Under the TRO process, a debtor has the right to object to the collection of a debt
on the basis that all or part of the debt is not past-due or not legally enforceable
(see GN 02201.030B.) These types of protests require submission of evidence to rebut SSA's findings.
However, there will be some situations in which an effective protest to collection
will be based on only the debtor's current statement and information in the claims
folder.
If an objection to collection is made, any evidence to support the objection must
be received within 60 days from the date of the pre-offset notice. Examples of evidence
that could rebut SSA's assumption that a debt is collectible include:
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Copies of checks (front and back), money orders and/or receipts showing payments that
reduced or eliminated the debt;
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A waiver approval notice,
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A report that the debtor is deceased; or
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Bankruptcy documents showing that the debt has been discharged or a bankruptcy petition
is pending.
NOTE: The above are not all inclusive. Any evidence submitted must be evaluated.
If evidence to support objection to collection of the debt is received after 60 days from the date of the preoffset notice, SSA will accept the evidence. However,
the debt remains in the TRO program unless evaluation of the evidence proves the debt
is not collectible. All ECO notices sent November 2015 or later will be stored in
ORS. For all ECO notices sent prior to November 2015 you can view the ECO master query.
For additional information on the ECO master query, see MSOM DMS 014.007.