Effective Dates: 03/16/2022 - Present Previous | Next

TN 67 (03-22)

GN 02210.217 Debtor Unable or Unwilling to Refund the Overpayment - Debt Contact Representative (DCR) and Debt Specialist (DS) Actions

A. Introduction

These instructions provide information to a Debt Specialist (DS) and a Debt Contact Representative (DCR) about the actions to undertake when a Title II or Title XVI debtor is unable to or unwilling to repay his or her overpayment and include the following:

  • •

    How to solicit information about claimants' income and potential income;

  • •

    How to determine if the claimant has been selected for any external collection tools (i.e., Treasury Offset Program, (TOP), Administrative Wage Garnishment (AWG), or Credit Bureau Reporting);

  • •

    How to determine if there is a debt in active collection;

  • •

    What to do if other persons are on the record; and

  • •

    What to do when other persons are on the earning record of the debtor.

    NOTE: We assume the debtor is unwilling to repay a debt if the debt is unresolved after a full cycle of RECOOP demand notices, absent evidence to the contrary. “Evidence to the contrary” would include notification of undeliverable billing notices, telephone contacts with the National DMS 800 Number (NDMS8N) attempting to address the debt, etc.

B. General DS and DCR instructions

When a debtor is unable or unwilling to repay his or her Title II or Title XVI overpayment, the DS or DCR will take the following actions:

  • •

    Solicit information from the debtor;

  • •

    Access the External Collection Operation (ECO) query to see if the claimant has been selected for any external collection tools;

NOTE: Effective May 12, 2017, SSA no longer refers Title II, Title VIII, or Title XVI debts that have a delinquency date of May 19, 2002 or earlier. There is no manual action necessary to prevent TOP selection because the selection is automated. Rather, our automated ECO system no longer selects these debts for external collection. Debts with a delinquency date after May 19, 2002 remain eligible for TOP referral.

  • •

    Query the earning record to determine if there are current earnings on the claimant's record and the amount of these earnings; and

  • •

    Determine if there are other person (s) receiving benefits on the same record.

NOTE: If the DS or DCR finds that the debtor has the ability to pay, refer to GN 02210.045.

C. ECO referral

The ECO system selects delinquent programmatic debts and refers these debts for external collection action. The system will then send the debtor’s information (taxpayer identification number or SSN) to any external collection tool that meets the criteria of eligible debts.

To determine if we referred a debt to our external collection tools, please refer to MS DMS 01114.007, ECO Master Query.

IMPORTANT: Do not diary cases that will NOT be selected for TOP or credit bureau reporting. Instead, move those cases along to the next step in the process.

1. Title II cases

The system will not select Title II cases if:

  • •

    The Title II debtor is in ledger account file (LAF) “S” or any LAF other than “T, U, X, N, or P”;

  • •

    The debt was established before the debtor attained age 18;

  • •

    The debt shows an indication that Department of Justice (DOJ) is involved, such as a TC-31, TC-32 or TC-70 (see SM 00610.516);

  • •

    The person billed is a representative payee;

  • •

    The Title II debt is a type of event (TOE) 29 or 31; or

  • •

    The debtor is deceased with no representative payee on the record.

2. Title XVI cases

The system will not select Title XVI cases if:

  • •

    The debt has a future payment status (PSTAT) code of "C01," which indicates that the former recipient will soon go into current pay status; or

  • •

    The payment status is not "N" or "T."

The criteria above are not all-inclusive. If you have questions about a case, consult with the subject matter expert in your office. For additional information about ECO, see SM 00610.040.

D. DCR Instructions for Title II debt

1. Debtor is unable to repay overpayment

  1. a. 

    If a debtor alleges inability to repay, solicit information about:

    • •

      Present and Potential Income, including inheritance prospects.

    • •

      Expenses and assets (e.g., real property, savings account) - If expenses exceed income and the debtor did not list any assets, ask how he or she meets expenses and document the financial information on the Debt Management System (DMS) Remarks (RMKS) screen. (See MS 01109.003.)

    • •

      Dependents. (However, consider the finances of all members of the household. Be alert to the possibility of concealed income and assets.)

  2. b. 

    If appropriate, tell the debtor that the debt is subject to external collection tools selection, and possible collection in the future by cross program recovery. If applicable, tell the debtor that we can also refer the debt to the Department of Justice (DOJ) for enforced collection by civil suit.

  3. c. 

    If the debtor has an organizational representative payee who was the payee of record when the overpayment occurred, refer to the DS to take appropriate action regarding recovery from that payee.

  4. d. 

