(a) If a CFAP payment resulted from erroneous information provided by a participant, or any person acting on their behalf, the payment will be recalculated and the participant must refund any excess payment with interest calculated from the date of the disbursement of the payment.
(1) If FSA determines that the applicant intentionally misrepresented either the total amount or applicant's share of the commodities, acres, sales, or revenue on their application, the application will be disapproved and the applicant must refund the full payment to FSA with interest from the date of disbursement.
(2) Any required refunds must be resolved in accordance with part 3 of this title.
(b) The regulations in part 718, subpart D, and parts 11 and 780 of this title apply to determinations made under this part.
(c) Any payment under this part will be made without regard to questions of title under State law and without regard to any claim or lien against the commodity or proceeds from the sale of the commodity. The regulations governing offsets in part 3 of this title do not apply to payments made under this part.
(d) The $900,000 average AGI limitation provisions in part 1400 of this title relating to limits on payments for persons or legal entities, excluding joint ventures and general partnerships, apply to each applicant for CFAP unless at least 75 percent of the person or legal entity's average AGI is derived from farming, ranching, or forestry-related activities. The average AGI will be calculated for a person or such legal entity based on the 2016, 2017, and 2018 tax years. If the person or such legal entity's average AGI is below $900,000 or at least 75 percent of the person or legal entity's average AGI is derived from farming, ranching, or forestry-related activities, the person or legal entity, is eligible to receive payments under this part.
(e)
(1) The total amount of CFAP payments that a program applicant who is an individual may receive directly or through the attribution of payments as provided in paragraph (e)(3) of this section is $250,000 under each of subparts B and C. The total amount of payments that a program applicant who is a legal entity created under State law may receive is $250,000 under each of subparts B and C, except as provided in paragraph (e)(2) of this section. Payments made to a program applicant who is a joint venture or a general partnership are limited to the aggregated amount of payments that individual or legal entity members of the joint venture or general partnership may otherwise receive.
(2)
(i) The total amount of CFAP payments a corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership, trust, or estate may receive is $250,000 under each of subparts B and C unless the members, partners, stockholders, beneficiaries, or heirs of the legal entity meet the provisions of paragraphs (e)(2)(ii) or (iii) of this section.
(ii) The total amount of CFAP payments a corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership, trust, or estate may receive is $500,000 under each of subparts B and C if two different individual persons who are members, partners, stockholders, beneficiaries, or heirs of the legal entity each provided at least 400 hours of active personal labor or active personal management or combination thereof with respect to the production of commodities for which an application or applications are made in accordance with this part.
(iii) The total amount of CFAP payments a corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership, trust, or estate may receive is $750,000 under each of subparts B and C if three different individual persons who are members, partners, stockholders, beneficiaries, or heirs of the legal entity each provided at least 400 hours of active personal labor or active personal management or combination thereof with respect to the production of commodities for which an application or applications are made in accordance with this part.
(3)
(i) Except for payments subject to the increased payment limitation in (e)(2)(ii) and (e)(2)(iii) of this section, a CFAP payment made to any legal entity will be attributed to individuals or legal entities with an ownership interest in the legal entity in accordance with § 1400.105 of this title. Payments attributed to a legal entity with an ownership interest in the legal entity will be further attributed as provided in § 1400.105 of this title. If the legal entity does not qualify for an increased payment limitation under (e)(2)(ii) or (iii) of this section and the total amount of CFAP payments made directly or indirectly to an individual or legal entity has met the applicable amount specified in paragraph (e)(1) of this section, the payment to the legal entity will be reduced commensurate with the amount of the ownership interest of the individual or legal entity in the legal entity. CFAP payments subject to attribution under this paragraph will be attributed to individuals and legal entities until the attribution is made only to an individual except the attribution will stop at the fourth level of ownership.
(ii) A payment subject to the increased payment limitation in (e)(2)(ii) or (iii) of this section will be limited to the lesser of the amount specified in either (e)(2)(ii) or (iii) of this section, or the sum of the amount specified in (e)(1) of this section that each eligible member, stockholder, partner, heir, or beneficiary of the legal entity may receive, regardless of ownership share. Payments attributed to a legal entity with an ownership interest in the legal entity will be further attributed to individuals and legal entities until the attribution is made only to an individual, except the attribution will stop at the fourth level of ownership.
(4) If an individual or legal entity is not eligible to receive CFAP payments due to the individual or legal entity failing to satisfy some other payment eligibility provision such as AGI in or conservation compliance provisions or some other payment eligibility impediment, the payment made either directly or indirectly to the individual or legal entity will be reduced to zero. The amount of the reduction for the direct payment to the applicant will be commensurate with the direct or indirect ownership interest of the ineligible individual or ineligible legal entity. The application of this ineligibility to receive a CFAP payment due to the excessive AGI of an individual or legal entity will stop at the fourth level of ownership.
(f) For the purposes of the effect of a lien on eligibility for Federal programs (28 U.S.C. 3201(e)), USDA waives the restriction on receipt of funds under CFAP but only as to beneficiaries who, as a condition of the waiver, agree to apply the CFAP payments to reduce the amount of the judgment lien.
(g) In addition to any other Federal laws that apply to CFAP, the following laws apply: 15 U.S.C. 714; 18 U.S.C. 286, 287, 371, 1001; and 31 U.S.C. 1001.
(h) This part applies to applications submitted under CFAP through the applicable date in § 9.4(a), or until funds made available for CFAP are exhausted.
[85 FR 30830, May 21, 2020, as amended at 85 FR 49594, Aug. 14, 2020; 85 FR 59385, Sept. 22, 2020; 86 FR 48017, Aug. 27, 2021]