[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 156 (Friday, August 12, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50198-50199]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-20608]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program
AGENCY: Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Education.
ACTION: Notice of computer matching between the U.S. Department of
Education and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, and the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
[[Page 50199]]
guidelines on the conduct of computer matching programs, notice is
hereby given of the establishment of a computer matching program
between the U.S. Department of Education (ED) (recipient agency), and
the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) (source agency). This
matching program will become effective as explained in this notice.
In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as
amended by the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988
(Pub. L. 100-503) and the Computer Matching and Privacy Protections
Amendments of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-508) (Privacy Act), Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) Guidelines on the Conduct of Matching
Programs published in the Federal Register on June 19, 1989 (54 FR
25818), and OMB Circular No. A-130, Transmittal Memorandum 4,
Management of Federal Information Resources (Nov. 28, 2000), we provide
the following information:
1. Names of Participating Agencies
The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Office of Personnel
Management.
2. Purpose of the Match
The purpose of this matching program between ED and OPM is to
assist ED in detecting improper disbursements or overpayments of need-
based student financial assistance funds under Title IV of the Higher
Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), to Federal employees or their
dependents. Overpayments may occur when Federal employee applicants
underreport family income on the Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA). Financial need is determined by using a standard formula,
established by Congress, to evaluate the financial information reported
on the FAFSA and to determine the expected family contribution (EFC). A
fundamental element in this standard formula is the student's or
parents' income. This program will assist in verifying the income
information reported by Federal employees on the FAFSA. ED will compare
the FAFSA income to the income listed in OPM/GOVT-1 General Personnel
Records System (71 FR 35342, June 29, 2006).
3. Authority for Conducting the Matching Program
ED is authorized to participate in the matching program under the
Inspector General Act (IG Act) (5 U.S.C. App.). Section 2 of the IG Act
authorizes ED's Office of Inspector General (OIG) to conduct audits and
investigations relating to the programs and operations of ED. Section
4(a)(3) of the IG Act provides that it shall be the duty and
responsibility of each Inspector General to coordinate other activities
carried out or financed by ED for the purpose of preventing and
detecting fraud and abuse in its programs and operations. In addition,
under section 4(a)(4) of the IG Act it is the responsibility of ED's
Inspector General to coordinate relationships between ED and other
Federal agencies with respect to all matters relating to the prevention
and detection of fraud and abuse in programs and operations
administered or financed by ED.
4. Categories of Records and Individuals Covered by the Match
The Office of Inspector General Data Analytics System (ODAS) (18-
10-02), which downloads data from the National Student Loan Data System
(NSLDS) (18-11-06) and contains FAFSA information that ED uses to
determine eligibility for need-based student financial assistance, will
be matched against OPM's General Personnel Records System, which
maintains records of current and former Federal employees, including
grades, dates, and salaries for all Federal positions held.
5. Effective Dates of the Matching Program
The matching program will become effective: (1) Thirty days after
publication of this notice in the Federal Register; or (2) forty days
after a report concerning the matching program has been transmitted to
the Office of Management and Budget and the Congress, whichever date
occurs last. The matching program will continue for 18 months and can
be extended for an additional 12 months thereafter if the conditions
specified in 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2)(D) have been met.
6. Address for Receipt of Public Comments or Inquiries
Individuals wishing to comment on this matching program or obtain
additional information about the program, including requesting a copy
of the computer matching agreement between ED and OPM, should contact
Ms. Shelley Shepherd, Assistant Counsel to the Inspector General, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC
20202. Telephone: (202) 245-7077. If you use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll
free, at 1-800-877-8339.
Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an
accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape or computer
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding
paragraph.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free
Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System
at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document,
as well as all other documents of this Department published in the
Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
the site.
You may also access documents of the Department published in the
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: http://www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published
by the Department.
Dated: August 9, 2011.
Kathleen S. Tighe,
Inspector General.
[FR Doc. 2011-20608 Filed 8-11-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000-01-P