Before providing student loan repayment benefits under this part, an agency must establish a student loan repayment plan. This plan must include the following elements:
(a) The designation of officials with authority to review and approve offering student loan repayment benefits (which may parallel the approval delegations used for other recruitment, relocation, and retention incentives);
(b) The situations in which the student loan repayment authority may be used;
(c) The criteria to meet or consider in authorizing student loan repayment benefits, including criteria for determining the size and timing of the loan payment(s);
(d) A system for selecting employees (or job candidates) to receive student loan repayment benefits that ensures fair and equitable treatment;
(e) The requirements associated with service agreements (including a basis for determining the length of service to be required if it is greater than the statutory minimum);
(f) The procedures for making loan payments;
(g) The provisions for recovering any amount outstanding from an employee who fails to satisfy a service agreement and conditions for waiving an employee's obligation to reimburse the agency for payments made under this part; and
(h) Documentation and recordkeeping requirements sufficient to allow reconstruction of each action to approve a student loan repayment benefit.
authority: 5 U.S.C. 2301,
2302,
and. E.O. 11478, 3 CFR, 1966-1970 Comp., p. 803, unless otherwise noted; E.O. 13087, 63 FR 30097, 3 CFR, 1998 Comp., p. 191; and E.O. 13152, 65 FR 26115, 3 CFR, 2000 Comp., p. 264
source: 73 FR 64865, Oct. 31, 2008, unless otherwise noted.
cite as: 5 CFR 537.103