    Check the Query Response Selection List (QRSL). (To determine whether other person(s) receive benefits, see MS 01106.002.)

  5. e. 

    If other person(s) are currently receiving benefits on the same record, see the following chart for the appropriate actions:

If…

Then…

Other person(s) are receiving benefits living at the same address as the debtor [Single Family Unit (SFU)]

  • •

    Refer to the DS to take appropriate action regarding recovery from the other person(s);and

  • •

    Annotate the Remarks screen in DMS to document your actions.

Other person(s) are receiving benefits and living at a different address from the debtor [Multiple Family Unit (MFU)] and:

  1. (1) 

    Debt is $20,000 or less; and

  2. (2) 

    Debtor has been selected for ECO,
  • •

    Terminate internal collection via the Terminate Collection (DFTE) screen in DMS. (See MS 01107.003.)

  • •

    Diary the case via Processing Center Action Control Center (PCACS) for three years to give external collection tools a chance to yield collections; and

  • •

    Document your actions via the Remarks screen in DMS.

  • •

    When the diary matures, obtain an ECO collection query to see if the debt is still in ECO.

Once you obtain a Collection Query, take action as follows:

  • •

    Continue to re-diary for three-year intervals, if debtor is not in ECO; or

  • •

    Refer to the DS to take appropriate action regarding recovery from other person(s), if debtor is not in ECO (see DS instructions below).

Other Person(s) are receiving benefits and living at a different address from the debtor [Multiple Family Unit (MFU)] and:

  1. (1) 

    Debt is more than $20,000; and

  2. (2) 

    Debtor has been selected for ECO,

Refer to the DS.

Other Person(s) are Receiving Benefits and Living at a Different Address From the Debtor (MFU) and:

  1. (1) 

    Debt is $20,000 or less; and

  2. (2) 

    Debtor is not selected for ECO
  • •

    Terminate internal collection via the DFTE screen in DMS;

  • •

    Diary the case via PCACS for 60 days to determine if ECO subsequently selected the debtor for external collection tools (if appropriate).

  • •

    Refer to the DS to take action to determine the reason why ECO has not selected the case, after 60 days;

    • –

      Re-diary for 60 days for possible record corrections, if necessary;

  • •

    Re-diary the case for one year, if the debtor is not active in TOP, AWG, or Credit Bureau Reporting; and

  • •

    Refer the case to the DS to determine why the system did not select the case and take appropriate action regarding recovery from other person(s), if after one year the system does not select the debtor for TOP, AWG, or Credit Bureau Reporting (see DS instructions below).

Other Person(s) are receiving benefits and living at a different address from the debtor (MFU) and:

  1. (1) 

    Debt exceeds $20,000; and

  2. (2) 

    Debtor is not selected for ECO,

Refer to the DS.

If other person(s) are not currently receiving benefits on the same record, see the following chart for the appropriate actions:

If…

Then…

Other person(s) are not receiving benefits and the debt is $20,000 or less,

Terminate internal collection via the DFTE screen. (See MS 01107.003.)

Other person(s) are not receiving benefits and debt exceeds $20,000,

Refer to the DS.

2. Debtor is not repaying overpayment

  1. a. 

    If the debtor has a representative payee and we have not attempted to recover the debt from the representative payee per GN 02205.007, refer to the DS to take appropriate action regarding recovery from that payee.

  2. b. 

    If the debtor refuses to provide financial information or to make any repayment commitment, document the contact on the Remarks screen in DMS.

  3. c. 

    Query the QRSL to determine if other person (s) are receiving benefits on the debtor's record.

  4. d. 

    If other person (s) are currently receiving benefits on the same record, see the following chart for the appropriate actions:

If…

Then…

Other Person(s) Receiving Benefits Living at the Same Address as the Debtor (SFU)

Refer to the DS to take appropriate action regarding recovery from other person(s). See below for DS instructions.

Other Person(s) are Receiving Benefits and Living at a Different Address From the Debtor (Multiple Family Unit (MFU)) and:

  1. a. 

    Debt is $20,000 or less; and

  2. b. 

    Debtor has been selected for ECO,

Terminate internal collection via the DFTE screen. (See MS 01107.003.)

  • •

    Diary the case via PCACS for three years in order to give external collection tools a chance to yield collections; and

  • •

    Document your actions via the Remarks screen in DMS.

When the diary matures, obtain an ECO Collection Query to see if the debt is still in ECO.

Once you obtain the Collection Query, take action as follows:

  • •

    Re-diary for three-year intervals, if the debtor is still in ECO; or

  • •

    Refer to the DS to take appropriate action, if the debtor is not in ECO. (See below for DS instructions.)

