§ 21.12 - Coordinating administrative offset within the Department and with other Federal agencies.

Departmental units will cooperate with other Federal departments and agencies in effecting collection by administrative offset. Whenever possible, Departmental units should comply with requests from within the Department and from other Federal agencies to initiate administrative offset procedures to collect debts owed the United States, unless the requesting office or agency has not complied with the Federal Claims Collections Standards, or the agency's implementing regulations, or the request would otherwise be contrary to law or the best interests of the United States.

(a) When the Department is owed the debt. When the Department is owed a debt, but another Federal agency is responsible for making the payment to the debtor against which administrative offset is sought, the other agency will not initiate the requested administrative offset until the Department provides responsible officials at that agency with a written certification that the debtor owes the Department a debt (including the amount and basis for the debt and the due date of the payment) and that the Department has complied with the applicable provisions of Part 102, “Standards for the Administrative Collection of Claims,” of the Federal Claims Collection Standards, as well as the Department's implementing regulations on administrative offsets.

(b) When another agency is owed the debt. The Department may administratively offset money it owes to a person who is indebted to another agency if requested to do so by that agency. Such a request must be accompanied by a certification by the requesting agency that the person owes the debt (including the amount and basis for the debt) and that the creditor agency has complied with the applicable Federal Claims Collection Standards, as well as the agency implementing regulations on administrative offsets. The request from another Federal agency for Department cooperation in the offset should be sent to: