Request for Reconsideration of Debt Waiver

A retired Army warrant officer requested reconsideration of the Claims Division's denial of his application for waiver of indebtedness. The debt arose from his receipt of an erroneous payment of pay and allowances after his discharge from the Army. At the time of the overpayment, the officer checked with local Army finance officers to see if they could determine the cause of the erroneous payment. Since the officer's pay records were not at the post, no explanation could be given for the increase in his account. After this initial contact, the officer made no further attempt to determine the source of the overpayment. However, due to his initial attempt, the officer believed that he was eligible for a waiver of his debt. GAO reviewed the previous decision and concluded that the officer should have known that the payment was erroneous and that he would have to refund it. Since he did not pursue the matter with appropriate service officials, he is not without fault in the matter and is thus ineligible for the waiver of his debt. Accordingly, GAO sustained the earlier action denying waiver of the officer's debt.