Other person(s) are receiving benefits and living at a different address from the debtor (MFU) and:

  1. a. 

    Debt exceeds $20,000; and

  2. b. 

    Debtor has been selected for ECO,

Refer to the DS.

Other person(s) are receiving benefits and living at a different address from the debtor (MFU), and:

  1. a. 

    Debt is $20,000 or less; and

  2. b. 

    Debtor is not selected for ECO
  • •

    Terminate internal collection via the DFTE screen in DMS.

  • •

    Diary the case via PCACS for 60 days in order to determine if ECO subsequently selected the debtor for external collection tools (if appropriate);

  • •

    Refer to the DS to take action to determine the reason why ECO has not selected the case after 60 days;

    • –

      Re-diary for 60 days for possible record corrections, if necessary;

  • •

    Re-diary the case for one year, if the debtor is not active in TOP, AWG, or Credit Bureau Reporting, and

  • •

    Refer the case to the DS to determine why the system did not select the case and take appropriate action regarding recovery from other person(s), if after one year the system does not select the debtor for TOP, AWG, or Credit Bureau Reporting. (see DS instructions below)

Other person(s) are receiving benefits and living at a different address from the debtor (MFU) and:

  1. a. 

    Debt exceeds $20,000; and

  2. b. 

    Debtor is not selected for ECO

Refer to the DS.

Other person(s) are receiving benefits and living at a different address from the debtor (MFU) and:

  1. a. 

    Debt is $20,000 or less; and

  2. b. 

    Debtor is not selected for ECO
  • •

    Terminate internal collection via the DFTE screen in DMS.

  • •

    Diary the case in PCACS for 60 days in order to determine if ECO subsequently selected for the debtor for external collection tools (if appropriate);

  • •

    Refer to the DS to take action to determine the reason that the case was not selected for ECO after 60 days.

    • –

      Re-diary for 60 days for possible record corrections, if necessary;

  • •

    Re-diary the case for one year, if debtor is not active in TOP, AWG, or Credit Bureau Reporting; and

  • •

    Refer the case to the DS to determine why ECO did not select the case and take appropriate action regarding recovery from other person(s), if after one year ECO did not select the debtor for TOP, AWG, or Credit Bureau reporting.

If other person(s) are not receiving benefits, see the following chart for the appropriate actions:

If…

Then…

Other person(s) are not receiving benefits and debt is less than $3,000

Terminate internal collection via the DFTE screen. (See MS 01107.003.)

Other person(s) are not receiving benefits and:

  1. (1) 

    Debt is between $3,000 and $20,000; and

  2. (2) 

    Debtor has been selected for ECO

Query the Master Earnings File (MEF) by obtaining a Summary Earnings Query (SEQY), (MS 05203.004) or a Detail Earnings Query (DEQY), (MS 05203.005).

Terminate internal collection via the DFTE screen in DMS, if earnings are less than or equal to $10,000.

If earnings are more than $10,000:

  1. 1. 

    Diary the case for via PCACS for three years in order to give external collection tools a chance to yield collections;

  2. 2. 

    Document your actions via the DMS RMKS screen.

  3. 3. 

    When the diary matures, obtain an ECO collection Query to see if the debt is still in ECO.

  • •

    Continue to re-diary for 3-year intervals until debtor is deleted from ECO, if the debt is still in ECO; or.

  • •

    Refer to DS for possible civil suit referral, if ECO deletes the debtor.

Other person(s) are not Receiving Benefits and:

  1. (1) 

    Debt is between $3,000 and $20,000; and

  2. (2) 

    Debtor is not selected for ECO

Terminate internal collections via the DFTE screen, see MS 01107.003.

Other person(s) are not receiving benefits and debt exceeds $20,000.

Refer to the DS.

E. DS instruction for Title II debt

1. Organizational representative payee refuses to repay overpayment

a. Query the representative payee system

  • •

    If the organization is a representative payee for other beneficiaries, send a development request to the field office (FO) (see FO action in GN 02210.217D.1.b. in this section) to perform a suitability determination. Include the overpayment information as the reason for the suitability determination.

  • •

    Terminate internal collection action via the DFTE screen. See MS 01107.003.

b. FO action

Contact the organization to determine the suitability of the organization to serve as a representative payee for all beneficiaries in accordance with GN 00504.100A.2., GN 00502.130B.3., and GN 00502.181. Inform the organization that the outstanding overpayment is the reason for the suitability check and that remittance of the overpayment amount would likely negate the need for a new payee.

