(a) When the Commission receives a certification from a creditor agency that has complied with the Office of Personnel Management's requirements set out at 5 CFR 550.1109, the Commission will send the employee a written notice of salary offset.

(b) If the Commission receives an incomplete certification from a creditor agency, the Commission will return the certification with notice that the procedures under 5 U.S.C. 5514 and 5 CFR 550.1104 must be followed and a properly certified claim submitted before the Commission will take action to collect the debt from the employee's current pay account.

(c) Notice to a debtor will include:

(1) The Commission's receipt of a certification from a creditor agency;

(2) The amount of the debt and the deductions to be made, which may be stated as a percentage of disposable pay; and

(3) The date and pay period when the salary offset will begin.

(d) The Commission will provide a copy of the notice of salary offset to a creditor agency.

(e) The Commission will coordinate salary deductions under this subpart as appropriate.

(f) The Commission's payroll officer will determine the amount of the debtor's disposable pay and will implement the salary offset.

(g) The Commission may use the following types of salary debt 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. The amount deducted from any period will not exceed 15 percent of the disposable pay from which the deduction is made unless the debtor has agreed in writing to the deduction of a greater amount. If possible, installment payments will liquidate the debt in three years or less.

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

(4) Deductions from other sources. If an employee subject to salary offset is leaving the Commission and the balance of the debt cannot be liquidated by offset of the final salary check, then the Commission may offset 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.

(h) When two or more creditor agencies are seeking salary offsets, the Commission's payroll office may, in its discretion, determine whether one or more debts should be offset simultaneously within the 15 percent limitation.

(i) The Commission 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.