#### § 2418.1 What definitions apply to the regulations in this part?

As used in this part:

*Administrative offset* or *offset* means withholding funds payable by the United States (including funds payable by the United States on behalf of a State Government) to, or held by the United States for, a person to satisfy a debt owed by the person. The term “administrative offset” includes, but is not limited to, the offset of Federal salary, vendor, retirement, and Social-Security-benefit payments. The terms “centralized administrative offset” and “centralized offset” refer to the process by which the Treasury Department's Financial Management Service offsets Federal payments through the Treasury Offset Program.

*Administrative wage garnishment* means the process by which a Federal agency orders a non-Federal employer to withhold amounts from a debtor's wages to satisfy a debt, as authorized by 31 U.S.C. 3720D, 31 CFR 285.11, and this part.

*Agency* or *federal agency* means a department, agency, court, court administrative office, or instrumentality in the executive, judicial, or legislative branch of the Federal Government, including government corporations.

*Chairman* means the Chairman of the FLRA or his or her designee.

*Creditor agency* means any Federal agency that is owed a debt.

*Debt* means any amount of money, funds, or property that has been determined by an appropriate official of the Federal Government to be owed to the United States by a person. As used in this part, the term “debt” does not include, as described in 31 U.S.C. 3701(d), debts arising under: The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 1 *et seq.*); the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 301 *et seq.*), except to the extent provided under sections 204(f) and 1631(b)(4) of such Act [42 U.S.C. 404(f) and 1383(b)(4)] and section 3716(c) [31 U.S.C. 3716(c)], or the tariff laws of the United States.

*Debtor* means a person who owes a debt to the United States.

*Delinquent debt* means a debt that has not been paid by the date specified in the agency's initial written demand for payment or applicable agreement or instrument (including a post-delinquency payment agreement) unless other satisfactory payment arrangements have been made.

*Delinquent FLRA debt* means a delinquent debt owed to the FLRA.

*Disposable pay* has the same meaning as that term is defined in 5 CFR 550.1103.

*Employee* or *Federal employee* means a current employee of the FLRA or other Federal agency, including a current member of the Armed Forces, Reserve of the Armed Forces of the United States, or the National Guard.

*Executive Director* means the Executive Director of the FLRA or his or her designee.

*FCCS* means the Federal Claims Collection Standards, which were jointly published by the Departments of the Treasury and Justice and codified at 31 CFR parts 900 through 904.

*Financial Management Service* means the Financial Management Service, a bureau of the Treasury Department, which is responsible for the centralized collection of delinquent debts through the offset of Federal payments and other means.

*FLRA* means the Federal Labor Relations Authority and all of its components.

*FLRA debt* means a debt that a person owes the FLRA.

*Payment agency* or *Federal payment agency* means any Federal agency that transmits payment requests in the form of certified payment vouchers, or other similar forms, to a disbursing official for disbursement. The “payment agency” may be the agency that employs the debtor. In some cases, the FLRA may be both the creditor agency and the payment agency.

*Person* means an individual, corporation, partnership, association, organization, State or local government, or any other type of entity other than a Federal agency.

*Salary offset* means a type of administrative offset to collect, from the current pay account of a Federal employee, a debt that the employee owes.

*Tax refund offset* is defined in 31 CFR 285.2(a).

*Treasury Department* means the United States Department of the Treasury. *Waiver* means the cancellation, remission, forgiveness, or non-recovery of a debt allegedly owed by an employee to an agency as permitted or required by 5 U.S.C. 5584, 10 U.S.C. 2774, 32 U.S.C. 716, 5 U.S.C. 8346(b), 42 U.S.C. 404(b), or any other law.