§ 2570.85 Waiver or reduction of civil penalty.

(a) At any time prior to the expiration of the payment period for the assessed penalty, any person who has committed, or knowingly participated in, a breach or violation, or has been alleged by the Secretary to have so committed or participated, may petition the Secretary to waive or reduce the penalty under this section on the basis that:

(1) The person acted reasonably and in good faith in engaging in the breach or violation; or

(2) The person will not be able to restore all losses to the plan or participant or beneficiary of such plan without severe financial hardship unless such waiver or reduction is granted.

(b) All petitions for waiver or reduction shall be in writing and contain the following information:

(1) The name of the petitioner(s);

(2) A detailed description of the breach or violation which is the subject of the penalty;

(3) A detailed recitation of the facts which support one, or both, of the bases for waiver or reduction described in § 2570.85(a) of this part, accompanied by underlying documentation supporting such factual allegations;

(4) A declaration, signed and dated by the petitioner(s), in the following form:

(c) If a petition for waiver or reduction is submitted during the 60 day payment period described in § 2570.84(a) of this part, the payment period for the penalty in question will be tolled pending Departmental consideration of the petition. During such consideration, the applicant is entitled to one conference with the Secretary, but the Secretary, in his or her sole discretion, may schedule or hold additional conferences with the petitioner concerning the factual allegations contained in the petition.

(d) Based solely on his or her discretion, the Secretary will determine whether to grant such a waiver or reduction. Pursuant to the procedure described in § 2570.83(b), the petitioner will be served with a written determination informing him or her of the Secretary's decision. Such written determination shall briefly state the grounds for the Secretary's decision, and shall be final and non-reviewable. In the case of a determination not to waive, the payment period for the penalty in question, if previously initiated, will resume as of the date of service of the Secretary's written determination.