[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 142 (Tuesday, July 24, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38447-38448]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-18586]
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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
Privacy Act of 1974 as Amended; Computer Matching Program (Social
Security Administration (SSA)/Internal Revenue Service (IRS)/Centers
for Medicare Medicaid Services (CMS)) Match Number 1048
AGENCY: Social Security Administration (SSA).
ACTION: Notice of computer matching program.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act, as
amended, this notice announces a computer matching program that SSA
plans to conduct with the IRS and CMS. CMS is the new name of the
Health Care Financing Administration effective July 1, 2001.
DATES: SSA will file a report of the subject matching program with the
Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on
Government Reform and Oversight of the House of Representatives, and
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management
and Budget (OMB). The matching program will be effective as indicated
below.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may comment on this notice by either
telefax to (410) 966-2935 or writing to the Acting Associate
Commissioner, Office of Program Support, 2-Q-16 Operations Building,
6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235. All comments received
will be available for public inspection at this address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The Acting Associate Commissioner for
Program Support as shown above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. General
The Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (Public
Law (Pub. L.) 100-503), amended the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) by
describing the manner in which computer matching involving Federal
agencies could be performed and adding certain protections for
individuals applying for and receiving Federal benefits. Section 7201
of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-508)
further amended the Privacy Act regarding protections for such
individuals.
The Privacy Act, as amended, regulates the use of computer matching
by Federal agencies when records in a system of records are matched
with other Federal, State, or local government records. It requires
Federal agencies involved in computer matching programs to:
(1) Negotiate written agreements with the other agency or agencies
participating in the matching programs;
(2) Obtain the approval of the matching agreement by the Data
Integrity Boards (DIB) of the participating federal agencies;
(3) Furnish detailed reports about matching programs to Congress
and OMB;
(4) Notify applicants and beneficiaries that their records are
subject to matching; and
(5) Verify match findings before reducing, suspending, terminating,
or denying an individual's benefits or payments.
[[Page 38448]]
B. SSA Computer Matches Subject to the Privacy Act
We have taken action to ensure that all SSA computer matching
programs comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act, as amended.
Dated: July 17, 2001.
Glenna Donnelly,
Acting Deputy Commissioner for Disability and Income Security Programs.
Notice of Computer Matching Program, Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
and Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with the Social
Security Administration (SSA).
A. Participating Agencies
SSA, IRS and CMS.
B. Purpose of the Matching Program
The purpose of this matching program is to establish conditions
under which IRS agrees to disclose return information relating to
taxpayer identity information to SSA. SSA agrees to disclose IRS return
information relating to employer identity, commingled with taxpayer
identity information, to CMS.
These disclosures will provide CMS with information for use in
determining the extent to which any Medicare beneficiary is covered
under any Group Health Plan (GHP).
C. Authority for Conducting the Matching Program
Section 1862(b)(5) of the Social Security Act, (42 U.S.C.
1395y(b)(5)), Section 6103(l)(12) of the Internal Revenue Code, (26
U.S.C 6103(1)(12)), and the Privacy Act, (5 U.S.C. 552a) as amended.
D. Categories of Records and Individuals Covered by the Matching
Program
1. IRS
IRS will disclose taxpayer identity information from the Individual
Master File (IMF), Treas/IRS 24.030, published at 63 FR 69854 (12/17/
98). The IRS component responsible for the disclosure of the return
information is the Office of Government Liaison and Disclosure.
2. SSA
SSA will extract identifying information of Medicare beneficiaries
from the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR), SSA/OSR 09-60-0090, published
at 65 FR 46997 (08/01/00). SSA will validate the taxpayer SSN by
matching information from the IMF against the Master Files of Social
Security Number Holders, (NUMIDENT), SSA/OSR 09-60-0058, published at
63 FR 14165 (03/24/98). SSA will extract employer identity information
from the Earnings Recording and Self-Employment Income System, SSA/0SR
09-60-0059, referred to as the Master Earnings File (MEF), published at
62 FR 11939 (03/13/97). The SSA component responsible for the
disclosure of the return information is the Office of Systems
Requirements (OSR).
3. CMS
a. CMS will utilize a database, System Number 09-70-4001, published
at 57 FR 60818 (12/22/92), of the GHP information received from
employers containing verified instances of employment and GHP coverage
for Medicare beneficiaries and Medicare eligible spouses identified
from the IMF and MEF extracts. CMS will match the GHP information
against the Carrier Medicare Claims Records, System Number 09-70-0501,
published at 59 FR 37243-02 (7/21/94), maintained at the CMS Common
Working File (CWF), System Number 09-70-0526, published at 53 FR 52792
(12/29/88).
b. CMS will match GHP information against the Carrier Medicare
Claims Records, System Number 09-70-0501, published at 59 FR 37243-02
(7/21/94), maintained at the CMS Common Working File (CWF), System
Number 09-70-0526, published at 53 FR 52792 (12/29/88), which is the
repository data base for current MSP information. This file contains
information or records needed to properly process and pay medical
insurance benefits to, or on behalf of, entitled beneficiaries who have
submitted claims for Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits (Medicare
Part B). The file is accessed when a claim is submitted for payment.
c. CMS will match GHP information against the Intermediary Claims
Records, System Number 09-70-0503, published at 59 FR 37243-02 (7/21/
94), maintained at the CWF. This file contains information or records
needed to properly process and pay Medicare benefits to, or on behalf
of, eligible individuals. The file is accessed when a claim is
submitted for payment.
d. CMS will match GHP information against the National Claims
History (NCH), which is contained in the National Claims History File,
Privacy Act System, HHS, CMS, BDMS 09-70-0005 published at 59 FR 19181
(4/22/94), maintained at CMS Data Center (HDC), located in Baltimore,
Maryland. NCH contains records needed to facilitate obtaining Medicare
utilization review data that can be used to study the operation and
effectiveness of the Medicare program.
e. The CMS component responsible for receipt and verification of
the return information is the Office of Information Services (CMS/OIS).
E. Inclusive Dates of the Match
The matching program shall become effective no sooner than 40 days
after notice for the program is sent to Congress and OMB, or 30 days
after publication of this notice in the Federal Register, whichever
date is later. The matching program will continue for 18 months from
the effective date and may be extended for an additional 12 months
thereafter, if certain conditions are met.
[FR Doc. 01-18586 Filed 7-23-01; 8:45 am]
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