(a) The regulations in this subpart provide Board procedures for the collection by salary offset of a Federal employee's pay to satisfy certain debts owed to the Board or to Federal agencies.

(b) The regulations in this subpart apply to collections by the Executive Director, from:

(1) Federal employees who owe debts to the Board; and

(2) Employees of the Board who owe debts to Federal agencies.

(c) The regulations in this subpart do not apply to debts arising under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (title 26, United States Code); the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 301 et seq.); the tariff laws of the United States; or to any case where collection of a debt by salary offset is explicitly provided for or prohibited by another statute (e.g., travel advances in 5 U.S.C. 5705 and employee training expenses in 5 U.S.C. 4108).

(d) Nothing in the regulations in this subpart precludes the compromise, suspension, or termination of collection actions under the standards implementing the Federal Claims Collection Act (31 U.S.C. 3711 et seq., 4 CFR Parts 101-105, 38 CFR 1.900-1.994).

(e) A levy pursuant to the Internal Revenue Code takes precedence over a salary offset under this subpart, as provided in 5 U.S.C. 5514(d).

(f) This subpart does not apply to any adjustment to pay arising out of an employee's election of coverage or a change in coverage under a Federal benefits program requiring periodic deductions from pay, if the amount to be recovered was accumulated over four pay periods or less.

The regulations in this subpart do not preclude an employee from requesting waiver of an overpayment under 5 U.S.C. 5584 or 8346(b), 10 U.S.C. 2774, 32 U.S.C. 716, or under other statutory provisions pertaining to the particular debts being collected.

Deductions under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 5514 may be made if, a minimum of 30 calendar days before salary offset is initiated, the Board provides the employee with written notice that he or she owes a debt to the Board. This notice of intent to offset an employee's salary will be hand-delivered or sent by certified mail to the most current address that is available to the Board. The notice provided under this section will state:

(a) That the Board has reviewed the records relating to the claim and has determined that a debt is owed, the amount of the debt, and the facts giving rise to the debt;

(b) The Board's intention to collect the debt by deducting money from the employee's current disposable pay account until the debt, and all accumulated interest, penalties, and administrative costs, is paid in full;

(c) The amount, frequency, approximate beginning date, and duration of the intended deductions;

(d) An explanation of the Board's policy concerning interest, penalties, and administrative costs, including a statement that such assessments must be made unless excused in accordance with the Federal Claims Collection Standards, 4 CFR chapter II;

(e) The employee's right to inspect and copy all records pertaining to the debt claimed or to receive copies of those records if personal inspection is impractical;

(f) The right to a hearing conducted by an administrative law judge or other impartial hearing official (i.e., a hearing official not under the supervision or control of the Executive Director), with respect to the existence and amount of the debt claimed or the repayment schedule (i.e., the percentage of disposable pay to be deducted each pay period), so long as a request is filed by the employee as prescribed in § 1639.23;

(g) If not previously provided, the opportunity (under terms agreeable to the Board) to establish a schedule for the voluntary repayment of the debt or to enter into a written agreement to establish a schedule for repayment of the debt in lieu of offset. The agreement must be in writing and signed by both the employee and the Executive Director;

(h) The name, address, and telephone number of an officer or employee of the Board who may be contacted concerning procedures for requesting a hearing;

(i) The method and time period for requesting a hearing;

(j) That the timely filing of a request for a hearing on or before the 15th calendar day following receipt of the notice of intent will stay the commencement of collection proceedings;

(k) The name and address of the officer or employee of the Board to whom the request for a hearing should be sent;

(l) That the Board will initiate certification procedures to implement a salary offset, as appropriate, (which may not exceed 15 percent of the employee's disposable pay) not less than 30 days from the date the employee receives the notice of debt, unless the employee files a timely request for a hearing;

(m) That a final decision on the hearing (if one is requested) will be issued at the earliest practical date, but not later than 60 days after the filing of the petition requesting the hearing, unless the employee requests and the hearing official grants a delay in the proceedings;

(n) That any knowingly false or frivolous statements, representations, or evidence may subject the employee to:

(1) Disciplinary procedures appropriate under 5 U.S.C. chapter 75, 5 CFR part 752, or any other applicable statute or regulations;

(2) Penalties under the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. 3729-3733, or any other applicable statutory authority; and

(3) Criminal penalties under 18 U.S.C. 286, 287, 1001, and 102, or any other applicable statutory authority;

(o) Any other rights and remedies available to the employee under statutes or regulations governing the program for which the collection is being made;

(p) That unless there are applicable contractual or statutory provisions to the contrary, amounts paid on or deducted for the debt which are later waived or found not owed will be promptly refunded to the employee; and

(q) That proceedings with respect to the debt are governed by 5 U.S.C. 5514.

