(a) A disbursing official in the executive branch of the United States Government shall—

(1) disburse money only as provided by a voucher certified by—

(A) the head of the executive agency concerned; or

(B) an officer or employee of the executive agency having written authorization from the head of the agency to certify vouchers;

(2) examine a voucher if necessary to decide if it is—

(A) in proper form;

(B) certified and approved; and

(C) computed correctly on the facts certified; and

(3) except for the correctness of computations on a voucher or pursuant to payment intercepts or offsets pursuant to section 3716 or 3720A of this title,,¹ be held accountable for carrying out clauses (1) and (2) of this subsection.

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(b) In addition to officers and employees referred to in subsection (a)(1)(B) of this section as having authorization to certify vouchers, members of the armed forces may certify vouchers when authorized, in writing, by the Secretary of Defense or, in the case of the Coast Guard when it is not operating as a service in the Navy, by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

(c) On request, the Secretary of the Treasury may provide to the appropriate officer or employee of the United States Government a list of persons receiving periodic payments from the Government. When certified and in proper form, the list may be used as a voucher on which the Secretary may disburse money.

(d) The head of an executive agency or an officer or employee of an executive agency referred to in subsection (a)(1)(B), as applicable, shall include with each certified voucher submitted to a disbursing official pursuant to this section the taxpayer identifying number of each person to whom payment may be made under the voucher.