[Request for Reconsideration of Claims Group's Denial of Application for Indebtedness Waiver]

A retired Coast Guard officer requested reconsideration of the Claims Group's denial of his application for waiver of a debt which arose out of overpayments of military retired pay through an administrative error. Federal regulations provide that a service member's request for the waiver of a claim caused by an erroneous payment may not granted if there is some indication of fault on the part of the concerned service member. The fact that the overpayments were made through an administrative error does not relieve the recipient of the responsibility of taking corrective action. GAO found that, in this case, a prudent person would have noticed and reported the overpayments; therefore, the officer was partially at fault in the matter. Accordingly, the Claims Group's decision was sustained.