(a) Request for hearing. Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, an employee who desires a hearing concerning the existence or amount of the debt or the proposed offset schedule must send such a request to the Board office designated in the notice of intent. See § 1639.22(k).

(1) The request for hearing must be signed by the employee and fully identify and explain with reasonable specificity all the facts, evidence, and witnesses, if any, that support his or her position.

(2) The request for hearing must be received by the designated office on or before the 15th calendar day following the employee's receipt of the notice. Timely filing will stay the commencement of collection procedures.

(3) The employee must also specify whether an oral or written hearing is requested. If an oral hearing is desired, the request should explain why the matter cannot be resolved by review of the documentary evidence alone.

(b) Failure to timely submit. (1) If the employee files a request for a hearing after the expiration of the 15th calendar day period provided for in paragraph (a) of this section, the Board will accept the request if the employee can show that the delay was the result of circumstances beyond his or her control or because of a failure to receive notice of the filing deadline (unless the employee had actual notice of the filing deadline).

(2) An employee waives the right to a hearing, and will have his or her disposable pay offset in accordance with the Board's offset schedule, if the employee:

(i) Fails to file a request for a hearing and the failure is not excused; or

(ii) Fails to appear at an oral hearing of which he or she was notified and the hearing official does not determine that failure to appear was due to circumstances beyond the employee's control.

(c) Representation at the hearing. The creditor agency may be represented by legal counsel. The employee may represent himself or herself or may be represented by an individual of his or her choice and at his or her own expense.

(d) Review of Board records related to the debt. (1) In accordance with § 1639.22(e), an employee who intends to inspect or copy Board records related to the debt must send a letter to the official designated in the notice of intent to offset stating his or her intention. The letter must be received within 15 calendar days after the employee's receipt of the notice.

(2) In response to a timely request submitted by the debtor, the designated official will notify the employee of the location and time when the employee may inspect and copy records related to the debt.

(3) If personal inspection is impractical, arrangements will be made to send copies of those records to the employee.

(e) Hearing official. The Board may request an administrative law judge to conduct the hearing or the Board may obtain a hearing official who is not under the supervision or control of the Executive Director.

(f) Procedure—(1) General. After the employee requests a hearing, the hearing official will notify the employee of the form of the hearing to be provided. If the hearing will be oral, the notice will set forth the date, time, and location of the hearing. If the hearing will be written, the employee will be notified that he or she should submit arguments in writing to the hearing official by a specified date after which the record will be closed. This date will give the employee reasonable time to submit documentation.

(2) Oral hearing. An employee who requests an oral hearing will be provided an oral hearing, if the hearing official determines that the matter cannot be resolved by review of documentary evidence alone (e.g., when an issue of credibility is involved). The hearing is not an adversarial adjudication and need not take the form of an evidentiary hearing. Witnesses who testify in oral hearings will do so under oath or affirmation. Oral hearings may take the form of, but are not limited to:

(i) Informal conferences with the hearing official, in which the employee and agency representative will be given full opportunity to present evidence, witnesses, and argument;

(ii) Informal meetings with an interview of the employee; or

(iii) Formal written submissions, with an opportunity for oral presentation.

(3) Record determination. If the hearing official determines that an oral hearing is not necessary, he or she will make the determination based upon a review of the available written record.

(4) Record. The hearing official must maintain a summary record of any hearing provided by this subpart.

(g) Date of decision. The hearing official will issue a written decision, based upon documentary evidence and information developed at the hearing, as soon as practical after the hearing, but not later than 60 days after the date on which the petition was received by the creditor agency, unless the employee requests a delay in the proceedings. In that case, the 60 day decision period will be extended by the number of days by which the hearing was postponed.

(h) Content of decision. The written decision will include:

(1) A statement of the facts presented to support the origin, nature, and amount of the debt;

(2) The hearing official's findings, analysis, and conclusions; and

(3) The terms of any repayment schedules, if applicable.

(i) Failure to appear. (1) In the absence of good cause shown (e.g., excused illness), an employee who fails to appear at a hearing will be deemed, for the purpose of this subpart, to admit the existence and amount of the debt as described in the notice of intent.

(2) If the representative of the creditor agency fails to appear, the hearing official will proceed with the hearing as scheduled, and make his or her determination based upon the oral testimony presented by the representative(s) of the employee and the documentary documentation submitted by both parties.

(3) At the request of both parties, the hearing official will schedule a new hearing date. Both parties will be given reasonable notice of the time and place of this new hearing.

