[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 216 (Wednesday, November 9, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-27765]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: November 9, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of Workers' Compensation Programs
Privacy Act of 1974; New Computer Matching Program
AGENCY: Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, United States
Department of Labor.
ACTION: Notice of computer matching program between the Office of
Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) and the United States Postal
Service (USPS) for public comment.
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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 computer
matching programs as a means of informing benefit recipients/employees
of plans to conduct computer matches and to allow public comment. This
publishes notice that the OWCP intends to conduct a computer matching
program with the United States Postal Service (USPS). This matching
program will compare OWCP delinquent debtor records with USPS payroll
records to identify postal employees who are delinquent in their
repayment of debts owed to the federal government under the Federal
Employees' Compensation Act so as to permit OWCP to pursue and collect
the debt by voluntary repayment or by salary offset procedures under
the Debt Collection Act of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-365).
DATES: Comments must be received no later than December 9, 1994. Unless
comments are received that result in a contrary determination, this
matching program will become effective 40 days after transmittal of a
matching report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) or 40 days
after transmittal of a matching report and a copy of the matching
agreement to the Congress or 30 days after the date of this notice,
whichever occurs last.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to the Director for Federal
Employees' Compensation, U.S. Department of Labor, OWCP, 200
Constitution Avenue. NW., Room S-3229, Washington, DC 20210-0002 or
delivered to the above address between 8:15 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. Comments
received may also be inspected during the above hours.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Alex J. Senecal at the above address or at telephone (202) 219-
8461.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to subsection (o) of the Privacy
Act of 1974, OWCP and USPS have concluded an agreement to conduct a
computer matching program between the agencies. The purpose of the
match is to exchange personal data between the agencies for debt
collection. The match will yield the identity and location of OWCP
debtors employed by USPS so that OWCP can pursue recoupment of the debt
by voluntary payment or by salary offset procedures. Computer matching
appeared to be the most efficient and effective manner to accomplish
this task with the least amount of intrusion of personal privacy of the
individuals concerned.
A copy of the computer matching agreement between OWCP and USPS is
available to the public upon request. Requests should be submitted to
the address caption above or to the USPS Records Office, 475 L'Enfant
Plaza, SW., Washington, DC 20260-5240.
Pursuant to subsection (r) of the Privacy Act of 1974 and the
reporting requirements set forth in paragraph 4d of Appendix I to OMB
Circular No. A-130, Revised, ``Management of Federal Information
Resources,'' dated July 2, 1993 (58 FR 36068-36086), a computer
matching program report, including an advance copy of this notice, was
submitted to Congress and to the Office of Management and Budget on
November 4, 1994. The matching program is subject to review by OMB and
Congress and shall not become effective until that review period has
elapsed.
Notice of a Computer Matching Program Between the Office of Workers'
Compensation Programs and the United States Postal Service for Debt
Collection
A. Participating agencies: The United States Postal Service (USPS)
is the recipient agency and will perform the computer match with debtor
records provided by the Department of Labor, Office of Workers'
Compensation Programs (OWCP), the source agency in this matching
program.
B. Purpose of the matching program: The computer match will compare
USPS payroll and OWCP delinquent debtor records so that OWCP can
identify and locate postal employees who owe delinquent debts to the
federal government under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act
administered by OWCP. The pay of an employee verified as a delinquent
debtor may be offset under the provisions of the Debt Collection Act of
1982 when voluntary payment is not made.
C. Legal authority for conducting the match: This matching program
will be conducted under the authority of the Debt Collection Act of
1982 (Pub. L. 97-365) which authorizes federal agencies to offset a
federal employee's salary as a means of satisfying delinquent debts
owed to the United States (5 U.S.C. 5514(a)). The implementing
regulations are contained in 4 CFR Chapter II, Federal Claims
Collection Standards (General Accounting Office--Department of
Justice). 20 CFR 10.320-324 (Department of Labor) contains OWCP's
regulations governing the establishment and recovery of overpayments
and 29 CFR 20.74-20.90, Salary Offset (Department of Labor),
establishes the Department's regulations governing salary offset when
the debtor is a current employee of the United States.
D. Categories of individuals involved and identification of records
used: The systems of records maintained by the participant agencies
under the Privacy Act of 1974 from which records will be disclosed for
the purpose of this computer match are:
1. The USPS will use records from its system ``Finance Records--
Payroll System, USPS 050.020'' containing payroll records for
approximately 700,000 current USPS employees. Disclosure will be made
under routine use 24 of that system, a full description of which was
last published in 57 FR 57515, dated December 4, 1992.
2. OWCP will use records from its system identified as DOL/GOVT-1,
entitled ``Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, Federal Employees'
Compensation Act File'' and containing approximately 1,000 delinquent
debt account records. Disclosure will be made under routine use ``n''
of that system, a full description of which was last published in the
Federal Register at 58 FR 49548, 49556-8, on September 23, 1993 with
amendments published at 59 FR 47361 on September 15, 1994.
E. Description of the computer matching program: OWCP will provide
to USPS a magnetic computer tape containing the names and Social
Security Numbers (SSNs) of its delinquent debtors. By computer, the
USPS will compare that information with its payroll file, establishing
matched individuals (i.e., ``hits'') on the basis of like SSNs. For
each matched individual, the USPS will provide to OWCP the name, SSN,
date of birth, home address, work address, and employee type (permanent
or temporary). OWCP will be responsible for verifying and determining
if the data of the USPS matched records are consistent with OWCP's
source data and will resolve any discrepancies or inconsistencies on an
individual basis, conducting independent inquiries when necessary to
resolve questionable identities. OWCP will also be responsible for
making final determinations as to positive identification, amount of
indebtedness and recovery efforts as a result of the match.
F. Beginning and ending dates of the matching program: This
computer matching program is expected to begin in December, 1994. By
agreement between OWCP and USPS, the matching program will continue in
effect for a period of 18 months and may be extended for 12 additional
months unless one of the parties to the agreement advises the other by
written request to terminate or modify the agreement.
Dated: November 4, 1994.
Shelby Hallmark,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Workers' Compensation
Programs.
[FR Doc. 94-27765 Filed 11-8-94; 8:45 am]
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