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28 C.F.R. § 11.4   Purpose and scope.

Title 28 - Judicial Administration

Title 28: Judicial Administration
PART 11—DEBT COLLECTION
Subpart B—Administration of Debt Collection

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§ 11.4   Purpose and scope.

(a) Purpose. The purpose of this subpart is to implement 5 U.S.C. 5514 and 31 U.S.C. 3716, which authorize the collection by salary or administrative offset of debts owed by persons, organizations, or entities to the federal government. Generally, however, a debt may not be collected by such means if it has been outstanding for more than ten years after the agency's right to collect the debt first accrued. This subpart is consistent with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) regulations on salary offset, codified at 5 CFR part 550, subpart K, and with regulations on administrative offset published jointly by the General Accounting Office (GAO) and the Department of Justice (Department), codified at 4 CFR part 102.

(b) Scope. (1) This subpart establishes Departmental procedures for the collection of certain debts owed the government.

(2) This subpart applies to collections by the Department from:

(i) Federal employees who are indebted to the Department;

(ii) Employees of the Department who are indebted to other agencies; and

(iii) Other persons, organizations, or entities that are indebted to the Department.

(3) This subpart does not apply:

(i) To debts or claims arising under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. et seq.), the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 301 et seq.), or the tariff laws of the United States;

(ii) To a situation to which the Contract Disputes Act (41 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) applies; or

(iii) In any case where collection of a debt 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).

(4) Nothing in this subpart precludes the compromise, suspension, or termination of collection actions where appropriate under the standards implementing the Federal Claims Collection Act (31 U.S.C. 3711 et seq.), namely, 4 CFR chapter II and 38 CFR 1.900–1.954).

(5) This subpart does not govern debt collection procedures implemented by other agencies.

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