Lack of Candor in a Security Clearance Case: What It Means and How to Respond
If your Statement of Reasons alleges lack of candor, the security clearance problem in front of you has changed shape. The government is no longer weighing only what you did. It is weighing whether it can believe what you say. Lack of candor covers far more than lying. Omissions, half-answers, shifting explanations,...
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Discharge Upgrade Denied? What to Do Next
A discharge upgrade denied by a review board feels final, but it usually is not. The letter in your hand is one step in a layered system. Each layer applies a different standard and runs on a different clock. Some of those doors close quickly. Others stay open for years. This article...
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Guideline F: Can Debt Cost You Your Security Clearance?
Yes — financial problems can cost you your security clearance, and Guideline F is the rule the government uses to decide when they will. Financial considerations are consistently among the most common reasons clearances get denied or revoked. Here is the short answer up front: the amount of debt matters less than...
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The Board of Inquiry Process: What to Expect at Your Show-Cause Hearing
If you have been ordered to show cause for retention, you are probably reading everything you can find and getting more anxious with each page. Take a breath. The board of inquiry process follows a defined sequence, and officers who understand that sequence make better decisions at every step. This guide walks...
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PEB Combat-Related Findings and CRSC: The Navy Policy That Binds the Board
A favorable PEB combat-related finding may be the most powerful evidence in a Navy or Marine Corps CRSC application. Most applicants have no idea. Here is the standing Navy rule: if the Physical Evaluation Board determined your disability was combat-related, the CRSC Board must adhere to that finding. Only clear and convincing...
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Liberal Consideration for Medical Retirement: What Bee v. United States Means for Veterans
A new precedential decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Bee v. United States, confirms that liberal consideration reaches a veteran’s medical retirement fitness decision — not just the narrative reason printed on a DD-214. In plain terms: when you ask a correction board to change your record to...
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GOMOR Removal: How to Get a Reprimand Out of Your Army Record
A general officer memorandum of reprimand can end a career quietly, long before anyone tells you it has. GOMOR removal is possible, but the Army sets a high bar: you must show by clear and convincing evidence that the reprimand is untrue or unjust, in whole or in part. Most soldiers have...
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Fitness for Duty Determination: What Qoye v. United States Means for Denied Medical Retirements
On July 30, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit decided Qoye v. United States, a precedential ruling for veterans denied a medical disability retirement. The court held that a correction board cannot make a lawful fitness for duty determination without first identifying the actual duties of the veteran’s job...
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MST Discharge Upgrade: What Survivors of Military Sexual Trauma Should Know
By Kevin Courtney, Esq. | Former USMC Judge Advocate | California Attorney If sexual assault or sexual harassment during your service set off the events that ended your career, the discharge on your DD-214 may not be the final word. An MST discharge upgrade asks a military...
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Administrative Separation Board Hearing: What to Expect and How to Prepare
By Kevin Courtney, Esq. | Former USMC Judge Advocate | California Attorney If your command has started an involuntary separation against you, an administrative separation board hearing may be the most important few hours of your military career. It is your chance to stand before a panel...
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Kevin Courtney Named to Super Lawyers Rising Stars 2027 for Southern California
Kevin Courtney, founder of Courtney Military Law Group, P.C., has been selected to the 2027 Southern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars list — a peer-driven honor given to no more than 2.5% of attorneys in the region. It is his third consecutive selection, following recognition in 2025 and 2026, and it will...
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CBD Discharge Upgrade: What the New Bass Decision Means If a Legal Product Ended Your Career
If a CBD oil or a delta-8 gummy caused the positive THC test that ended your military career, a CBD discharge upgrade may now be within reach. In June 2026, the military’s highest court decided United States v. Bass. The court held that a positive urinalysis for hemp-derived THC, standing alone, cannot...
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