notwithstanding the end of the period for which the allotment was made. (b) In the absence of an allotment or when an allotment is insufficient for a purpose authorized by the head of the agency concerned, he or his designee may authorize such a new or increased allotment as circumstances warrant, which is payable for the period the employee concerned is in a missing status. (c) All allotments from the pay and allowances of an employee in a missing status may not total more than the amount of pay and allowances he is permitted to allot under regulations prescribed by the head of the agency concerned. (d) A premium paid by the United States on insurance issued on the life of an employee, which is unearned because it covers a period after his death, reverts to the appropriation of the agency concerned. (e) Subject to subsections (f) and (g) of this section, the head of the agency concerned or his designee may direct the initiation, continuance, discontinuance, increase, decrease, suspension, or resumption of an allotment from the pay and allowances of an employee in a missing status when that action is in the interests of the employee, his dependents, or the United States. (f) When the head of the agency concerned officially reports that an employee in a missing status is alive, an allotment under subsections (a) (d) of this section may be paid, subject to section 5562 of this title, until the date the head of the agency concerned receives evidence that the employee is dead or has returned to the controllable jurisdiction of the agency concerned. (g) When an employee in a missing status is continued in that status under section 5565 of this title, an allotment under subsections (a)–(d) of this section may be continued, increased, or initiated. (h) When the head of the agency concerned considers it essential for the well-being and protection of the dependents of an employee in active service (other than an employee in a missing status), he may, with or without the consent of the employee and subject to termination on specific request of the employee (1) direct the payment of a new allotment from the pay of the employee; (2) increase or decrease the amount of an allotment made by the employee; and (3) continue payment of an allotment of the employee which has expired. § 5564. Travel and transportation; dependents; household and personal effects; motor vehicles; sale of bulky items; claims for proceeds; appropriation chargeable (a) For the purpose of this section, "household and personal effects" and "household effects" may include, in addition to other authorized weight allowances, one privately owned motor vehicle which may be shipped at United States expense. (b) Transportation (including packing, crating, draying, temporarily storing, and unpacking of household and personal effects) may be provided for the dependents and household and personal ef fects of an employee in active service (without regard to pay grade) who is officially reported as dead, injured, or absent for more than 29 days in a status listed in section 5561(5) (A)–(E) of this title to (1) the official residence of record for the employee; (2) the residence of his dependent, next of kin, or other person entitled to the effects under regulations prescribed by the head of the agency concerned; or (3) another location determined in advance or later approved by the head of the agency concerned or his designee on request of the employee (if injured) or his dependent, next of kin, or other person described in paragraph (2) of this sub section. (c) When an employee described in subsection (b) of this section is in an injured status, transportation of dependents and household and personal effects may be provided under this section only when prolonged hospitalization or treatment is anticipated. (d) Transportation on request of a dependent may be authorized under this section only when there is a reasonable relationship between the circumstances of the dependent and the destination requested. (e) Instead of providing transportation for dependents under this section, when the travel has been completed the head of the agency concerned may authorize (1) reimbursement for the commercial cost of the transportation; or (2) a monetary allowance, instead of transportation, as authorized by statute for the whole or that part of the travel for which transportation in kind was not furnished. (f) The head of the agency concerned may store the household and personal effects of an employee described in subsection (b) of this section until proper disposition can be made. The cost of the storage and transportation (including packing, crating, draying, temporarily storing, and unpacking) of household and personal effects shall be charged against appropriations currently available. (g) When the head of the agency concerned determines that an emergency exists and that a sale would be in the best interests of the United States, he may provide for the public or private sale of motor vehicles and other bulky items of the household and personal effects of an employee described in subsection (b) of this section. Before a sale, and if practicable, a reasonable effort shall be made to determine the desires of interested persons. The net proceeds from the sale shall be sent to the owner or other person entitled thereto under regulations prescribed by the head of the agency concerned. If there is no owner or other person entitled thereto, or if the owner or other person or their addresses are not ascertained within 1 year from the date of sale, the net proceeds may be covered into the Treasury of the United States as miscellaneous receipts. (h) A claim for net proceeds covered into the Treasury under subsection (g) of this section may be filed with the Administrator of General Services by the owner, his heir or next of kin, or his legal representative at any time before the end of 5 years from the date the proceeds are covered into the Treasury. When a claim is filed, the Administrator of General Services shall allow or disallow it. A claim that is allowed shall be paid from the appropriation for refunding money erroneously received and covered. If a claim is not filed before the end of 5 years from the date the proceeds are covered into the Treasury, it is barred from being acted on by the Administrator of General Services or the courts. (i) This section does not amend or repeal (1) section 2575, 2733, 4712, 6522, or 9712 of title 10; (2) section 507 of title 14; or (3) chapter 171 of title 28. § 5565. Agency review (a) When an employee has been in a missing status almost 12 months and no official report of his death or the circumstances of his continued absence has been received by the head of the agency concerned, he shall have the case fully reviewed. After that review and the end of 12 months in a missing status, or after any later review which shall be made when warranted by information received or other circumstances, the head of the agency concerned or his designee may (1) direct the continuance of his missing status, if there is a reasonable presumption that the employee is alive; or (2) make a finding of death. (b) When a finding of death is made under subsection (a) of this section, it shall include the date death is presumed to have occurred for the purpose of the ending of crediting pay and allowances and settlement of accounts. That date is— (1) the day after the day on which the 12 months in a missing status ends; or (2) a day determined by the head of the agency concerned or his designee when the missing status has been continued under subsection (a) of this section. (c) For the purpose of determining status under this section, a dependent of an employee in active service is deemed an employee. A determination under this section made by the head of the agency concerned or his designee is conclusive on all other agencies of the United States. This section does not entitle a dependent to pay, allowances, or other compensation to which he is not otherwise entitled. § 5566. Agency determinations (a) The head of the agency concerned or his designee may make any determination necessary to administer this subchapter, and when so made it is conclusive as to (1) death or finding of death; (2) the fact of dependency under this subchapter; (4) an essential date, including one on which evidence or information is received by the head of the agency concerned; and (5) whether information received concerning an employee is to be construed and acted on as an official report of death. (b) When the head of the agency concerned receives information that he considers to conclusively establish the death of an employee, he shall take action thereon as an official report of death, notwithstanding an earlier action relating to death or status of the employee. After the end of 12 months in a missing status prescribed by section 5565 of this title, the head of the agency concerned or his designee shall make a finding of death when he considers that the information received, or a lapse of time without information, establishes a reasonable presumption that an employee in a missing status is dead. (c) The head of the agency concerned or his designee may determine the entitlement of an employee to pay and allowances under this subchapter, including credits and charges in his account, and that determination is conclusive. An account may not be charged or debited with an amount that an employee captured, beleaguered, or besieged by a hostile force may receive or be entitled to receive from, or have placed to his credit by, the hostile force as pay, allowances, or other compensation. (d) When circumstances warrant the reconsideration of a determination made under this subchapter, the head of the agency concerned or his designee may change or modify it. (e) When the account of an employee has been charged or debited with an allotment paid under this subchapter, the amount so charged or debited shall be recredited to the account of the employee if the head of the agency concerned or his designee determines that the payment was induced by fraud or misrepresentation to which the employee was not a party. (f) Except an allotment for an unearned insurance premium, an allotment paid from the pay and allowances of an employee for the period he is in a missing status may not be collected from the allotee as an overpayment when payment was caused by delay in receiving evidence of death. An allotment paid for a period after the end, under this subchapter or otherwise, of entitlement to pay and allowances may not be collected from the allottee or charged against the pay of a deceased employee when payment was caused by delay in receiving evidence of death. (g) The head of the agency concerned or his designee may waive the recovery of an erroneous payment or overpayment of an allotment to a dependent if he considers recovery is against equity and good conscience. (h) For the purpose of determining status under this section, a dependent of an employee in active service is deemed an employee. A determination under this section made by the head of the agency concerned or his designee is conclusive on all other agencies of the United States. This section does not entitle a dependent to pay, allowances, or other compensation to which he is not otherwise entitled. § 5567. Settlement of accounts (a) The head of the agency concerned or his designee may settle the accounts of— (1) an employee for whose account payment has been made under sections 5562, 5563, and 5565 of this title; and (2) a survivor of a casualty to a ship, station, or military installation which results in the loss or destruction of disbursing records. That settlement is conclusive on the accounting officials of the United States in settling the accounts of disbursing officials. (b) Payment or settlement of an account made pursuant to a report, determination, or finding of death may not be recovered or reopened because of a later report or determination which fixes a date of death. However, an account shall be reopened and settled on the basis of a date of death so fixed which is later than that used as a basis for earlier settlement. (c) In settling the accounts of a disbursing official, he is entitled to credit for an erroneous payment or overpayment made by him in carrying out this subchapter, except section 5568, if there is no fraud or criminality by him. Recovery may not be made from an individual who authorizes a payment under this subchapter, except section 5568, if there is no fraud or criminality by him. $5568. Income tax deferment Notwithstanding other statutes, any Federal income tax return of, or the payment of any Federal income tax by, an employee who, at the time the return or payment would otherwise become due, is in a missing status does not become due until the earlier of the following dates: (1) the fifteenth day of the third month in which he ceased (except because of death or incompetency) being in a missing status, unless before the end of that fifteenth day he is again in a missing status; or (2) the fifteenth day of the third month after the month in which an executor, administrator, or conservator of the estate of the taxpayer is appointed. That due date is prescribed subject to the power of the Secretary of the Treasury or his delegate to extend the time for filing the return or paying the tax, as in other cases, and to assess and collect the tax as provided by sections 6851, 6861, and 6871 of title 26 in cases in which the assessment or collection is jeopardized and in cases of bankruptcy or receivership. § 5569. Benefits for captives (a) For the purpose of this section (1) "captive" means any individual in a captive status commencing while such individual is (A) in the Civil Service, or (B) a citizen, national, or resident alien of the United States rendering personal service to the United States similar to the service of an individual in the Civil Service (other than as a member of the uniformed services); (2) "captive status" means a missing status which, as determined by the President, arises because of a hostile action and is a result of the individual's relationship with the Government; (3) "missing status" (A) in the case of an employee, has the meaning provided under section 5561(5) of this title; and (B) in the case of an individual other than an employee, has a similar meaning; and 53-542 99-14 |