2. All other Title II debts

First, determine which component has the jurisdiction of the Retirement, Survivors Insurance (RSI), and Disability Insurance (DI) case. Based on the jurisdiction, follow the charts below to determine if other person(s) is or is not receiving benefits on the record.

If other person(s) are receiving benefits, see the following chart for appropriate actions:

If…

Then…

It is an RSI or DI Case under Program Service Center (PSC) Jurisdiction,

Discontinue collection efforts against the debtor and propose adjustment (if not previously done) against other person(s) currently receiving benefits on the same earnings record from which the debt arose.

It is a DI case under the Office of Central Operations (OCO), jurisdiction

Transfer jurisdiction to OCO via the DFTJ screen in DMS and include the following instructions in DMS :

“Debtor unable or unwilling to repay the debt. Further Debtor Contact Unit (DCU) efforts against debtor not warranted. (BICS) receiving benefits on debt record. Propose adjustment if not previously done. Discontinue internal collection efforts against debtor. Debtor contacts are contained on DMS Remarks screen.”

Other person(s) are not receiving benefits and the case is under PSC jurisdiction, see the following chart for appropriate actions:

If…

Then…

The Debt is Less than $3,000

Terminate internal collection via the DFTE screen. See MS 01107.003.

The Debt is $3,000 or More - Earnings Over $10,000 for RSI or DI Cases

Determine if civil suit is appropriate. (See GN 02215.150.) If so, prepare all necessary documents and input to the Record DOJ Referral (DFRF) screen. Otherwise, refer to GN 02215.235 for appropriate collection action.

The Debt is Between $3,000 and $20,000 - Earnings Under $10,000

Terminate internal collection via the DFTE screen.

The Debt is Between $20,000 and $100,000 - Earnings Under $10,000 for RSI or DI Cases

Prepare an SSA-553, in accordance with current operating instructions. Forward to the ARC, PCO for approval to terminate internal collection efforts.

The Debt Exceeds $100,000 - Earnings Under $10,000 for RSI or DI Cases

Forward to the DOJ for authority to discontinue internal collection efforts in accordance with GN 02215.235D.

Other person(s) are not receiving benefits and the case is under OCO jurisdiction, see the following chart for appropriate actions:

If…

Then…

The Debt is Less than $3,000

Terminate internal collection via the DFTE screen.

The Debt is $3,000 or More – Annual Earnings Over $10,000 for DI Cases

Transfer jurisdiction to OCO with the following instructions in DMS Remarks:

“Debtor unable to repay or not repaying his or her overpayment. Further DCU efforts against debtor not warranted. Determine if civil suit is appropriate (GN 02215.150.). Debtor contacts are contained on the DMS Remarks screen.”

The Debt is Between $3,000 and $20,000 – Annual Earnings Under $10,000 for DI cases

Terminate internal collection via the DFTE screen.

The Debt is Between $20,000 and $100,000 – Annual Earnings Under $10,000 for DI Cases

Transfer jurisdiction to OCO with the following information in DMS Remarks:

“Debtor unable to repay or not repaying his or her overpayment. Further DCU efforts not warranted. Debt is between $20,000 and $100,000. Debtor earnings under $10,000. Take action to obtain authority to discontinue internal collection efforts in accordance with current operating instructions.”

The Debt Exceeds $100,000 – Annual Earnings Under $10,000 for DI Cases

Transfer jurisdiction to OCO, (via the DFTJ screen) with the following information in DMS Remarks:

“Debtor unable to repay or not repaying his or her overpayment. Further DCU efforts not warranted. Debt exceeds $100,000. Debtor earnings under $10,000. Forward to the DOJ for a decision on suspension or termination of collection efforts GN 02215.235C.5.a.”

F. Title XVI debt – DCR procedures

1. Debtor is unable to repay overpayment

  1. a. 

    If a debtor alleges the inability to repay, solicit information about:

    • •

      Present and Potential Income, including inheritance prospects;

    • •

      Expenses and Assets (e.g., real property, savings account) - If expenses exceed income and no assets are listed, ask how expenses are met. Document the financial information on the Remarks screen in DMS (see MS 01109.001); and

    • •

      Dependents. (However, consider the finances of all members of the household. Be alert to the possibility of concealed income and/or assets.)

  2. b. 

    If appropriate, tell the debtor that the debt is subject to external collection tools and possible future collection by cross-program recovery. If applicable, tell the debtor that SSA can also refer the debt to the DOJ for enforced collection by civil suit.

  3. c. 

    If the debtor has an organizational representative payee, refer to the DS to take appropriate action regarding recovery from that payee.

