(a) Coverage. This section applies to the Commission and employees as defined by §1.1901.

(b) Applicability. This section and 5 U.S.C. 5514 apply in recovering certain debts by offset, except where the employee consents to the recovery, from the current pay account of that employee. Because it is an administrative offset, debt collection procedures for salary offset which are not specified in 5 U.S.C. 5514 and these regulations should be consistent with the provisions of the Federal Claims Collection Standards (31 CFR parts 900-904).

(1) Excluded debts or claims. The procedures contained in this section do not apply to debts or claims arising under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended (26 U.S.C. 1 et seq.), the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 301 et seq.) or the tariff laws of the United States, or to any case where collection of a debt by salary offset 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).

(2) Section 1.1926 does not preclude an employee from requesting waiver of an erroneous payment under 5 U.S.C. 5584, 10 U.S.C. 2774, or 32 U.S.C. 716, or in any way questioning the amount or validity of a debt, in the manner prescribed by the Commissioner. Similarly, this subpart does not preclude an employee from requesting waiver of the collection of a debt under any other applicable statutory authority.

(c) Time limit. Under 31 CFR 901.3(a)(4) offset may not be initiated more than 10 years after the Government's right to collect the debt first accrued, unless an exception applies as stated in section 901.3(a)(4).