Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996: Department of Agriculture's Rural Housing Service Has Not Yet Fully Implemented Certain Key Provisions.

摘要

That testimony addressed requirements to refer older delinquent debt to the Department of the Treasury for offset against amounts the government might owe the debtors and for additional collection action at Treasurys central debt-collection facility, operated by the Financial Management Service (FMS). Our more recent testimony, in early December 2001, focused on progress in this area by two Department of Agriculture agenciesthe Rural Housing Service (RHS) and the Farm Service Agency (FSA). One of the major purposes of DCIA is to maximize collection of billions of dollars of nontax delinquent debt owed to the federal government. Toward this end, DCIA requires that agencies refer eligible debts delinquent more than 180 days that they have been unable to collect to Treasury for payment offset and to Treasury or a Treasury-designated debt collection center for cross-servicing. Treasury performs payment offset through its Treasury Offset Program (TOP), which includes the offset of certain benefit payments, vendor payments, and tax refunds. Cross-servicing involves such actions as locating debtors, issuing demand letters, and referring debts to private collection agencies.