[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 118 (Tuesday, June 19, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28471-28472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-13103]
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RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD
Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; Notice of Computer Matching
Program (Railroad Retirement Board and Social Security Administration,
Match Number 1007)
AGENCY: Railroad Retirement Board (RRB).
ACTION: Notice of a modified matching program.
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SUMMARY: As required by the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the RRB is
issuing public notice of its renewal of an ongoing computer-matching
program with the Social Security Administration (SSA). The purpose of
this notice is to advise individuals applying for or receiving benefits
under the Railroad Retirement Act of the use made by RRB of this
information obtained from SSA by means of a computer match. The RRB is
also issuing public notice, on behalf of the SSA, of their intent to
conduct a computer-matching program based on information provided to
them by the RRB.
DATES: Public comments are welcome until July 19, 2018. We will file a
report of this computer-matching program with the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; the Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform of the House of Representatives; and
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management
and Budget (OMB). The matching program will continue for 18 months
after the effective date and may be extended for an additional 12
months, if the conditions specified in 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2)(D) have been
met.
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may comment on this publication by
writing to Ms. Martha P. Rico-Parra, Secretary to the Board, Railroad
Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Timothy Grant, Associate Chief
Information Officer, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street,
Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092, telephone 312-751-4869 or email at
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Computer Matching and Privacy Protection
Act of 1988, (Pub. L. 100-503), amended by the Privacy Act of 1974, (5
U.S.C. 552a) as amended, requires a Federal agency participating in a
computer matching program to publish a notice in the Federal Register
for all matching programs.
The Privacy Act, as amended, regulates the use of computer matching
by Federal agencies when records contained in a Privacy Act 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;
[[Page 28472]]
(3) Publish notice of the computer matching program in the Federal
Register;
(4) Furnish detailed reports about matching programs to Congress
and OMB;
(5) Notify applicants and beneficiaries that their records are
subject to matching; and
(6) Verify match findings before reducing, suspending, terminating,
or denying a person's benefits or payments. The last notice for this
matching program was published in the Federal Register on November 9,
2015 (80 FR 69253).
Participating agencies: Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) and the
Social Security Administration (SSA), Match #1007.
Authority for conducting the matching program: Section 7(b)(7) of
the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. 231f(b)(7)) provides that the
Social Security Administration shall supply information necessary to
administer the Railroad Retirement Act. Sections 202, 205(o) and 215(f)
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402, 405(o) and 415(f)) relate to
benefit provisions, inclusion of railroad compensation together with
wages for payment of benefits under certain circumstances, and the re-
computation of benefits.
Purposes
1. Daily exchanges:
a. The RRB will obtain from SSA a record of the wages reported to
SSA for persons who have applied for benefits under the Railroad
Retirement Act and a record of the amount of benefits paid by that
agency to persons who are receiving or have applied for benefits under
the Railroad Retirement Act. The wage information is needed to compute
the amount of the tier I annuity component provided by sections 3(a),
4(a) and 4(f) of the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. 231b(a), 45
U.S.C. 231c(a) and 45 U.S.C. 231c(f)). The benefit information is
needed to adjust the tier I annuity component for the receipt of the
Social Security benefit. This information is available from no other
source.
b. The RRB will receive from SSA the amount of certain social
security benefits which the RRB pays on behalf of SSA. Section 7(b)(2)
of the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. 231f(b)(2)) provides that the
RRB shall make the payment of certain social security benefits. The RRB
also requires this information in order to adjust the amount of any
annuity due to the receipt of a social security benefit. Section 10(a)
of the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. 231i(a)) permits the RRB to
recover any overpayment from the accrual of social security benefits.
This information is not available from any other source.
c. The SSA will receive from RRB earnings information on selected
individuals. The transfer of information may be initiated either by RRB
or by SSA. SSA needs this information to determine eligibility to
Social Security benefits and, if eligibility is met, to determine the
benefit amount payable. Section 18 of the Railroad Retirement Act (45
U.S.C. 231q(2)) requires that earnings considered as compensation under
the Railroad Retirement Act be considered as wages under the Social
Security Act for the purposes of determining entitlement under the
Social Security Act if the person has less than 10 years of railroad
service or has 10 or more years of service but does not have a current
connection with the railroad industry at the time of his/her death.
2. Weekly exchange: The SSA will receive from the RRB earnings
information for all railroad employees. SSA will match the identifying
information of the records furnished by the RRB against the identifying
information contained in its Master Benefit Record and its Master
Earnings File. If there is a match, SSA will use the RRB earnings to
adjust the amount of Social Security benefits in its Annual Earnings
Reappraisal Operation. This information is available from no other
source.
Yearly exchange: The RRB will receive from SSA a copy of SSA's
Master Benefit Record for earmarked RRB annuitants. Section 7(b)(7)) of
the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. 231f(b)(7)) requires that SSA
provide the requested information. The RRB needs this information to
make the necessary cost-of-living computation adjustments quickly and
accurately for those RRB annuitants who are also SSA beneficiaries.
Categories of individuals: All applicants for benefits under the
Railroad Retirement Act and current beneficiaries will have a record of
any social security wages and the amount of any social security
benefits furnished to the RRB by SSA. In addition, all persons who ever
worked in the railroad industry after 1936 will have a record of their
service and compensation furnished to SSA by RRB.
Systems of records: The applicable RRB Privacy Act Systems of
Records and their Federal Register citation used in the matching
program are:
1. RRB-5, Master File of Railroad Employees' Creditable
Compensation, September 30, 2014 (79 FR 58877)
2. RRB-22, Railroad Retirement, Survivor, and Pensioner Benefit
System, May 15, 2015 (80 FR 28018)
The applicable SSA Privacy Act Systems of Records used and their
Federal Register citation used in the matching program are:
1. SSA 60-0058, Master Files of Social Security Number (SSN)
Holders and SSN Applications (the Enumeration System), last published
on December 29, 2010 (75 FR 82121), July 5, 2013 (78 FR 40542), and
February 13, 2014 (79 FR 8780).
2. SSA/OS, 60-0059, Earnings Recording and Self-Employment Income
System (MEF), last published on January 11, 2006 (71 FR 1819), July 5,
2013 (78 FR 40542).
3. SSA/ORSIS 60-0090, Master Beneficiary Record (MBR), last
published on January 11, 2006 (71 FR 1826), December 10, 2007 (72 FR
69723), and July 5, 2013 (78 FR 40542).
4. SSA/ODISSIS 60-103, Supplemental Security Income Record and
Special Veteran Benefits last published on January 11, 2006 (71 FR
1830), December 10, 2007 (72 FR 69723).
5. SSA/OPB 60-0269, Prisoner Update Processing System (PUPS), last
published on March 8, 1999 (64 FR 11076), December 10, 2007 (72 FR
69723), and July 5, 2013 (78 FR 40542).
Dated: June 14, 2018.
By authority of the Board.
Martha Rico-Parra,
Secretary to the Board.
[FR Doc. 2018-13103 Filed 6-18-18; 8:45 am]
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