Abbreviations

AAFES: Army and Air Force Exchange Service

AMEDD: Army Medical Department

AFARS: Army Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement

ASBCA: Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals

AUSA: Assistant United States Attorney

CFR: Code of Federal Regulations

COE: United States Army Corps of Engineers

DA: Department of the Army

DFARS: Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement

DOD: Department of Defense

DOJ: Department of Justice. In this regulation, reference to DOJ means either United States Attorneys' Offices or The (main) Department of Justice in Washington, DC

DCIS: Defense Criminal Investigative Service

e.g.: An abbreviation for exempli gratia, meaning “for example”

et seq.: An abbreviation for et sequentes, meaning “and the following”

FAR: Federal Acquisition Regulation

FAX: Facsimile Transmission

FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation

Fed. R. Civ. P.: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

Fed. R. Crim. P.: Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure

FOIA: Freedom of Information Act

GAO: General Accounting Office

HQDA: Headquarters, Department of the Army

i.e.: An abbreviation for id est, meaning “that is”

IG: Inspector General

JA: Judge Advocate

MACOM: Major Command

MSPB: Merit Systems Protection Board

NAF: Nonappropriated Fund

OTJAG: Office of The Judge Advocate General

OSC: Office of Special Counsel

PFA: Procurement Fraud Advisor

PFCRA: Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act

PFD: Procurement Fraud Division

PFI: Procurement Fraud or Irregularities

RJA: Recovery Judge Advocate

SAUSA: Special Assistant U.S. Attorney

SJA: Staff Judge Advocate

TDY: temporary Duty

TJAG: The Judge Advocate General

UCMJ: Uniform Code of Military Justice

USACIDC: U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command

USALSA: U.S. Army Legal Services Agency

USARCS: U.S. Army Claims Service

USATDS: U.S. Army Trial Defense Service

USMA: United States Military Academy

U.S.C.: United States Code

Terms

Active Duty

Full-time duty in the active military service of the United States. Includes: full-time training duty; annual training duty; active duty for training; attendance, while in the active military service, at a school designated as a Service School by law or by the Secretary of the military department concerned; and, attendance, while in the active military service, at advanced civil schooling and training with industry. It does not include full-time National Guard duty under Title 32, United States Code.

Army Activities

Activities of or under the control of the Army, one of its instrumentalities, or the Army National Guard, including activities for which the Army has been designated the administrative agency, and those designated activities located in an area in which the Army has been assigned single service claims responsibility by DOD directive.

Army Property

Real or personal property of the United States or its instrumentalities and, if the United States is responsible therefore, real or personal property of a foreign government which is in the possession or control of the Army, one of its instrumentalities, or the Army National Guard, including property of an activity for which the Army has been designated the administrative agency, and property located in an area in which the Army has been assigned single service claims responsibility.

Centralized Organization

That organization of a DOD component responsible for coordinating and monitoring of criminal, civil, contractual, and administrative remedies relating to contract fraud. For DOD components other than the Army, the Centralized organizations are as follows: the Office of General Counsel, Department of the Air Force; the Office of the Inspector General, Department of the Navy; and the Office of General Counsel, Defense Logistics Agency.

Claim

The Government's right to recover money or property from any individual, partnership, association, corporation, governmental body, or other legal entity (foreign and domestic) except an instrumentality of the United States. A claim against several joint debtors or tortfeasors arising from a single transaction or incident will be considered one claim.

Claims Officer

A commissioned officer, warrant officer, or qualified civilian employee designated by the responsible commander and trained or experienced in the conduct of investigations and the processing of claims.

Corruption

Practices that include, but are not limited to, solicitation, offer, payment, or acceptance of bribes or gratuities; kickbacks; conflicts of interest; or unauthorized disclosure of official information related to procurement matters.

Counsel for Consultation

An attorney, provided by DA at no expense to the military member or civilian employee, who will provide legal advice to the witness concerning the authority of OSC, the nature of an OSC interview and their individual rights and obligations. The counsel may accompany the witness to the interview and advise the witness during the interview. No attorney-client relationship is established in this procedure.

