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.