7 CFR 400.684 – Effect of ineligibility
(a) The effect of ineligibility depends on the basis for the determination.
(1) Persons who are ineligible as a result of a delinquent debt are ineligible for crop insurance authorized under the Act for a certain time period in accordance with § 400.683. Filing for bankruptcy does not make the person eligible for crop insurance or preclude the ineligible person from being placed on the ITS in accordance with § 400.684(b)(1).
(2) Persons who are ineligible as a result of a suspension or debarment are precluded from:
(i) Participating in all programs authorized under the Act, including but not limited to:
(A) Obtaining crop insurance;
(B) Acting as an agent, loss adjuster, insurance provider, or affiliate, as defined in the Standard Reinsurance Agreement or Livestock Price Reinsurance Agreement, or successor agreements;
(C) Entering into any contracts with FCIC under sections 506(l) and section 522(c) of the Act; and
(D) Entering into any cooperative agreements or partnerships under sections 506(l), 522(d) and 524(a) of the Act; and
(ii) Participating in any other covered transaction as specified in 2 CFR part 180 and 2 CFR part 417.
(3) Persons who are ineligible because of disqualification under section 515(h) of the Act are precluded from participating in all programs authorized under the Act indicated in paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section, and those listed in section 515(h)(3)(B) and (C) of the Act.
(4) Individuals who are ineligible because of a conviction of a violation of the controlled substance provisions or are not a United States citizen, United States non-citizen national, or a qualified alien are precluded from participating in any program authorized under the Act indicated in paragraph (a)(2)(i) of this section.
(5) Persons who are ineligible as a result of a conviction falling under 7 U.S.C. § 2209j, are precluded from participating in any program offered by USDA.
(b) Once a person has been determined to be ineligible:
(1) The ineligible person will be placed on the ITS and may be reported to other government agencies, unless the ineligible person is an individual and the sole reason for ineligibility is because the individual is not a United States citizen, United States non-citizen national, or qualified alien.
(2) If the ineligible person is an individual:
(i) All crop insurance policies in which the ineligible person is the sole insured will terminate if the person is ineligible for any reason other than a controlled substance violation, or be void if the person is ineligible due to conviction of a controlled substance violation according to § 400.680, and the person will remain ineligible for crop insurance for the applicable period specified in § 400.683; and
(ii) The ineligible person must be reported on all policies in which the ineligible person has a substantial beneficial interest in the applicant or insured, and the insured share under such policy will be reduced commensurate with the ineligible person’s substantial beneficial interest in the applicant or insured for as long as the ineligible person remains ineligible in accordance with § 400.683.
(3) If the ineligible person is a general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, or joint venture and is ineligible as a result of:
(i) A delinquent debt:
(A) All partners or members of the ineligible general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, or joint venture will be ineligible;
(B) The ineligible general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, or joint venture and all partners and members of the ineligible general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, or joint venture will remain ineligible for crop insurance for the applicable period specified in § 400.683;
(C) All crop insurance policies in which the ineligible general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, or joint venture is the sole insured will terminate;
(D) All crop insurance policies in which the ineligible partner or member is the sole insured will terminate; and
(E) The ineligible general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, or joint venture and all ineligible partners or members must be reported on any other policy in which they have a substantial beneficial interest in the applicant or insured, and the insured share under such policies will be reduced commensurate with the ineligible general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, or joint venture or the ineligible partners’ or members’ substantial beneficial interest in the applicant or insured for as long as they remain ineligible in accordance with § 400.683; or
(ii) Meeting the criteria specified in § 400.679(c), (e) or (f):
(A) All crop insurance policies in which the ineligible general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, or joint venture is the sole insured will terminate, and the ineligible general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, or joint venture will remain ineligible for crop insurance for the applicable period specified in § 400.683; and
(B) The ineligible general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability company, or joint venture must be reported on any other policy in which it has a substantial beneficial interest in the applicant or insured, and the insured share under such policies will be reduced commensurate with the ineligible general partnership’s, limited partnership’s, limited liability partnership’s, limited liability company’s, or joint venture’s substantial beneficial interest in the applicant or insured for as long as it remains ineligible in accordance with § 400.683.
(4) If the ineligible person is an association, estate, trust, corporation, or other similar entity, and is ineligible as a result of:
(i) A delinquent debt:
(A) Any partners, members, shareholders, administrators, executors, trustees, or grantors may be individually ineligible if the delinquent debt occurred as a result of their actions or inactions, as determined by the insurance provider or FCIC;
(B) All policies in which the ineligible association, estate, trust, corporation, or other similar entity is the sole insured will terminate, and it will remain ineligible for crop insurance for the applicable period specified in § 400.683.
