Privacy Act of 1974; Proposed New System of Records, 34558-34560 [2014-14042]

Agencies

• Social Security Administration

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 116 (Tuesday, June 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34558-34560]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-14042]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No. SSA-2014-0035]


Privacy Act of 1974; Proposed New System of Records

AGENCY: Social Security Administration (SSA).

ACTION: Proposed New System of Records.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) we are 
issuing public notice of our intent to establish a new system of 
records entitled, Requests for Accommodation from Members of the Public 
(60-0378), hereinafter referred to as the RAMP system. We are 
establishing the RAMP system to cover information we receive from 
members of the public with disabilities who request accommodations in 
order to gain meaningful access to our programs.
    Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794) 
provides that no otherwise qualified individual with a disability will, 
solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the 
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to 
discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal 
financial assistance or under any program or activity conducted by any 
Executive agency. Section 504 protects ``qualified individuals with 
disabilities,'' as defined in 45 CFR part 85, as ``persons with a 
physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more 
major life activities.'' Agencies are required to take appropriate 
steps to ensure that qualified individuals with a disability are not 
denied access to the programs and activities the agency conducts 
because of their disabilities. To ensure compliance with Section 504, 
the agency may need to provide auxiliary aids or services or 
modifications to the way it conducts its programs. We will provide 
accommodations based on five broad categories of impairments: Blind or 
visual; cognitive or learning; deaf or hard of hearing; mobility or 
physical; and psychological or emotional. However, individuals who have 
other types of disabilities may also request an accommodation.
    We will use the information we collect to provide accommodations to 
qualified individuals with disabilities, to provide management 
information to the agency, and for research and statistical purposes.

DATES: We invite public comment on this new system of records. In 
accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4) and (e)(11), the public is given a 
30-day period in which to submit comments. Therefore, please submit any 
comments by July 17, 2014.

ADDRESSES: The public, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and 
Congress may comment on this publication by writing to the Executive 
Director, Office of Privacy and Disclosure, Office of the General 
Counsel, SSA, Room 617 Altmeyer Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, 
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401, or through the Federal e-Rulemaking 
Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. All comments we receive will be 
available for public inspection at the above address and we will post 
them to https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrea Huseth, Government Information 
Specialist, Disclosure and Data Support Division, Office of Privacy and 
Disclosure, Office of the General Counsel, SSA, Room 617 Altmeyer 
Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401, 
telephone: (410) 965-6868, email: andrea.huseth@ssa.gov.
    In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(r), we have provided a report to 
OMB and Congress on this new system of records.

    Dated: June 11, 2014.
Kirsten J. Moncada,
Executive Director, Office of Privacy and Disclosure, Office of the 
General Counsel.
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

SYSTEM NUMBER:
    60-0378.

SYSTEM NAME:
    Requests for Accommodation from Members of the Public (RAMP).

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
    None.

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    Requests for accommodation may be established initially and 
maintained in any Social Security office, e.g., field offices, program 
service centers, and Office of Disability and Adjudication Review 
hearing offices and the Appeals Council. Telephone and address 
information for Social Security offices is available in local telephone 
directories under Social Security Administration (SSA). In addition, we 
maintain requests for accommodation electronically at the following 
address: Social Security Administration, Office of Systems Operations, 
6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    This system maintains information about members of the public with 
disabilities who request an accommodation from the agency in order to 
have access to the agency's services and programs.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    Name; Social Security number, if available; contact information; 
description of the requestor's condition (disability or impairment); 
explanation as to why we cannot satisfy or resolve the request with one 
of our standard accommodations; accommodation the requestor prefers and 
any alternative accommodations that will work for the requestor; 
correspondence to and from the requestor; additional information 
required to coordinate the accommodation.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), 
which provides that no otherwise qualified individual with a disability 
will, solely by reason of his or her disability, be excluded from the 
participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to

[[Page 34559]]

discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal 
financial assistance or under any program or activity conducted by any 
Executive agency.

