§ 29.502 Definitions.

For purposes of this subpart—

Additional charges means interest, penalties, and/or administrative costs owed on a debt.

Administrative offset, as defined in 31 U.S.C. 3701(a)(1), means withholding funds payable by the United States to, or held by the United States for, a person to satisfy a debt the person owes the United States.

Agency means:

(1) An Executive agency as defined in section 105 of title 5, United States Code, including the U.S. Postal Service and the U.S. Postal Rate Commission;

(2) A military department, as defined in section 102 of title 5, United States Code;

(3) An agency or court in the judicial branch, including a court as defined in section 610 of title 28, United States Code, the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation;

(4) An agency of the legislative branch, including the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives; and

(5) Other independent establishments that are entities of the Federal Government.

Annuitant means a retired participant, former spouse, spouse, widow(er), child or other beneficiary receiving recurring Federal Benefit Payments.

Annuity means the monthly benefit (including a retirement salary under the Judges Plan) of indefinite duration payable to an annuitant.

Anticipated expenses means expenditures which are expected to occur and for which the debtor can provide documentation of the estimated cost.

Beneficiary means an individual designated by a participant, or by the terms of the Judges Plan, Police Officers and Firefighters Plan, or Teachers Plan, who is or may become entitled to a benefit under those plans.

Change of position for the worse means an individual would be left in a worse financial position after recovery of the overpayment than prior to the receipt of the overpayment because the individual reasonably relied on the amount of the overpayment to his or her detriment. For example, an individual has “changed position for the worse” if he or she made expenditures or assumed new liabilities that he or she would not have otherwise done, and he or she is unable to withdraw from the commitment without incurring significant financial loss.

Compromise means accepting less than payment in full in satisfaction of a debt.

Consent means the debtor has agreed in writing to administrative offset of one or more Federal Benefit Payments after receiving notice of the available rights under 31 U.S.C. 3716 and this subpart; to Federal salary offset after receiving notice of the available rights under 5 U.S.C. 5514 and 31 CFR part 5; and to judgment offset under section 124 of Public Law 97–276, 96 Stat. 1195–1196.

Credit bureau has the same meaning as the definition of “consumer reporting agency” provided in 31 U.S.C. 3701(a)(3).

Creditor agency means the agency to which a debt is owed.

Debt has the same meaning as the definition of “debt” provided in 31 U.S.C. 3701(b)(1), and includes an overpayment of Federal Benefit Payments.

Debtor means a person who owes a debt or from whom a debt is to be recovered, including an annuitant.

Delinquent means delinquent as defined in 31 CFR 900.2(b).

Department means the Secretary of the Treasury or a designee authorized to exercise the Secretary's authority with respect to Federal Benefit Payments under the Act.

FCCS means the Federal Claims Collection Standards (parts 900–904 of Title 31, Code of Federal Regulations).

Liquid asset means cash or other property readily convertible into cash with little or no loss of value.

Lump-sum credit means:

(1) Under the Judges Plan, the Police Officers and Firefighters Plan, and the Teachers Plan, the unrefunded amount consisting of—

(i) Retirement contributions from the basic salary of a participant;

(ii) Amounts deposited covering earlier creditable service; and

(iii) Such interest as authorized by statute to be included in the payment of refunds of retirement contributions; and

(2) Under the Judges Plan, “lump-sum credit for survivor annuity” is defined in section 11–1561(10) of the D.C. Code.

Offset means to withhold the amount of a debt, or a portion of that amount, from one or more payments due the debtor. Offset also means the amount withheld in this manner.

Ordinary and necessary living expenses means such expenses as rent, mortgage payments, utilities, maintenance, food (including expenses for dining out), clothing, insurance (life, health, and accident), taxes, installment payments, medical expenses, reasonable expenses for recreation and vacations, expenses for support of a dependent when the debtor holds primary or joint legal responsibility for such support, and other miscellaneous expenses that the debtor can establish as being ordinary and necessary.

Overpayment or overpayment debt means a payment of one or more Federal Benefit Payments to an individual in the absence of entitlement or in excess of the amount to which an individual is properly entitled.

Participant means an individual who is or may become eligible to receive a benefit under the Police Officers and Firefighters Plan or Teachers Plan based on credit for service accrued as of June 30, 1997, or under the Judges Plan, or whose beneficiaries may be eligible to receive any such benefit.

Refund means the payment of a lump-sum credit to an individual who meets all requirements for payment and files an application for it.

Relinquish a valuable right means the individual has relinquished a valuable privilege, claim, entitlement, or benefit having monetary worth because of the overpayment or because of notice that such a payment would be made.

Repayment schedule means the amount of each payment and the number of payments to be made to liquidate the debt as determined by the Department or the Benefits Administrator.

Salary offset means any offset authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5514 and 31 U.S.C. 3716.

Substantially all, as used in § 29.524, means that a debtor's income is less than or equal to his or her ordinary and necessary expenses plus a reasonable monthly allowance for unexpected or emergency expenses and does not allow for the deduction of a reasonable monthly installment payment to recover the debt.

Voluntary repayment agreement means an agreement wherein the debtor makes installment payments to repay an overpayment debt in accordance with a repayment schedule agreed to by the Benefits Administrator or the Department.

Waiver means a decision not to recover all or part of an overpayment debt owed to the Retirement Funds under authority of sections 11021(3) or 11251(c)(2)(B) of the Act.