(a) The Board will provide a certification to the paying agency in all cases in which:

(1) The hearing official determines that a debt exists;

(2) The employee admits the existence and amount of the debt by failing to request a hearing; or

(3) The employee admits the existence of the debt by failing to appear at a hearing.

(b) The certification must be in writing and must include:

(1) A statement that the employee owes the debt;

(2) The amount and basis of the debt;

(3) The date the Board's right to collect the debt first accrued;

(4) A statement that the Board's regulations have been approved by the Office of Personnel Management under 5 CFR part 550, subpart K;

(5) The amount and date of the collection, if only a one-time offset is required;

(6) If the collection is to be made in installments, the number of installments to be collected, the amount of each installment, and the date of the first installment, if a date other than the next officially established pay period is required; and

(7) Information regarding the completion of procedures required by 5 U.S.C. 5514, including the dates of notices and hearings provided to the employee, or, if applicable, the employee's signed consent to salary offset or a signed statement acknowledging receipt of required procedures.

(a) In response to a notice of intent to offset against an employee's salary to recover a debt owed to the Board, an employee may propose to the Board that he or she be allowed to repay the debt through direct payments as an alternative to salary offset. Any employee who wishes to repay a debt without salary offset must submit in writing a proposed agreement to repay the debt. The proposal must admit the existence of the debt and set forth a proposed repayment schedule. The employee's proposal must be received by the official designated in the notice of intent within 15 calendar days after the employee received the notice.

(b) In response to a timely proposal by the debtor, the Executive Director will notify the employee whether the employee's proposed written agreement for repayment is acceptable. It is within the Executive Director's discretion to accept a repayment agreement instead of proceeding by salary offset.

(c) If the Executive Director decides that the proposed repayment agreement is unacceptable, the employee will have 15 days from the date he or she received notice of the decision to file a petition for a hearing.

(d) If the Executive Director decides that the proposed repayment agreement is acceptable, the alternative arrange ment must be in writing and signed by both the employee and the Executive Director.

(a) An employee subject to salary offset or a voluntary repayment agreement in connection with a debt owed to the Board may, at any time, request that the Board conduct a special review of the amount of the salary offset or voluntary payment, based on materially changed circumstances, such as catastrophic illness, divorce, death, or disability.

(b) To assist the Board in determining whether an offset would prevent the employee from meeting essential subsistence expenses (costs incurred for food, housing, clothing, transportation, and medical care), the employee will submit a detailed statement and supporting documents for the employee, his or her spouse, and dependents, indicating:

(1) Income from all sources;

(2) Assets;

(3) Liabilities;

(4) Number of dependents;

(5) Expenses for food, housing, clothing, and transportation;

(6) Medical expenses; and

(7) Exceptional expenses, if any.

(c) If the employee requests a special review under this section, the employee must file an alternative proposed salary offset or payment schedule and a statement, with supporting documents, showing why the current salary offset or payments result in an extreme financial hardship to the employee.

(d) The Executive Director will evaluate the statement and supporting documents, and determine whether the original offset or repayment schedule imposes an extreme financial hardship on the employee. The Executive Director will notify the employee in writing of his determination, including, if appropriate, a revised offset or payment schedule.

(e) If the special review results in a revised offset or repayment schedule, the Board will provide a new certification to the paying agency.

(a) The Board will coordinate salary deductions under this subpart.

(b) The Board's payroll office will determine the amount of an employee's disposable pay and will implement the salary offset.

(c) Deductions will begin within three official pay periods following receipt by the Board's payroll office of certification for the creditor agency.

(d) Types of collection—

(1) Lump-sum offset. If the amount of the debt is equal to or less than 15 percent of disposable pay, the debt generally will be collected through one lump-sum offset.

(2) Installment deductions. Installment deductions will be made over a period not greater than the anticipated period of employment. The size and frequency of installment deductions will bear a reasonable relation to the size of the debt and the employee's ability to pay. However, the amount deducted from any period will not exceed 15 percent of the disposable pay from which the deduction is made unless the employee has agreed in writing to the deduction of a greater amount.

(3) Deductions from final check. A deduction exceeding the 15 percent disposable pay limitation may be made from any final salary payment under 31 U.S.C. 3716 and the Federal Claims Collection Standards, 4 CFR chapter II, in order to liquidate the debt, whether the employee is being separated voluntarily or involuntarily.

(4) Deductions from other sources. If an employee subject to salary offset is separated from the Board, and the balance of the debt cannot be liquidated by offset of the final salary check, the Board may offset any later payments of any kind against the balance of the debt, as allowed by 31 U.S.C. 3716 and the Federal Claims Collection Standards, 4 CFR chapter II.

