[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56744-56745]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23509]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
[Docket ID: DOD-2011-OS-0098]
Privacy Act of 1974; Notice of a Computer Matching Program
AGENCY: Defense Manpower Data Center, Department of Defense (DoD).
ACTION: Notice of a computer matching program.
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SUMMARY: Subsection (e)(12) of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, (5
U.S.C. 552a) requires agencies to publish advance notice of any
proposed or revised computer matching program by the matching agency
for public comment; however, this notification will be completed by
DoD, the matching agency. The DoD, as the matching agency under the
Privacy Act is hereby giving notice to the record subjects of a
computer matching program between the Social Security Administration
(SSA) and DoD Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) that their records
are being matched by computer. The purpose of this agreement is to
verify applicants for, and recipients of Supplement Security Income
(SSI) payments and Special Veterans Benefits (SVB) with respect of
determination of eligibility and calculating payment amounts.
DATES: This proposed action will become effective October 14, 2011 and
matching may commence unless changes to the matching program are
required due to public comments or by Congressional or by Office of
Management and Budget objections. Any public comment must be received
before the effective date.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and/
Regulatory Information Number (RIN) and title, by any of the following
methods:
Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Federal Docket Management System Office, 4800 Mark
Center Drive, Suite 02G09, Alexandria, VA 22350-3100.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and docket number or Regulatory Information Number (RIN) for this
Federal Register document. The general policy for comments and other
submissions from members of the public is to make these submissions
available for public viewing on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without change, including any
personal identifiers or contact information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any interested party may submit
written comments to Mr. Samuel P. Jenkins, Director, Defense Privacy
and Civil Liberties Office, 1901 South Bell Street, Suite 920,
Arlington, VA 22202-4512, or by telephone at (703) 607-2943.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to subsection (o) of the Privacy
Act of 1974, as amended, (5 U.S.C. 552a), the DoD DMDC and SSA have
concluded an agreement to conduct a computer matching program between
the agencies. The purpose of this agreement is to verify eligibility of
individual's of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments and the
entitlement of individuals to Special Veterans Benefits (SVB).
The parties to this agreement have determined that a computer
matching program is the most efficient, expeditious, and effective
means of obtaining the information needed by the SSA under the Social
Security Act to verify the eligibility/entitlement of and to verify
payment/benefit amounts for certain SSI and SVB recipients/
beneficiaries. Conducting such a manual match would impose a
considerable administrative burden, constitute a greater intrusion of
the individual's privacy and would result in additional delay in the
eventual SSI payment and SVB benefit recovery of unauthorized or
erroneous payment, and not all individuals would be identified. A copy
of the computer matching agreement between SSA and DMDC is available
upon request to the public. Requests should be submitted to the address
caption above or interested parties may comment on this notice by
either tele-faxing to (410) 966-0869 or writing to the Executive
Director, Office of Privacy and Disclosure, Office of the General
Counsel, 617 Altmeyer Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD
21235-6401. All comments received will be available for public
inspection at this address.
Set forth below is the notice of the establishment of a computer
matching program required by paragraph 6.c. of the Office of Management
and Budget Guidelines on computer matching published in the Federal
Register at 54 FR 25818 on June 19, 1989.
The matching agreement, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(r) of the
Privacy Act, and an advance copy of this notice was submitted on
September 9, 2011, to the House Committee on Government Reform, the
Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, and the Administrator of the
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget pursuant to paragraph 4d of Appendix I to OMB Circular No. A-
130, ``Federal Agency Responsibilities for Maintaining Records about
Individuals,'' February 8, 1996 (February 20, 1996, 61 FR 6427).
Dated: September 9, 2011.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
Computer Matching Program Between the Social Security Administration
and the Department of Defense for Verification of Social Security
Supplemental Security Income Payments and Special Veterans Benefits
A. Participating Agencies: Participants in this computer matching
program are the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Defense
Manpower Data Center (DMDC) of the Department of Defense (DoD). The SSA
[[Page 56745]]
is the source agency, i.e., the activity disclosing the records for the
purpose of the match. The DMDC is the specific recipient activity or
matching agency, i.e., the agency that actually performs the computer
matching.
