These salary offset regulations are issued in compliance with 5 U.S.C. 5514 and 5 CFR part 550, subpart K, and apply to the collection of debts owed by employees of the FDIC or other federal agencies. These salary offset procedures do not apply where an employee consents to the recovery of a debt from his current pay account. These procedures do not apply to debts arising under the Internal Revenue Code, 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 under 5 U.S.C. 5705 and employee training expenses under 5 U.S.C. 4108). These procedures do not preclude an employee from requesting waiver of an erroneous payment under 5 U.S.C. 5584,or,in. This section also does not preclude an employee from requesting waiver of the collection of a debt under any other applicable statutory authority. When possible, salary offset through centralized administrative offset procedures should be attempted before seeking salary offset from a paying agency different than the creditor agency.

Where the FDIC seeks salary offset under 5 U.S.C. 5514 as the creditor agency, the FDIC shall first provide the employee with a written Notice of Intent to Offset at least 30 calendar days before salary offset is to commence. The Notice of Intent to Offset shall include the following information and statements:

(a) That the Director has determined that a debt is owed to the FDIC and intends to collect the debt by means of deduction from the employee's current disposable pay account until the debt and all accumulated interest is paid in full or otherwise resolved;

(b) The amount of the debt and the factual basis for the debt;

(c) A salary offset schedule stating the frequency and amount of each deduction, stated as a fixed dollar amount or percentage of disposable pay (not to exceed 15%);

(d) That in lieu of salary offset, the employee may propose a voluntary repayment plan to satisfy the debt on terms acceptable to the FDIC, which must be documented in writing, signed by the employee and the Director or the Director's designee, and documented in the FDIC's files;

(e) The FDIC's policy concerning interest, penalties, and administrative costs, and a statement that such assessments must be made, unless excused in accordance with the FCCS;

(f) That the employee has the right to inspect and copy FDIC records not exempt from disclosure relating to the debt claimed, or to receive copies of such records if the employee or the employee's representative is unable personally to inspect the records, due to geographical or other constraints:

(1) That such requests be made in writing, and identify by name and address the Director or other designated individual to whom the request should be sent; and

(2) That upon receipt of such a request, the Director or the Director's designee shall notify the employee of the time and location where the records may be inspected and copied;

(g) That the employee has a right to request a hearing regarding the existence and amount of the debt claimed or the salary offset schedule proposed by the FDIC, provided that the employee files a request for such a hearing with the FDIC in accordance with § 313.42 that such a hearing will be conducted by an impartial official who is an administrative law judge or other hearing official not under the supervision or control of the Board;

(h) The procedure and deadline for requesting a hearing, including the name, address, and telephone number of the Director or other designated individual to whom a request for hearing must be sent;

(i) That a request for hearing must be received by the FDIC on or before the 30th calendar day following receipt of the Notice of Intent, and that filing of a request for hearing will stay the collection proceedings;

(j) That the FDIC will initiate salary offset procedures not less than 30 days from the date of the employee's receipt of the Notice of Intent to Offset, unless the employee files a timely request for a hearing;

(k) That if a hearing is held, the administrative law judge or other hearing official will issue a decision at the earliest practical date, but not later than 60 days after the filing of the request for the hearing, unless the employee requests a delay in the proceedings which is granted by the hearing official;

(l) 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 statutes or regulations;

(2) Penalties under the False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. 3729 through 3731, or under any other applicable statutory authority; or

(3) Criminal penalties under 18 U.S.C. 286,287,1001,and;

(m) That the employee also has the right to request waiver of overpayment pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 5584,and; and

(n) That amounts paid on or deducted from debts that are later waived or found not to be owed to the United States will be promptly refunded to the employee, unless there are applicable contractual or statutory provisions to the contrary.

(a) To request a hearing, an employee must send a written request to the Director. The request must be received by the Director within 30 calendar days after the employee's receipt of the Notice of Intent.

(b) The request must be signed by the employee and must fully identify and explain with reasonable specificity all the facts, evidence, and witnesses, if any, that the employee believes support his or her position. The request for hearing must state whether the employee is requesting an oral or documentary hearing. If an oral hearing is requested, the request shall explain why the matter cannot be resolved by a review of documentary evidence alone.