(e) Multiple debts. In instances where two or more creditor agencies are seeking salary offsets, or where two or more debts are owed to a single creditor agency, the Board's payroll office may, at its discretion, determine whether one or more debts should be offset simultaneously within the 15 percent limitation.

(f) Precedence of debts owed to the Board. For Board employees, debts owed to the Board generally take precedence over debts owed to other agencies. In the event that a debt to the Board is certified while an employee is subject to a salary offset to repay another agency, the Board may decide whether to have the first debt repaid in full before collecting the claim or whether changes should be made in the salary deduction being sent to the other agency. If debts owed the Board can be collected in one pay period, the Board payroll office may suspend the salary offset to the other agency for that pay period in order to liquidate the debt to the Board. When an employee owes two or more debts, the best interests of the Board will be the primary con sideration in the payroll office's determination of the order in which the debts should be collected.

(a) Responsibility of the Board as the creditor agency. (1) The Board will coordinate debt collections with other agencies and will, as appropriate:

(i) Arrange for a hearing or special review upon proper petitioning by the debtor; and

(ii) Prescribe, upon consultation with the General Counsel, the additional practices and procedures that may be necessary to carry out the intent of this subpart.

(2) The Board will ensure:

(i) That each notice of intent to offset is consistent with the requirements of § 1639.22;

(ii) That each certification of debt that is sent to a paying agency is consistent with the requirements of § 1639.24; and

(iii) That hearings are properly scheduled.

(3) Requesting recovery from current paying agency. Upon completion of the procedures established in these regulations and pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 5514, the Board will provide the paying agency with a certification as provided in § 1639.24.

(4) If the employee is in the process of separating and has not received a final salary check or other final payment(s) from the paying agency, the Board must submit a debt claim to the paying agency for collection under 31 U.S.C. 3716. The paying agency must certify the total amount of its collection on the debt and notify the employee and the Board. If the paying agency's collection does not fully satisfy the debt, and the paying agency is aware that the debtor is entitled to payments from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund or other similar payments that may be due the debtor employee from other Federal Government sources, the paying agency will provide written notice of the outstanding debt to the agency responsible for making the other payments to the debtor employee. The written notice will state that the employee owes a debt, the amount of the debt, and that the provisions of this section have been fully complied with. The Board must submit a properly certified claim to the agency responsible for making the payments before the collection can be made.

(5) Separated employee. If the employee is already separated and all payments due from his or her former paying agency have been paid, the Board may request, unless otherwise prohibited, that money due and payable to the employee from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (5 CFR part 831, subpart R, or 5 CFR part 845, subpart D) or other similar funds, be administratively offset to collect the debt.

(6) Employee transfer. When an employee transfers from one paying agency to another paying agency, the Board will not repeat the due process procedures described in 5 U.S.C. 5514 and this subpart to resume the collection. The Board will submit a properly certified claim to the new paying agency and will subsequently review the debt to make sure the collection is resumed by the new paying agency.

(b) Responsibility of the Board as the paying agency—(1) Complete claim. When the Board receives a certified claim from a creditor agency, deductions should be scheduled to begin within three officially established pay intervals. Before deductions can begin, the employee will receive a written notice from the Board including:

(i) A statement that the Board has received a certified debt claim from the creditor agency;

(ii) The amount of the debt claim;

(iii) The date salary offset deductions will begin, and

(iv) The amount of such deductions.

(2) Incomplete claim. When the Board receives an incomplete certification of debt from a creditor agency, the Board will return the debt claim with a notice that procedures under 5 U.S.C. 5514 and 5 CFR part 550, subpart K, must be followed and a properly certified debt claim received before action will be taken to collect from the employee's current pay account.

(3) Review. The Board is not authorized to review the merits of the creditor agency's determination with respect to the amount or validity of the debt certified by the creditor agency.

(4) Employees who transfer from one paying agency to another. If, after the creditor agency has submitted the debt claim to the Board, the employee transfers from the Board to a different paying agency before the debt is collected in full, the Board will certify the total amount collected on the debt and notify the employee and the creditor agency in writing. The notification to the creditor agency will include information on the employee's transfer.

(a) If the Board is the creditor agency, it will promptly refund any amount deducted under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 5514, when:

(1) The debt is waived or all or part of the funds deducted are otherwise found not to be owed; or

(2) An administrative or judicial order directs the Board to make a refund.

(b) Unless required or permitted by law or contract, refunds under this section will not bear interest.

An employee's involuntary payment of all or any portion of a debt being collected under this subpart must not be construed as a waiver of any rights which the employee may have under 5 U.S.C. 5514 or any other provisions of a written contract or law, unless there are statutory or con tractual provisions to the contrary.