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B-197800 1 (1980-07-07)

handle is hein.gao/gaobadijt0001 and id is 1 raw text is: 

   FR*4

                   § ~ THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL
   DECISION                OF  THE UNITED STATES
                           WASHINGTON, 0. C. 20549



   FILE: B-197800                DATE:  July 7, 1980

   MATTER  OF:  Mrs. Julia N. Barratt


   DIGEST:  A-Survivor Benefit Plan annuitant
            received a substantial overpayment
            of the annuity which she knew was
            erroneous.  Although she advised
            the Finance Center that she believed
            she was being overpaid, waiver of
            her debt may not be granted because
            she knew the payment was erroneous
            and she should be prepared to refund
            it.

     This action is in response to a letter from Mrs. Julia N.
Barratt requesting reconsideration of our Claims Division's
denial of waiver of her debt to the United States in the
amount of $1,260.  The debt arose from erroneous payments made
to her by the Navy of an annuity under the Survivor Benefit
Plan, 10 U.S.C. 1447-1455, during the period September 1976
through February 1977.

     The denial of waiver was based in part on the fact that
in her original request for waiver she indicated that she
suspected the existence of the overpayments. *In .view of the
large amount of the overpayments (which amounted to $210 per
month for the 6-month period) it was concluded that she
should have been aware that she was being overpaid and should
have pursued the matter.further to determine the reason for
the excess payments.

     In Mrs. Barratt's letter requesting reconsideration she
states unequivocally that she knew she was being overpaid.
However, she states she made repeated telephone calls to the
Finance Center to get the matter corrected and that it was
through her efforts that the error was corrected.

     Although it is commendable that Mrs. Barratt advised
the Navy that she was being overpaid this did not relieve
her of the obligation to retain the overpayments for refund
to the Government.  One who knowingly receives excess
payments from the Government cannot expect to retain them.
In these circumstances we cannot find that recovery of the

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