenger.  Just wanted you to know that you need to keep all of your opitions open and to have a path to go if it doesn't go according to your plans.  

[LHR-lovehonorrespect]

Thank you for the responses. It's been really helpful. Lol. I did see that the username was the same, but I didn't want to assume.

Ok. Well, we are in the process of working out the "bad" debt.
My husband is currently a depper, and we just want to make sure we do our best on our end and not have any surprises. Is there someone we can contact and tell them anything we can think of that may hinder the process?

[Craig]

Don't contact anyone.  Let the investigators do the investigating.  

One thing, just don't lie about anything.  Let the card lay where they are.  So many try to cover up things which results in a Fraudulent Enlistment.  The dirt is already there, let them work with it.  

So many times I see future sailors not report things like criminal past as a minor.  They think that the judge "Expunged" their records.  Let me tell you, nothing is expundged.  The Federal government has access to every record, whether expunged or not.  Just like your credit report.  They can look way back into the history.  

Again, their investigators, let them investigate...

[LHR-lovehonorrespect]

Well, we will try to get things with our finances straightened out as best we can. Then see where it takes us from there. Either way, I'm proud of my husband for choosing to serve. We will also make a couple of lists. Do you happen to know of any computer-related rates that would not need TS?
Thank you :)

[Craig]

Just to add on a little Trivia...
Why are people the CT ratings disqualified if they served in the Peace Corps?

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

*** Time to Learn the Navy ***

Why is the Peace Corps an Automatic Disqualifier for CTM, CTI, CTR, CTT, CTN, IS, IT, YN, MT ratings?
(click “See More” to find out)

Q: Why does Peace Corps Service disqualify you from certain military jobs?  (ie CT, IT, IS)

A. To avoid even the APPEARANCE of impropriety. The Peace Corps doesn't want host countries to think their volunteers are a cover job for spies, nor that the Corps is a training ground for spies. The CIA and Defense Department have agreed to the restriction.

There is an old Chinese saying - "If you are walking through your neighbor's melon patch, don't stoop down to tie your shoes." It means that even if your heart is pure, don't do something suspicious.

Most host country nationals have a hard enough time wondering why someone would leave the land of fast cars, blondes in red swim suits and easy living to teach Biology in an upriver secondary school. (An appalling number of Host Country Nationals (HCNs) get their information about the USA from TV shows; "Bay Watch" is still a big hit overseas).

If people went into the CIA or Army intelligence from the Peace Corps, it would look like the Peace Corps was training spies. If people went into the Peace Corps from the CIA, it would look like they were using it as a cover job. So, you can't be a Peace Corps volunteer if you have ever worked for the CIA. You can't go directly into the CIA after the Peace Corps, either. The restrictions on military specialties deemed "intelligence gathering" are a little less strict, but there are restrictions. There has to be time lag between one and the other. The last time I checked it was 10 years.

Along those lines, if you hunt in the USA, you can't take guns with you, even if you go to Kenya and the annoying hyenas make pests of themselves. If you are a ham radio operator in the USA, you can't take your radio with you either. Again, avoiding the appearance of impropriety.

Craig

PIRGifts.com (Providing funding for NavyDEP.com)
NavyDEP.com – Our Mission: Remember - Honor – and Teach
“To Remember the fallen; Honor those who serve, and to Teach our future sailors the value of freedom.”

[LHR-lovehonorrespect]

That is really interesting...