Title 7

SECTION 766.52

766.52 Eligibility.

§ 766.52 Eligibility.

(a) Borrower eligibility. The borrower must meet all of the following requirements to be eligible for a DSA:

(1) The borrower must have operated the farm in a county designated or declared a disaster area or a contiguous county at the time of the disaster. Farmers who have rented out their land base for cash are not operating the farm.

(2) The borrower must have acted in good faith, and the borrower's inability to make the upcoming scheduled loan payments must be for reasons not within the borrower's control.

(3) The borrower cannot have more than one installment set aside on each loan.

(4) As a direct result of the natural disaster, the borrower does not have sufficient income available to pay all family living and farm operating expenses, other creditors, and debts to the Agency. This determination will be based on:

(i) The borrower's actual production, income and expense records for the year the natural disaster occurred;

(ii) Any other records required by the Agency;

(iii) Compensation received for losses; and

(iv) Increased expenses incurred because of the natural disaster.

(5) For the next production cycle, the borrower must develop a feasible plan showing that the borrower will at least be able to pay all operating expenses and taxes due during the year, essential family living expenses, and meet scheduled payments on all debts, including FLP debts. The borrower must provide any documentation required to support the farm operating plan.

(6) The borrower must not be in non-monetary default.

(7) The borrower must not be ineligible due to disqualification resulting from Federal crop insurance violation according to 7 CFR part 718.

(8) The borrower must not become 165 days past due before the appropriate Agency DSA documents are executed.

(b) Loan eligibility. (1) Any FLP loan to be considered for DSA must have been outstanding at the time the natural disaster occurred.

(2) All of the borrower's program and non-program loans must be current after the Agency completes a DSA of the scheduled installment.

(3) All FLP loans must be current or less than 90 days past due at the time the application for DSA is complete.

(4) The Agency has not accelerated or applied any special servicing action under this part to the loan since the natural disaster occurred.

(5) For any loan that will receive a DSA, the remaining term of the loan must equal or exceed 2 years from the due date of the installment set-aside.

(6) The loan must not have a DSA in place.