Im thinking about joining the air force but i have medical bills form a few years back.will this be a problem?

Answer 1

Yes. This will cause problems in getting your security clearance.

Specifically, a long history of unpaid bills creates the image of irresponsibility and a lack of trustworthiness. A single incident that resulted in large medical bills beyond your ability to pay doesn't create that image - that was bad luck, combined with a lack of knowledge in how to handle the situation (there are ways to keep a single bad break from destroying your credit, but a person struck by a bad situation out of the blue usually is so depressed by the situation that they don't utilize them.)

The second issue is living under pressure to pay bills that you still have no ability to pay. There's the chance you'll succumb to any option that provides an opportunity to get debt collectors off your back, including selling classified information.

If it ever got to the point of investigation for a top secret clearance, the key would be to show you'd settled the debts in one form or another (even if settling for less than full payment) and that you didn't still have debts beyond your ability to pay. As a new recruit, it'll never get that far. During pre-screening, you'll probably be eliminated from career fields likely to require a top secret clearance before the government ever invests the money to start the investigation.

Answer 2

it can be. excessive debt is grounds to deny you a Clearance or enlistment. seeing as how they are medically related is a point in your favor however.

That being said, the AF is the only branch that routinely does credit checks on all prospective new enlistees. Additionally, they and the CG are giving out the least number of waivers for any reason, as they are for the most part not hurting for bodies.

Answer 3

Depends if you are going to try and get a job with a clearance you might be out of luck.
Best thing is ask a recruiter. Or clear up the bills before you join.