If the Director does not receive an employee's request for hearing within the 30-day period set forth in § 313.42(a), the employee shall not be entitled to a hearing. However, the Director may accept an untimely request for hearing if the employee can show that the delay was the result of circumstances beyond his or her control or that he or she failed to receive actual notice of the filing deadline.

(a) Obtaining the services of a hearing official. When the FDIC is the creditor agency and the debtor is an FDIC employee, the FDIC shall designate an administrative law judge or contact any agent of another agency designated in appendix A to 5 CFR part 581 to arrange for a hearing official. When the FDIC is the creditor agency and the debtor is not an FDIC employee (i.e., the debtor is employed by another federal agency, also known as the paying agency), and the FDIC cannot provide a prompt and appropriate hearing before an administrative law judge or a hearing official furnished pursuant to a lawful arrangement, the FDIC may contact an agent of the paying agency designated in appendix A to 5 CFR part 581 to arrange for a hearing official. The paying agency must cooperate with the FDIC to provide a hearing official, as required by the FCCS.

(b) Notice and format of hearing—(1) Notice. The hearing official shall determine whether the hearing shall be oral or documentary and shall notify the employee of the form of the hearing. If the hearing will be oral, the notice shall set forth the date, time, and location of the hearing, which must be held within 30 calendar days after the request is received, unless the employee requests that the hearing be delayed. If the hearing will be documentary, the employee shall be notified to submit evidence and written arguments in support of his or her case to the hearing official within 30 calendar days.

(2) Oral hearing. The hearing official may grant a request for an oral hearing if he or she determines that the issues raised by the employee cannot be resolved by review of documentary evidence alone (e.g., where credibility or veracity are at issue). An oral hearing is not required to be an adversarial adjudication, and the hearing official is not required to apply rules of evidence. Witnesses who testify in oral hearings shall 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 are given full opportunity to present evidence, witnesses, and argument;

(ii) Informal meetings in which the hearing examiner interviews the employee; or

(iii) Formal written submissions followed by an opportunity for oral presentation.

(3) Documentary hearing. If the hearing official determines that an oral hearing is not necessary, he or she shall decide the issues raised by the employee based upon a review of the written record.

(4) Record. The hearing official shall maintain a summary record of any hearing conducted under this section.

(c) Rescheduling of the hearing date. The hearing official shall reschedule a hearing if requested to do so by both parties, who shall be given reasonable notice of the time and place of this new hearing.

(d) Failure to appear. In the absence of good cause, an employee who fails to appear at a hearing shall be deemed, for the purpose of this subpart, to admit the existence and amount of the debt as described in the Notice of Intent. If the representative of the creditor agency fails to appear, the hearing official shall proceed with the hearing as scheduled, and issue a decision based upon the oral testimony presented and the documentation submitted by both parties.

(e) Date of decision. The hearing official shall issue a written decision based upon the evidence and information developed at the hearing, as soon as practicable after the hearing, but not later than 60 calendar days after the date on which the request for hearing was received by the FDIC, unless the hearing was delayed at the request of the employee. In the event of such a delay, the 60-day decision period shall be extended by the number of days by which the hearing was postponed. The decision of the hearing official shall be final.

(f) Content of decision. The written decision shall include:

(1) A summary of the facts concerning the origin, nature, and amount of the debt;

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

(3) The terms of the repayment schedule, if applicable.

(g) Official certification of debt. The hearing official's decision shall constitute an official certification regarding the existence and amount of the debt for purposes of executing salary offset under 5 U.S.C. 5514. Where the FDIC is the creditor agency but not the current paying agency, the FDIC may make a certification regarding the existence and amount of the debt owed to the FDIC, based on the hearing official's certification. The FDIC may make this certification to: the Secretary of the Treasury so that Treasury may offset the employee's current pay account by means of centralized administrative offset (5 CFR 550.1108); or to the current paying agency (5 CFR 550.1109). If the hearing official determines that a debt may not be collected through salary offset but the FDIC as the creditor agency determines that the debt is still valid, the FDIC may seek collection of the debt through other means, including administrative offset of other federal payments or litigation.