Counsel for Representation

An attorney, provided by DA at no expense to the military member or civilian employee, who will act as the individual's lawyer in all contacts with the MSPB and the OSC during the pendancy of the OSC investigation and any subsequent OSC initiated action before the MSPB. An attorney-client relationship will be established between the individual and counsel for representation.

DA Personnel

DA personnel includes the following:

a. Military and civilian personnel of the Active Army and The U.S. Army Reserve.

b. Soldiers of the Army National Guard of the United States (Title 10, U.S.C.) and, when specified by statute or where a Federal interest is involved, soldiers in the Army National Guard (Title 32, U.S.C.). It also includes technicians under 32 U.S.C. 709(a)(d).

c. USMA cadets.

d. Nonappropriated fund employees.

e. Foreign nationals who perform services for DA overseas.

f. Other individuals hired by or for the Army.

Debarment

Administrative action taken by a debarring authority to exclude a contractor from Government contracting and Government-approved subcontracting for a specified period.

Deciding Official (Chapter 7)

SJA, legal adviser, or Litigation Division attorney who makes the final determination concerning release of official information.

DOD Criminal Investigation Organizations

Refers to the USACIDC; the Naval Investigative Service; the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations; and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Office of the Inspector General, DOD.

Fraud

Any intentional deception of DOD (including attempts and conspiracies to effect such deception) for the purpose of inducing DOD action or reliance on that deception. Such practices include, but are not limited to, the following: bid-rigging; making or submitting false statements; submission of false claims; use of false weights or measures; submission of false testing certificates; adulterating or substituting materials; or conspiring to use any of these devices.

Improper or Illegal Conduct

a. A violation of any law, rule, or regulation in connection with Government misconduct; or

b. Mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.

Information Exempt From Release To The Public

Those categories of information which may be withheld from the public under one or more provisions of law.

Judge Advocate

An officer so designated (AR 27-1).

Legal Adviser

A civilian attorney who is the principal legal adviser to the commander or operating head of any Army command or agency.

Litigation

Legal action or process involving civil proceedings, i.e., noncriminal.

Litigation in Which The United States Has an Interest

a. A suit in which the United States or one of its agencies or instrumentalities has been, or probably will be, named as a party.

b. A suit against DA personnel and arises out of the individual's performance of official duties.

c. A suit concerning an Army contract, subcontract, or purchase order under the terms of which the United States may be required to reimburse the contractor for recoveries, fees, or costs of the litigation.

d. A suit involving administrative proceedings before Federal, state, municipal, or foreign tribunals or regulatory bodies that may have a financial impact upon the Army.

e. A suit affecting Army operations or which might require, limit, or interfere with official action.

f. A suit in which the United States has a financial interest in the plaintiff's recovery.

g. Foreign litigation in which the United States is bound by treaty or agreement to ensure attendance by military personnel or civilian employees.

Medical Care

Includes hospitalization, outpatient treatment, dental care, nursing service, drugs, and other adjuncts such as prostheses and medical appliances furnished by or at the expense of the United States.

Misdemeanor

An offense for which the maximum penalty does not exceed imprisonment for 1 year. Misdemeanors include those offenses categorized as petty offenses (18 USC §3559).

Official Information

All information of any kind, however stored, that is in the custody and control of the Department of Defense, relates to information in the custody and control of the Department, or was acquired by DoD personnel as part of their official duties or because of their official status within the Department while such personnel were employed by or on behalf of the Department or on active duty with the United States Armed Forces.

Operating Forces

Those forces whose primary missions are to participate in combat and the integral supporting elements thereof. Within DA, the operating forces consist of tactical units organized to conform to tables of organization and equipment (TOE).

