(a) When an employee of the Department of Education becomes aware that an action has been filed against the employee in his or her individual capacity as a result of conduct taken within the scope of his or her employment, the employee shall immediately notify the head of his or her principal operating component and shall cooperate with appropriate officials of the Department in the defense of the action.

(b) As part of the notification in paragraph (a) of this section or at a later time, the employee may request—

(1) Indemnification to satisfy a verdict, judgment, or award entered against the employee; or

(2) Payment to satisfy the requirements of a settlement proposal.

(c)(1) The employee's request must be in writing to the head of his or her principal operating component and must be accompanied by copies of the complaint and other documents filed in the action, including the verdict, judgment, award, settlement, or settlement proposal, as appropriate.

(2)(i) As used in this section, the term principal operating component means an office in the Department headed by an Assistant Secretary, a Deputy Under Secretary, or an equivalent departmental officer who reports directly to the Secretary.

(ii) The term also includes the Office of the Secretary and the Office of the Under Secretary.

(d) The head of the employee's principal operating component submits to the General Counsel, in a timely manner, the request, together with a recommended disposition of the request.

(e) The General Counsel forwards to the Secretary for decision—

(1) The employee's request;

(2) The recommendation of the head of the employee's principal operating component; and

(3) The General Counsel's recommendation.