The Director may also issue a certification of the debt where there has not been a hearing, if the employee has admitted the debt, or failed to contest the existence and amount of the debt in a timely manner (e.g., by failing to request a hearing). The certification shall be in writing and shall state:

(a) The amount and basis of the debt owed by the employee;

(b) The date the FDIC's right to collect the debt first accrued;

(c) That the FDIC's debt collection regulations have been approved by OPM pursuant to 5 CFR part 550, subpart K;

(d) If the collection is to be made by lump-sum payment, the amount and date such payment will be collected;

(e) If the collection is to be made in installments through salary offset, 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; and

(f) The date the employee was notified of the debt, the action(s) taken pursuant to the FDIC's regulations, and the dates such actions were taken.

(a) Upon issuance of a proper certification by the Director for debts owed to the FDIC, or upon receipt of a proper certification from a creditor agency, the Director shall send the employee a written notice of salary offset. Such notice shall advise the employee:

(1) That certification has been issued by the Director or received from another creditor agency;

(2) Of the amount of the debt and of the deductions to be made; and

(3) Of the initiation of salary offset at the next officially established pay interval or as otherwise provided for in the certification.

(b) Where appropriate, the Director shall provide a copy of the notice to the creditor agency and advise such agency of the dollar amount to be offset and the pay period when the offset will begin.

(a) In response to a Notice of Intent, an employee may propose to voluntarily repay the debt through scheduled voluntary payments, in lieu of salary offset. An employee who wishes to repay a debt in this manner shall submit to the Director a written agreement proposing a repayment schedule. This proposal must be received by the Director within 30 calendar days after receipt of the Notice of Intent.

(b) The Director shall notify the employee whether the employee's proposed voluntary repayment agreement is acceptable. It is within the discretion of the Director whether to accept or reject the debtor's proposal, or whether to propose to the debtor a modification of the proposed repayment agreement:

(1) If the Director decides that the proposed repayment agreement is unacceptable, he or she shall notify the employee and the employee shall have 30 calendar days from the date he or she received notice of the decision in which to file a request for a hearing on the proposed repayment agreement, as provided in § 313.42; or

(2) If the Director decides that the proposed repayment agreement is acceptable or the debtor agrees to a modification proposed by the Director, the agreement shall be put in writing and signed by both the employee and the Director.

(a) An employee subject to a voluntary repayment agreement or salary offset payable to the FDIC as creditor agency may request a special review by the Director of the amount of the salary offset or voluntary repayment, based on materially changed circumstances, including, but not limited to, catastrophic illness, divorce, death, or disability. A request for special review may be made at any time.

(b) In support of a request for special review, the employee shall submit to the Director 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) Monthly expenses for food, housing, clothing, and transportation;

(6) Medical expenses; and

(7) Exceptional expenses, if any.

(c) The employee shall also file an alternative proposed offset or payment schedule and a statement, with supporting documents, showing why the current salary offset or payments result in extreme financial hardship to the employee.

(d) The Director shall evaluate the statement and supporting documents and determine whether the original salary offset or repayment schedule imposes extreme financial hardship on the employee, for example, by preventing the employee from meeting essential subsistence expenses such as food, housing, clothing, transportation, and medical care. The Director shall notify the employee in writing within 30 calendar days of his or her determination.

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

(a) Responsibility of the FDIC as the creditor agency. Upon completion of the procedures established in § 313.40 through § 313.45, the Director shall take the following actions:

(1) Submit a debt claim to the paying agency, containing the information described in paragraphs (a)(2) and (a)(3) of this section, together with the certification of debt or an installment agreement (or other instruction regarding the payment schedule, if applicable).

(2) If the collection must be made in installments, inform the paying agency of the amount or percentage of disposable pay to be collected in each installment. The Director may also inform the paying agency of the commencement date and number of installments to be paid, if a date other than the next officially established pay period is required.

(3) Unless the employee has consented to the salary offset in writing or has signed a statement acknowledging receipt of the required procedures and the written consent or statement is forwarded to the paying agency, the Director must also advise the paying agency of the actions the FDIC has taken under 5 U.S.C. 5514 and state the dates such action was taken.

(4) If the employee is in the process of separating from employment, the Director shall submit the debt claim to the employee's paying agency for collection by lump-sum deduction from the employee's final check. The paying agency shall certify the total amount of its collection and furnish a copy of the certification to the FDIC and to the employee.

