Is there a statue of time limitation for federal indebtness

After 14 years my federal employer is claiming they overpaid me for a housing allowance. The payments go back to 1996. They claimed they contacted me in 2005 but I did not receive any letter. Now they are giving me 30 days to workout a payment plan or contest the debt or they will begin garnishment.

On the face of it this seems unreasonable. I do have the records necessary to affirm or contest this alleged indebtedness. I suspect they did not really send a letter 2005- because they would have automatically started garnishment when I did not respond.

Am I missing something? When does a FED. creditor lose their rights to collect if they do not communicate the fact of the debt in a timely manner?

Comments for Is there a statue of time limitation for federal indebtness

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Mar 25, 2010
 your question
by: Gerri

I am afraid I don't know the answer to your question. We focus on debt collectors and this is not a typical debt collection problem. I can tell you that the federal government has many more options available for collection than most creditors.

I would suggest you do two things immediately. First, contact a consumer law attorney to find out what your rights are. You can go to NACA.net to find an attorney in your area to speak with.

The second thing you can do is talk to your Senator's office and ask for help. They will have staff members whose job is to help constituents cut through red tape.

I hope you are able to resolve this successfully.

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