Hi Everyone,
My name is Melissa, and I am wanting to enlist in the US Navy. I spoke with a recruiter and have been advised that I needed to lose 3% body fat, which i think I now have completed to enlist in DEP program. I will still need to lose more lbs, but I am not too worried about that. My issue is that I asked my recruiter if my debt would be an issue. I have a couple thousand in student loans that are not in default, and about 5000 in credit debt that I am behind on due to the fact that I lost my job. I am all go for everything else. I asked my recruiter if this would be a problem, and he said yes and no. He told me that they wont check my credit and not to mention it. I'm not a person who lies, and feel uncomfortable about it, and will probably come clean when asked. My question is will they let me join before getting my debt settled. I am looking for a job for during dep and will begin to make payment arrangements with my creditors once I do. I would work on getting it cleared away before going to basic.

There is not a soul on this earth or in the Navy whom does NOT have Debt.....Security Clearances are sometimes tough on credit, but I will tell you, I am Prior Navy and my Credit was NEVER pulled nor mentioned during my tour.

Take rates that normally do not take tight security clearances such at CTI.
Stay away from that one.

Do not worry about clearing all debt prior to enlisting, you will always have debt and it is not a bad nor disqual factor for having slow and bad credit....for goodness sakes...I've known quite a few recruiters with bad credit including BankRuptcy....Do not sweat the small stuff...

Pass the physical, do good on the ASVAB and go serve your country..

That information above is old, wait on YGG and WIlliam both have worked at MEPS and know the current info.

The military has gotten a lot tougher on debt in general, especially the debts you are behind in.

quote:

my Credit was NEVER pulled nor mentioned during my tour.

Credit check is one of the very first things done on everyone that enlist regardless of rating. If you had a background check done, the form you fill out with your recruiter (currently SF86, previously DD398-2), your credit was pulled.

OP,
Just make sure you document your debt on the SF86. It is normally not a show stopper for a clearance (except TS) as long as you are working with your creditors (i.e. call and let them know when they can expect payment, etc)

That info is not old. It is from my current recruiting offices. Meps stated, in my region that they were not concerned with credit. It is probally different from region to region but my own recruiters got a SECURITY CLEARANCE in active BankRuptcy.

I have been trough the paperwork of re-enlisting and not once has my credit been mentioned all the way up to CNRC over the past few months.

WIlliam WORKS at MEPS. knows the regs quite well

Security Clearance in active bankruptcy???? Boy I'm sure my SWCC buddy would love to hear that one considering he lost his clearance, rating and was busted from E4 to E2 when he filed his BK

Thanks to all. Im just confused to as why I was told to lie by my recruiter. I unfortunately have not been able to make payment arrangements with the creditors as of yet, because I am unemployed. I am actively searching for a job, but am having a hard time. I am really wanting to join the Navy, and looking forward to it. Is it possible to be cleared of this and be able to enlist? I am going to be in the dep program, and would find a job, and begin working on this just as soon as i find employment.

quote:

I have been trough the paperwork of re-enlisting and not once has my credit been mentioned all the way up to CNRC over the past few months.

That's because your clearance hasn't been started yet. It will be pulled once you swear in and your background check is sent off to DONCAF. If they haven't asked you about expenses then you must not have any dependents, since a financial statement is required for anyone enlisting or reenlisting with dependents. As Catherine stated I have worked at MEPS before you were probably born and processed cleared and disapproved background checks. I am currently seeing background checks on enlistees that require mental health evaluations and guess what is attached to everyone that I have ever received - yep a credit report.

A Bankruptcy can result in loss of clearance but not always. For a Top Secret it is a show stopper for a secret and below it depends on the reason. For example, if you claim bankruptcy due to medical bills or not be able to sell your house in due to a PCS move you are less likely to loose your clearance. If it was because you charged an xbos, ps3, got two new cars and a bunch of other stuff you couldn't afford then you will likely loose your clearance.

quote:

Originally posted by 17770907:
There is not a soul on this earth or in the Navy whom does NOT have Debt.....Security Clearances are sometimes tough on credit, but I will tell you, I am Prior Navy and my Credit was NEVER pulled nor mentioned during my tour.

ummm.....care to rephrase here??

Right now you are lump sumping quite a few people into such a statement and don't be too sure about the debt stuff either.

Concur with a lot of the comments.

Also had the occasion to talk with an adjudicator for another agency at one time.

The fact you have a lot of debt period will raise some concerns, even if you have never been behind or were and are current on all payments. Then they will start looking at why. Is this a long-term pattern, or did you get hit with something out of the blue, like an unreimbursed insurance loss. They can and will pull all your financial records as necessary. You give them permission to do so when you submit the clearance paperwork.

As they see it, a lot of debt (in excess of a certain percentage of your income) may say some things about your character regardless if you were never late/behind that they have to consider. It also means that you could be vulnerable to other influences.

As to the SEAL that was busted when he filed bankruptcy, I wouldn't be surprised if there was something else involved that the poster either didn't know or didn't mention in that specific situation.

I could go on here.

quote:

He told me that they wont check my credit and not to mention it. I'm not a person who lies, and feel uncomfortable about it, and will probably come clean when asked.

Melissa,
Rule number 1: NEVER LIE!

If you do lie, and you are found out (which you may or not be), YOU are in trouble. Not your recruiter.

There was a member on here who lied because his recruiter told him to, was caught and discharged. Do they catch all the lies? No. But do you want to take the chance of getting a fraudulent enlistment tacked onto your record with an RE-4 code that will keep you from ever enlisting in any branch of service (except MAYBE the National Guard)?

As for your debt question...William speaks from years of experience, I would go with what he says.

Never lie. Your integrity can NEVER come into question.

Thank you everyone for the responses. I had already made up my mind not to lie. I am not a liar and never will be. I was discussing the issue with my parents the other day, and they said that they dont think I even know how too. I have always hated liars, and never would do so myself. I was just looking for information on how the credit checks work. I am currently unemployed, but am looking for a job. I will contact my creditors once I find a job, and work out a payment arrangement to nip this in the butt. I am a good person, but just made some mistakes a year ago with my finances, and am now paying the price. I'm just trying to get my life back together, and feel that the navy would be a great way to start anew.

I think this thread should be a model for those looking to join. Stay out of debt as much as possible. It is a shame we are in such a "I have to have it now" mentality.

The only debt I had when I joined was a car loan. So I had no problems with getting a clearance.

I agree. I made so many mistakes when it came to wanting to have everything, and when it came to me wanting to do the one thing that I have wanted to do more than anything in my life; It is ultimately slowing down my process. Luckily my debt isn't bad enough to where I can't fix it. I finally was offered a job today, and sat down tonight. I began to put a budget into place to get rid of the debt, so I can acheive what I want out of life. Its going to take me a little longer, but I'm still young enough to fix it. I still have 8 years to join. I should have most of it cleared in a year. If I could offer any peice of advise it would be If your offered a credit card look the other way. They are more trouble than they are worth. No matter what financial woes you have look for safer alternatives. I have learned my lesson.