Employment at the Financial Management Service

FMS Organization: Debt Management Services

Who are we?

Debt Management Services is one of the six major sub-divisions in FMS.

It provides federal agencies with debt collection and management services. The DMS organization leads the development and implementation of government wide debt management policies. Its mission is to improve the quality of the federal government's financial management.

DMS accomplishes its mission by increasing the collection of delinquent debt owed to the federal government, providing debt management services to all federal agencies, and protecting the financial interests of the American taxpayer.

What do we do?

The Debt Collection Improvement Act (DCIA) became effective on April 26, 1996. DMS is responsible for implementation of this law. The major objectives of the legislation are to maximize collections of delinquent debt owed to the federal government, and minimize the cost of debt collection by consolidating related functions and utilizing interagency teams.

By law, the Department of the Treasury is authorized to use the following tools to collect delinquent debt.

• Wage garnishment
• Credit bureau reporting
• Federal payments offset (tax refund, salary, benefit, vendor, miscellaneous)
• Private collection agencies
• Referral to the Department of Justice for litigation
• Asset seizure
• Barring delinquent debtors from federal credit
• Publication of delinquent debtors
• Treasury Offset Program

The Treasury Offset Program

The Treasury Offset Program (TOP) is a centralized debt collection program designed to assist agencies in the collection of delinquent debt owed to the federal government. FMS is responsible for disbursing more than 850 million payments a year on behalf of more than 400 federal agencies. TOP uses this process to match delinquent debtor files against payments. When a match occurs, the payment is intercepted and the debt is offset up to the amount of the debt.

Servicing Program

The DCIA requires federal agencies to transfer debts that are more than 180 days delinquent to DMS for collection. DMS has established standard processes for accepting and collecting debts including demand letters, phone calls, credit bureau reporting, offset, and referral to private collection agencies. Until debt is referred to a private collection agency, DMS actively pursues collection. This includes purchasing credit reports, skiptracing, and negotiating compromise or repayment plans.

What jobs are available in Debt Management Services?

The DMS staff consists of federal career service employees. Positions include Accountants, Financial Program Specialists, Program Analysts, and Computer Specialists. This team of professionals:

• Develops and manages debt collection systems and operations, including offset of federal payments, referral of debts to private collection agencies, and the accounting functions associated with the movement of funds and information related to debt collection.
  
  
• Develops debt collection policy, procedures, and legislation, including the designation of debt collection centers and approval for cross-servicing exemptions.
  
  
• Partners with agencies to increase the referral of debts to DMS for collection, including issue resolution and debt collection education.
  
  

Where is Debt Management Service?

Debt Management has two locations.

Liberty Center Building
401 14th Street SW
Washington, DC 20227

It is located on 14th Street, at the foot of the bridge connecting Virginia and the District, just 2 blocks off Independence Avenue and across the street from the Tidal Basin. The nearby Smithsonian metro stop and a monthly Metrocard stipend make commuting easy and cost efficient.

Metro Center II Building
3700 East West Highway
Hyattsville, MD 20782

It is located in Hyattsville, Maryland at the suburban office of FMS headquarters on the Metro's Green Line (Prince George's Plaza Station). Additionally, paid on-site parking is available for employees and the offices are within a mile of the University of Maryland, College Park campus.

Where can I get further information?

E-mail:	job.opportunities@fms.treas.gov
Call:	(202) 874-8090
Write:	Financial Management Service Human Resources Division 3700 East-West Highway Hyattsville, MD 20782