Credit report and the Army

[gizarnmedic]

How much does your credit report have to do will getting a commission in the Army Reserve. Most of the negative things are due to drop off in a year or so.

Any information would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

[just_cause, BSN, RN]

gizarn, I don't think it affects your commission but rather could affect your security clearance which then could impact the commission.... I would google security clearance and your problem.

The impact is normally not a low credit score but someone who is in a situation that is desperate for money and thus likely to do something drastic... so i understood this to be huge debt or gambling problems... or perhaps crazy low credit score - I'm not a clearance expert and also don't know the extent of your problem. if it were simply a below avg credit score i'd try to raise it and not worry to much.. if it were something severely abnormal... i would panic.

v/r and good luck

[athena55, BSN, RN]

:yeahthat: Totally agree with Just Cause. In fact, when I interviewed for a job with the INS I was told outright that the reason they do a thorough back-ground check (this was before September 11th) was in case you were in debt and you might be tempted to do something illegal, or there was opportunity for "blackmail" r/t your financial situation.

I knew of a nurse in the Reserves that did not obtain a security clearance r/t the amount of debt she was in.

athena

[gizarnmedic]

So can you still be comissoned in the Army Reserves as a RN without obtaining a security clearance?

[dreamon]

I doubt you need a security clearance to work in the hospital. If you do need one, it would be the basic type and not the top secret kind which usually means you have a job dealing with government secrets.

[caliotter3]

I worked with security clearance management while in the Army. Credit plays a part in this process. You have to have a very bad situation for it to cause a problem with your clearance. For the most part, when someone is denied a clearance or is up for revocation or downgrading, there is due process that is followed. You have a chance to give your side of the story. You would state your actions to remedy the situation and explain any mitigating circumstances, such as job loss, catastrophic medical bills. Each case is handled on an individual basis. If you have problems in your finances, I would suggest that you discuss this at length with your recruiter before you start the process of entering the service. And of course, the best course of action is to implement and maintain a steady payment plan to clean up your credit. This is in your best interests. Good luck with your plans for a military career.

[Staczse7]

Hi

i would suggest you be totally upfront and honest it's going to be crappy. I've lost my home and my car, d/t the economy . I was upfront to the recruiter about this. He didn't seem all that concerned about this and was quite certain it would not be as much of a factor as what I thought it would be (I was actually quite embarrassed by it). What they do seem to be concerned about is whether you have a repeat record about it. What I mean is do you have a lot of charge-off's? Do you have a lot of bankruptcy's etc?

Also, it can get tougher as you get higher in rank. My bf who is not in the healthcare profession, a year and a half ago had to deal with this. He is a Major in the Reserves but needed to request a hearing to obtain a security clearance d/t his credit. He was successful, but needed to show some effort in clearing some things up.

BTW, my packet goes to board tomorrow. I hope this helps and you're a bit more encouraged.:nuke:

[Itshamrtym]

:redpinkhe:redpinkhe

Hi

i would suggest you be totally upfront and honest it's going to be crappy. I've lost my home and my car, d/t the economy . I was upfront to the recruiter about this. He didn't seem all that concerned about this and was quite certain it would not be as much of a factor as what I thought it would be (I was actually quite embarrassed by it). What they do seem to be concerned about is whether you have a repeat record about it. What I mean is do you have a lot of charge-off's? Do you have a lot of bankruptcy's etc?

Also, it can get tougher as you get higher in rank. My bf who is not in the healthcare profession, a year and a half ago had to deal with this. He is a Major in the Reserves but needed to request a hearing to obtain a security clearance d/t his credit. He was successful, but needed to show some effort in clearing some things up.

BTW, my packet goes to board tomorrow. I hope this helps and you're a bit more encouraged.:nuke:

Thanks for sharing.... and good luck to you and all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!