B. Purpose of the Match: The Social Security Act requires SSA to
verify, with independent or collateral sources, information provided to
SSA by recipients of SSI payments and beneficiaries of SVB benefits.
The SSI and SVB recipient/beneficiaries provides information about
eligibility/entitlement factors and other relevant information. SSA
obtains additional information as necessary before making any
determinations of eligibility/payment or entitlement/benefit amounts or
adjustments thereto. With respect to military retirement payments to
SSI recipients and SVB beneficiaries who are retired members of the
Uniformed Services or their survivors, SSA proposes to accomplish this
task by computer matching with the DOD.
C. Authority for Conducting the Match: This CMA is executed to
comply with the Privacy Act of 1974 (section 552a of title 5 United
States Code (U.S.C.), as amended, (as amended by Public Law (Pub. L.)
100-503, the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Circular A-130,
titled ``Management of Federal Information Resources'' at 61 Federal
Register (FR) 6435, February 20, 1996 and OMB guidelines pertaining to
computer matching at 54 FR 25818, June 1989. The legal authority for
this exchange is sections 806(b) and 1631(e)(1)(B)(f) of the Act (42
U.S.C. 1006(b) and 1383(e)(1)(B)(f)). SSA's legal authority to disclose
data to DoD/Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) is section 1106(a) of
the Act (42 U.S.C. 1306(a)) and the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(3)).
D. Records To Be Matched: The systems of records maintained by the
respective agencies under the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, 5 U.S.C.
552a, from which records will be disclosed for the purpose of this
computer match are as follows:
SSA will use records from a system of records identified as 60-
0103, entitled ``Supplemental Security Income Record and Special
Veterans Benefits, SSA/ODSSIS,'' last published in the Federal Register
at 71 FR 1830, January 11, 2006. Disclosure of data will be pursuant to
Routine Use (RU) number 3 and 19.
DoD will use the system of records identified as DMDC 01, entitled,
``Defense Manpower Data Center Data Base'', published 74 FR 39666
(August 17, 2009). Disclosure of DMDC data will be pursuant to Routine
Use Number 5b.
E. Description of Computer Matching Program: SSA, as the source
agency, will provide DMDC with an electronic file which contains the
data elements. Upon receipt of the electronic file, DMDC, as the
recipient agency, will perform a computer match using all nine digits
of the SSN of the SSI/SVB file against a DMDC database which contains
the data elements. The DMDC database consists of extracts of personnel
and pay records of retired members of the uniformed services or their
survivors. The ``hits'' or matches will be furnished to SSA. SSA is
responsible for verifying and determining that the data on the DMDC
electronic reply file are consistent with the SSA source file and
resolving any discrepancies or inconsistencies on an individual basis.
SSA will also be responsible for making final determinations as to
eligibility for/entitlement to, or amount of payments/benefits, their
continuation or needed adjustments, or any recovery of overpayments as
a result of the match.
1. The electronic file provided by SSA will contain approximately
9.5 million records extracted from the SSR/SVB.
2. The electronic DMDC database contains records on approximately
2.4 million retired uniformed service members or their survivors.
F. Inclusive Dates of the Matching Program: This computer matching
program is subject to public comment and review by Congress and the
Office of Management and Budget. If the mandatory 30 day period for
comment has expired and no comments are received and if no objections
are raised by either Congress or the Office of Management and Budget
within 40 days of being notified of the proposed match, the computer
matching program becomes effective and the respective agencies may
begin the exchange at a mutually agreeable time and thereafter on a
quarterly basis. By agreement between SSA and DMDC, the matching
program will be in effect for 18 months with an option to renew for 12
additional months unless one of the parties to the agreement advises
the other by written request to terminate or modify the agreement.
G. Address for Receipt of Public Comments or Inquiries: Director,
Defense Privacy Office, 1901 South Bell Street, Suite 920, Arlington,
VA 22202-4512. Telephone (703) 607-2943.
[FR Doc. 2011-23509 Filed 9-13-11; 8:45 am]
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