Personnel Action

These include—

a. Appointment.

b. Promotion.

c. Adverse action under 5 U.S.C. 7501 et seq. or other disciplinary or corrective action.

d. Detail, transfer, or reassignment.

e. Reinstatement.

f. Restoration.

g. Reemployment.

h. Performance evaluation under 5 U.S.C. 4301 et seq.

i. Decision concerning pay, benefits, or awards, or concerning education or training if the education or training may reasonably be expected to lead to an appointment, promotion, performance evaluation, or other personnel action.

j. Any other significant change in duties or responsibilities that is inconsistent with the employee's salary or grade level.

Private Litigation

Litigation other than that in which the United States has an interest.

Process

The legal document that compels a defendant in an action to appear in court; e.g., in a civil case a summons or subpoena, or in a criminal case, a warrant for arrest, subpoena or summons.

Prohibited Personnel Practice

Action taken, or the failure to take action, by a person who has authority to take, direct others to take, recommend, or approve any personnel action—

a. That discriminates for or against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, handicapping condition, marital status, or political affiliation, as prohibited by certain specified laws.

b. To solicit or consider any recommendation or statement, oral or written, with respect to any individual who requests, or is under consideration for, any personnel action, unless the recommendation or statement is based on the personal knowledge or records of the person furnishing it, and consists of an evaluation of the work performance, ability, aptitude, or general qualifications of the individual, or an evaluation of the character, loyalty, or suitability of such individual.

c. To coerce the political activity of any person (including the providing of any political contribution or service), or take any action against any employee or applicant for employment as a reprisal for the refusal of any person to engage in such political activity.

d. To deceive or willfully obstruct any person with respect to such person's right to compete for employment.

e. To influence any person to withdraw from competition for any position for the purpose of improving or injuring the prospects of any other person for employment.

f. To grant any preference or advantage not authorized by law, rule, or regulation to any employee or applicant for employment (including defining the scope or manner of competition or the requirements for any position) for the purpose of improving or injuring the prospects of any particular person for employment.

g. To appoint, employ, promote, advance, or advocate for appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement, in or to a civilian position any individual who is a relative (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 3110) of the employee, if the position is in the agency in which the employee is serving as a public official or over which the employee exercises jurisdiction or control as an official.

h. To take or fail to take a personnel action with respect to any employee or applicant for employment as a reprisal for being a whistleblower, as defined below.

i. To take or fail to take a personnel action against an employee or applicant for employment as a reprisal for the exercise of any appeal right granted by law, rule, or regulation.

j. To discriminate for or against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of conduct that does not adversely affect the performance of the employee or applicant or the performance of others.

k. To take or fail to take any other personnel action if the taking of, or failure to take, such action violates any law, rule, or regulation implementing, or directly concerning, the merit system principles contained in 5 U.S.C. 2301.

Prosecutive Authorities

These include—

a. A U.S. Attorney;

b. A prosecuting attorney of a State or other political subdivision when the U.S. Attorney has declined to exercise jurisdiction over a particular case or class of cases; and

c. An SJA of a general court-martial convening authority considering taking action against a person subject to the UCMJ.

Recovery JA

A JA or legal adviser responsible for assertion and collection of claims in favor of the United States for property claims and medical expenses.

Significant Case of Fraud and Corruption

A procurement fraud case involving an alleged loss of $100,000 or more; all corruption cases related to procurement that involve bribery, gratuities, or conflicts of interest; any defective products or product substitution in which a serious hazard to health, safety or operational readiness is indicated, regardless of loss value; and, any procurement fraud case that has received or is expected to receive significant media coverage.

Staff Judge Advocate

An officer so designated (AR 27-1). The SJA of an installation, a command or agency reporting directly to HQDA, or of a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, and the senior Army JA assigned to a joint or unified command.

Subpoena

A process to cause a witness to appear and give testimony, e.g., at a trial, hearing, or deposition.

Suspension

Administrative action taken by a suspending authority to temporarily exclude a contractor from Government contracting and Government-approved subcontracting.

Suspension and Debarment Authorities

Officials designated in DFARS, section 9.403, as the authorized representative of the Secretary concerned.

Tortfeasor

A wrongdoer; one who commits a tort.