(C) The ineligible association, estate, trust, corporation, or other similar entity must be reported on any other policy in which it has a substantial beneficial interest in the applicant or insured, and the insured share under such policies will be reduced commensurate with the ineligible entity’s substantial beneficial interest in the applicant or insured for as long as the person remains ineligible in accordance with § 400.683;
(D) All policies in which a partner, member, shareholder, administrator, executor, trustee, or grantor determined ineligible according to § 400.684(b)(4)(i)(A) is the sole insured will terminate, and the person will remain ineligible for crop insurance for the applicable period specified in § 400.683; and
(E) The ineligible partner, member, shareholder, administrator, executor, trustee, or grantor must be reported on any other policy in which they have a substantial beneficial interest in the applicant or insured, and the insured share under such policies will be reduced commensurate with the ineligible person’s substantial beneficial interest in the applicant or insured for as long as the person remains ineligible in accordance with § 400.683; or
(ii) Meeting the criteria specified in § 400.679(c), (e) or (f):
(A) All crop insurance policies in which the ineligible association, estate, trust, corporation, or other similar entity is the sole insured will terminate, and the ineligible association, estate, trust, corporation, or other similar entity will remain ineligible for crop insurance for the applicable period specified in § 400.683; and
(B) The ineligible association, estate, trust, corporation, or other similar entity must be reported on any other policy in which it has a substantial beneficial interest in the applicant or insured, and the insured share under such policies will be reduced commensurate with the ineligible association, estate, trust, corporation, or other similar entity’s substantial beneficial interest in the applicant or insured for as long as it remains ineligible in accordance with § 400.683.
(5) If an applicant or insured is a corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, limited partnership, or other similar entity that was created to conceal the interest of an ineligible person or to evade the ineligibility determination of a person with a substantial beneficial interest in the applicant or insured, the policy will be void.
(6) All crop insurance policies in which the ineligible person is insured as landlord/tenant will terminate on the next termination date. The other person(s) on such policy may submit a new application for crop insurance coverage on or before the applicable sales closing date to obtain insurance coverage for the crop, if they are otherwise eligible for such coverage.
(c) The spouse and minor child of an individual insured is considered to be the same as the individual for purposes of this subpart and subject to the same ineligibility, except when:
(1) The individual is ineligible due to a conviction of a controlled substance violation in accordance with § 400.680;
(2) The individual is ineligible as a result of a felony conviction for knowingly defrauding the United States in connection with any program administered by USDA;
(3) The individual is ineligible because they are not a United States citizen, United States non-citizen national, or a qualified alien;
(4) The individual is ineligible as a result of a disqualification, debarment, or suspension;
(5) The spouse can prove they are legally separated or otherwise legally separate under the applicable State dissolution of marriage laws; or
(6) The minor child has a separate legal interest in such person or is engaged in a separate farming operation from the individual.
(d) Notwithstanding § 400.684(f), when a policy is voided in accordance with this subpart:
(1) No indemnities or payments will be paid for the voided policy;
(2) Any indemnities or payments already made for the voided policy will be declared overpayments and must be repaid in full; and
(3) No premiums will be due and any premium paid will be refunded except when the policy is void due to a conviction of a controlled substance violation according to § 400.680, in which case the insured will still be required to pay 20 percent of the premium the insured would otherwise be required to pay to offset costs in the servicing of the policy.
(e) When the insured share of a policy is reduced in accordance with this subpart:
(1) Any indemnities or payments commensurate with the share reduced already made will be declared overpayments and must be repaid in full; and
(2) Any premiums paid by the insured commensurate with the share reduced will be refunded.
(f) Any insurance written by an insurance provider to any person who is ineligible under the provisions of this subpart is not eligible for reinsurance by FCIC. All premium subsidies, expenses, or other payments made by FCIC for insurance written for any person who is ineligible under the provisions of this subpart must be immediately refunded to FCIC. However, with regard to policies that would be void due to a conviction of a controlled substance violation according to § 400.680, if the insurance provider follows the procedures of FCIC and the requirements of the regulations, reinsurance will continue to be provided under the reinsurance agreement on the policy unless it is shown that the agent or insurance provider had knowledge of the facts which would indicate ineligibility on the part of the insured and failed to act on that knowledge.