(5) If the employee is already separated and all payments due from his or her former paying agency have been paid, the Director may, unless otherwise prohibited, request that money due and payable to the employee from the federal government, including payments from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund (5 CFR 831.1801), be administratively offset to collect the debt.

(6) In the event an employee transfers to another paying agency, the Director shall not repeat the procedures described in § 313.40 through § 313.45 in order to resume collecting the debt. Instead, the FDIC shall review the debt upon receiving the former paying agency's notice of the employee's transfer and shall ensure that collection is resumed by the new paying agency. The FDIC must submit a properly certified claim to the new paying agency before collection can be resumed.

(b) Responsibility of the FDIC as the paying agency—(1) Complete claim. When the FDIC receives a properly certified claim from a creditor agency, the employee shall be given written notice of the certification, the date salary offset will begin, and the amount of the periodic deductions. The FDIC shall schedule deductions to begin at the next officially established pay interval or as otherwise provided for in the certification.

(2) Incomplete claim. When the FDIC receives an incomplete certification of debt from a creditor agency, the FDIC shall return the debt claim with notice that procedures under 5 U.S.C. 5514 and 5 CFR 550.1104 must be followed and that a properly certified debt claim must be received before action will be taken to collect from the employee's current pay account.

(3) Review. The FDIC 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 agency. If, after the creditor agency has submitted the debt claim to the FDIC, the employee transfers to a different paying agency before the debt is collected in full, the FDIC must certify the total amount collected on the debt. One copy of the certification shall be furnished to the employee, and one copy shall be sent to the creditor agency along with notice of the employee's transfer. If the FDIC is aware that the employee is entitled to payments from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund, or other similar payments, it must provide written notification to the agency responsible for making such payments that the debtor owes a debt (including the amount) and that the requirements set forth herein and in the OPM's regulation (5 CFR part 550, subpart K) have been fully met.

Where the FDIC is the creditor agency, it shall assess interest, penalties, and administrative costs pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 3717 and 31 CFR parts 900 through 904.

(a) Where the FDIC is the creditor agency, it shall promptly refund any amount deducted under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 5514 when the debt is compromised or otherwise found not to be owing to the United States, or when an administrative or judicial order directs the FDIC to make a refund.

(b) Unless required by law or contract, such refunds shall not bear interest.

(a) The FDIC may provide a hearing official upon request of the creditor agency when the debtor is employed by the FDIC and the creditor agency cannot provide a prompt and appropriate hearing before a hearing official furnished pursuant to another lawful arrangement.

(b) The FDIC may provide a hearing official upon request of a creditor agency when the debtor works for the creditor agency and that agency cannot arrange for a hearing official.

(c) The Director shall arrange for qualified personnel to serve as hearing officials.

(d) Services rendered under paragraph (a) of this section shall be provided on a fully reimbursable basis pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1535.

A debtor's payment, whether voluntary or involuntary, of all or any portion of a debt being collected pursuant to this section shall not be construed as a waiver of any rights that the debtor may have under any statute, regulation, or contract except as otherwise provided by law or contract.

(a) The procedures set forth in this subpart shall not apply to routine intra-agency salary adjustments of pay, including the following:

(1) 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;

(2) A routine adjustment of pay that is made to correct an overpayment attributable to clerical or administrative errors or delays in processing pay documents, if the overpayment occurred within the four pay periods preceding the adjustment and, at the time of such adjustment or as soon thereafter as is practical, the individual is provided written notice of the nature and amount of the adjustment and the point of contact for contesting such adjustment; or

(3) Any adjustment to collect a debt amount to $50 or less, if, at the time of such adjustment, or as soon thereafter as is practical, the individual is provided written notice of the nature and amount of the adjustment and the point of contact for contesting such adjustment.

(b) The procedure for notice to the employee and collection of such adjustments is set forth in § 313.55.

Any negative 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 shall not be considered collection of a “debt” for the purposes of this section if the amount to be recovered was accumulated over four pay periods or less. In such cases, the FDIC shall not apply this subpart C, but will provide a clear and concise statement in the employee's earnings statement advising the employee of the previous overpayment at the time the adjustment is made.