(a) The Secretary of the Army. The Secretary of the Army (SA) heads the Army Claims System and acts on certain claims appeals directly or through a designee.
(b) The Judge Advocate General. The SA has delegated authority to The Judge Advocate General (TJAG) to assign areas of responsibility and designate functional responsibility for claims purposes. TJAG has delegated authority to the Commander USARCS to carry out the responsibilities assigned in § 536.7 and as otherwise lawfully delegable.
(c) U.S. Army Claims Service. USARCS, a command and component of the Office of TJAG, is the agency through which the SA and TJAG discharge their responsibilities for the administrative settlement of claims worldwide (see AR 10-72). USARCS' mailing address is: U.S. Army Claims Service, 4411 Llewellyn Ave., Fort George G. Meade, MD 20755-5360, Commercial: (301) 677-7009.
(d) Command claims services.
(1) Command claims services exercise general supervisory authority over claims matters arising within their assigned areas of operation. Command claims services will:
(i) Effectively control and supervise the investigation of potentially compensable events (PCEs) occurring within the command's geographic area of responsibility, in other areas for which the command is assigned claims responsibility, and during the course of the command's operations.
(ii) Provide services for the processing and settlement of claims for and against the United States.
(2) The Commander USARCS, may delegate authority to establish a command claims service to the commander of a major overseas command or other commands that include areas outside the United States, its territories and possessions.
(i) When a large deployment occurs, the Commander USARCS, may designate a command claims service for a limited time or purpose, such as for the duration of an operation and for the time necessary to accomplish the mission. The appropriate major Army command (MACOM) will assist the Commander USARCS, in obtaining resources and personnel for the mission.
(ii) In coordination with the Commander USARCS, the MACOM will designate the area of responsibility for each new command claims service.
(3) A command claims service may be a separate organization with a designated commander or chief. If it is part of the command's Office of the Staff Judge Advocate (SJA), the SJA will also be the chief of the command claims service, however, the SJA may designate a field grade officer as chief of the service.
(e) Area claims offices. The following may be designated as area claims offices (ACOs):
(1) An office under the supervision of the senior judge advocate (JA) of each command or organization so designated by the Commander USARCS. The senior JA is the head of the ACO.
(2) An office under supervision of the senior JA of each command in the area of responsibility of a command claims service so designated by the chief of that service after coordination with the Commander USARCS. The senior JA is the head of the ACO.
(3) The office of counsel of each U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) district within the United States and such other COE commands or agencies as designated by the Commander USARCS, with concurrence of the Chief Counsel, Office of the Chief of Engineers, for all claims generated within such districts, commands or agencies. The district counsel or the attorney in charge of the command's or agency's legal office is the head of the ACO.
(f) Claims processing offices. Claims processing offices (CPOs) are normally small legal offices or ACO subordinate elements, designated by the Commander USARCS, a command claims service or an ACO. These offices are established for the investigation of all actual and potential claims arising within their jurisdiction, on either an area, command or agency basis. There are four types of claims processing offices (see § 536.10):
(1) Claims processing offices without approval authority.
(2) Claims processing offices with approval authority.
(3) Medical claims processing offices.
(4) Special claims processing offices.
(g) Limitations on delegation of authority under any subpart.
(1) The Commander USARCS, commanders or chiefs of command claims services, or the heads of ACOs or CPOs with approval authority may delegate, in writing, all or any portion of their monetary approval authority to subordinate JAs or claims attorneys in their services or offices.
(2) The authority to act upon appeals or requests for reconsideration, to deny claims (including disapprovals based on substantial fraud), to grant waivers of maximum amounts allowable, or to make final offers will not be delegated except that the Commander USARCS may delegate this authority to USARCS Division Chiefs.
(3) CPOs will provide copies of all delegations affecting them to the ACO and, if so directed, to command claims services.