    Complete the following actions based on the debt amount from the chart below:

    If…

    Then…

    The Debt Less Than $20,000

    Complete the MSSICS Overpayment Decisions (UOPD) screen by selecting UNABLE TO REPAY decision (see MS 00304.008) allowing the system to build a C TAC in the OPDD segment and terminating internal collection efforts.

    The Debt Exceeds $20,000

    Refer to the DS.

2. Debtor is not repaying overpayment

If the debtor:

  • •

    Has an organization representative payee, refer to the DS to take appropriate action regarding recovery from that payee.

  • •

    Refuses to provide financial information or to make any repayment commitment, document the contact on the Remarks screen in DMS.

Complete the following actions based on the debt amount in the following chart:

If…

Then…

The Debt is $3,000 or less

Complete the MSSICS Overpayment Decisions (UOPD) screen by selecting UNWILLING TO REPAY decision (see MS 00304.008) allowing the system to build a B TAC in the OPDD segment and terminating collection efforts.

The Debt Exceeds $3,000

Refer to the DS.

G. Title XVI debt - DS procedures

1. Organizational representative payee refuses to repay overpayment

a. Query the representative payee system

  • •

    If the organization is a representative, send a development request to the Field Office (see FO action below) to perform a suitability determination. Include the overpayment information as the reason for the suitability determination.

  • •

    Terminate internal collection action via MSSICS.

b. Field Office action

Contact the organization to determine the suitability of the organization to serve as a representative payee for all beneficiaries in accordance with GN 00504.100A.2., GN 00502.130B.3., and GN 00502.181. Inform the organization that the outstanding overpayment is the reason for the suitability check and that remittance of the overpayment amount would likely negate the need for a successor payee determination.

2. All other Title XVI debts

If the debt is $3,000 or more, query the MEF and see the following chart for appropriate actions:

If…

Then…

The Earnings are under $10,000 – Debt $20,000 or Less

Complete the MSSICS Overpayment Decisions (UOPD) screen by selecting UNWILLING TO REPAY decision, allowing the system to build a B TAC in the OPDD segment and deleting the debt from RECOOP billing. (See MS 00304.008).

The Earnings are under $10,000 - Debt Between $20,001 and $100,000
  • •

    Prepare an SSA-553 in accordance with current operating instructions.

  • •

    Forward to the ARC, PCO (or ARC, Management and Operations Support (MOS) for approval to terminate internal collection.

  • •

    Complete the MSSICS Overpayment Decisions (UOPD) screen by selecting UNWILLING TO REPAY decision. (When you receive the approved SSA-553, see MS 00304.008.)

The Earnings are under $10,000 - Debt Exceeds $100,000
  • •

    Complete the MSSICS Overpayment Decisions (UOPD) screen. (See MS 00304.008 and terminate internal collection via the MSSICS screen.)

  • •

    Forward the debt to the FO with the following information:

    “Debtor unable or not repaying his or her overpayment. Further DCU efforts against debtor not warranted. Debt exceeds $100,000. Forward to the DOJ for authority to discontinue collection efforts in accordance with GN 02215.235C.5.

    NOTE: When querying the MEF, consider earnings for the current year minus one or the current year minus two, if the more recent data are not yet available, along and with any other relevant work information on file.

The Earnings are Over $10,000
  • •

    Annotate the earnings information to the RMKS screen.

  • •

    Complete the MSSICS Overpayment Decisions (UOPD) screen by selecting UNWILLING TO REPAY (see MS 00304.008) allowing the system to build a B TAC in the OPDD segment).

  • •

    Complete the MSSICS Update Sequence Data (UOSD) screen (see MS 00304.006); select “Delete” to delete a suspend billing indicator for non-installment debts.

  • •

    If there is an installment indicator (G TAC), delete the G TAC by completing the MSSICS Add/Change/Delete Overpayment Decisions (UODC) screen and select TRANSFER TO FIELD OFFICE/MISCELLANEOUS REASON on the Update Sequence Data (UOSD) screen. (See MS 00304.006F.)

  • •

    Transfer jurisdiction of the debt to the FO.

  • •

    Prepare a request for FO civil suit development with the following instructions:

    “Debtor unable or not repaying his or her overpayment. Further DCU efforts against debtor not warranted. Determine if civil suit is appropriate (See SI 02220.035). Debtor contact(s) and earnings record information are contained on the DMS Remarks screen.”

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0202210217
GN 02210.217 - Debtor Unable or Unwilling to Refund the Overpayment - Debt Contact Representative (DCR) and Debt Specialist (DS) Actions - 03/16/2022
Batch run: 08/20/2025
Rev:03/16/2022