§ 101-41.605-2 - Processing claims certified for payment.

(a) GSA certifies each payable claim by use of a GSA Form 7931, Certificate of Settlement, and includes therein a complete explanation of any amount that is disallowed. GSA forwards the certificate to the agency whose funds are to be charged for processing and prompt payment and concurrently forwards an advance copy of the certificate to the claimant. When an amount of the settlement is to be set off to recover a debt due the United States from the carrier, the agency shall effect such action immediately to preclude the setoff from being barred by expiration of the applicable statutory time period. (See § 101-41.501.)

(b) An agency shall not revise or alter any GSA certificate of settlement except to indicate the appropriation symbol number applicable at the time of payment or to correct subsidiary accounting references relating to the stated appropriation or fund account. Alterations which will result in payment from a different appropriation or fund account or payment in an amount other than that originally stated on the certificate of settlement are not permitted. Any certificate of settlement that cannot be processed shall be immediately returned to GSA (BWCA) with an explanation of the nonpayment.

(c) GSA forwards the original and four copies of each certificate of settlement to the agency by GSA Form 7933, Certificate of Settlement Transmittal, a copy of which shall be promptly receipted and returned to GSA (BWCA). When a setoff amount is to be credited to the accounts of other agencies, GSA supplies additional copies of the certificate for the agencies whose accounts are to be credited. The agency shall take action to effect issuance of the check or checks and shall distribute the certificate of settlement as follows:

(1) Forward the original of the certificate, with the D.O. voucher number and date of payment stamped in the upper right corner, to GSA (BWCA). (The agency shall be responsible for preparing any required SF 1096, Schedule of Voucher Deductions.)

(2) Forward the claimant's notice copy to the payee with the settlement check.

(3) Forward a copy of the certificate to each agency whose accounts are to be credited with a withheld amount, if any.

(4) Retain the remaining copies for internal fiscal records, including support for the disbursing officer's accounts.

(d) When the full amount certified for payment is setoff, GSA forwards both the advance copy and the notice copy of the certificate to the claimant and forwards the original and fiscal copies to the agency for processing and return of the annotated original certificate to GSA (BWCA). However, when the setoff amount is to be charged and credited to the same appropriation or fund account, GSA retains the original of the certificate and sends only the fiscal copies to the agency.

(31 U.S.C. 952, 31 U.S.C. 3726; 40 U.S.C. 486(c))