PURPOSE(S):
    We will use the information in this system to process requests for 
both standard and nonstandard accommodations from members of the 
public. The information will allow us to track requests, approve and 
deny requests, communicate with the requestor, compile management 
information, and conduct research and statistics activities related to 
our 504 program.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF 
USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
    1. To the Department of Justice (DOJ) or other Federal and State 
agencies when necessary for the administration or enforcement of civil 
rights laws or regulations.
    2. To a congressional office in response to an inquiry from that 
office made on behalf of, and at the request of, the subject of the 
record or someone acting on the subject's behalf.
    3. To the Office of the President, for responding to an inquiry 
received from the subject of the records or a third party acting on the 
subject's behalf.
    4. To DOJ, a court or other tribunal, or another party before such 
tribunal, when:
    (a) The Social Security Administration (SSA), or any component 
thereof; or
    (b) any SSA employee in his/her official capacity; or
    (c) any SSA employee in his/her individual capacity where DOJ (or 
SSA where it is authorized to do so) has agreed to represent the 
employee; or
    (d) the United States or any agency thereof where SSA determines 
that the litigation is likely to affect the operations of SSA or any of 
its components, is a party to the litigation or has an interest in such 
litigation, and SSA determines that the use of such records by DOJ, a 
court or other tribunal, or another party before such tribunal, is 
relevant and necessary to the litigation.
    5. To student volunteers, individuals working under a personal 
services contract, and other workers who technically do not have the 
status of Federal employees, when they are performing work for SSA, as 
authorized by law, and they need access to personally identifiable 
information (PII) in SSA records in order to perform their assigned 
agency functions.
    6. To contractors and Federal, State, or local agencies, as 
necessary, to assist SSA in providing accommodations to members of the 
public seeking access to our programs and activities, in compliance 
with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. We will disclose 
information under this routine use pursuant only to a written agreement 
between SSA and that contractor or agency.
    7. To Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies and private 
security contractors as appropriate, if information is necessary:
    (a) To enable them to protect the safety of SSA employees and 
customers, the security of the SSA workplace, and the operation of SSA 
facilities; or
    (b) to assist in investigations or prosecutions with respect to 
activities that disrupt the operation of SSA facilities.
    8. To the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under 
44 U.S.C. 2904 and 2906.
    9. To appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, entities, and 
persons when:
    (a) We suspect or confirm that the security or confidentiality of 
information in this system of records has been compromised;
    (b) we determine that as a result of the suspected or confirmed 
compromise there is a risk of harm to economic or property interests, 
identity theft or fraud, or harm to the security or integrity of this 
system or other systems or programs of SSA that rely upon the 
compromised information; and
    (c) we determine that disclosing the information to such agencies, 
entities, and persons is necessary to assist in our efforts to respond 
to the suspected or confirmed compromise and prevent, minimize, or 
remedy such harm.
    10. To contractors, grantees, other entities (e.g., universities or 
nonprofits), state agencies, and other Federal agencies for the purpose 
of performing research and statistics activities to assist SSA in the 
efficient administration of its programs. We will disclose information 
under this routine use pursuant only to a written agreement with SSA.
    11. To Federal, State, or local agencies (or agents on their 
behalf) for providing accommodations to members of the public in 
compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, when 
that agency is administering cash or non-cash income maintenance or 
health maintenance programs (including programs under the Social 
Security Act).

DISCLOSURE TO CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCIES:
    None.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, 
AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
STORAGE:
    We will maintain records in this system in paper and electronic 
form.

RETRIEVABILITY:
    We will retrieve records by social security number (SSN), name, or 
both SSN and name.

SAFEGUARDS:
    We retain electronic and paper files with personal identifiers in 
secure storage areas accessible only by our authorized employees and 
contractors who have a need for the information when performing their 
official duties. Security measures include the use of access codes 
(personal identification number (PIN) and password) to enter our 
computer systems that house the data. We keep paper records in locked 
cabinets or in other secure areas.
    We annually provide our employees and contractors with appropriate 
security awareness training that includes reminders about the need to 
protect PII and the criminal penalties that apply to unauthorized 
access to, or disclosure of, PII (5 U.S.C. 552a(i)(1)). Furthermore, 
employees and contractors with access to databases maintaining PII must 
sign a sanctions document annually, acknowledging their accountability 
for inappropriately accessing or disclosing such information.

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:
    The accommodation request records are retained in accordance with 
the approved National Archives and Records Administration Records 
Schedule NI-047-10-004.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS:
    Social Security Administration, Office of Human Resources, Office 
of Civil Rights and Equal Opportunity, Center for Section 504 
Compliance, 1500 Annex, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
    Individuals can determine if this system contains a record about 
them by writing to the system manager at the above address and 
providing their name, SSN, or other information that may be in this 
system of records that will identify them. Individuals requesting 
notification by mail must include a notarized statement to us to verify 
their identity or must certify in the request that they are the 
individual they claim to be and that they understand that the knowing 
and willful

[[Page 34560]]

request for, or acquisition of, a record pertaining to another 
individual under false pretenses is a criminal offense.
    Individuals requesting notification of records in person must 
provide their name, SSN, or other information that may be in this 
system of records that will identify them, as well as provide an 
identity document, preferably with a photograph, such as a driver's 
license. Individuals lacking identification documents sufficient to 
establish their identity must certify in writing that they are the 
individual they claim to be and that they understand that the knowing 
and willful request for, or acquisition of, a record pertaining to 
another individual under false pretenses is a criminal offense.
    Individuals requesting notification by telephone must verify their 
identity by providing identifying information that parallels the 
information in the record about which notification is sought. If we 
determine that the identifying information the individual provides by 
telephone is insufficient, we will require the individual to submit a 
request in writing or in person. If an individual requests information 
by telephone on behalf of another individual, the subject individual 
must be on the telephone with the requesting individual and with us in 
the same phone call. We will establish the subject individual's 
identity (his or her name, SSN, address, date of birth, and place of 
birth, along with one other piece of information such as mother's 
maiden name), and ask for his or her consent to provide information to 
the requesting individual. These procedures are in accordance with our 
regulations at 20 CFR 401.40 and 401.45.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
    Same as notification procedures. Individuals must also reasonably 
specify the record contents they are seeking. These procedures are in 
accordance with our regulations at 20 CFR 401.40(c).

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
    Same as notification procedures. Individuals should also reasonably 
identify the record, specify the information they are contesting, and 
state the corrective action sought and the reasons for the correction 
with supporting justification showing how the record is incomplete, 
untimely, inaccurate, or irrelevant. These procedures are in accordance 
with our regulations at 20 CFR 401.65(a).

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
    We obtain information in this system from members of the public who 
request an accommodation, third parties requesting an accommodation on 
another's behalf, and other SSA systems of record, e.g., the Electronic 
Disability (eDib) Claim File, 60-0320.

SYSTEMS EXEMPTED FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVACY ACT:
    None.

[FR Doc. 2014-14042 Filed 6-16-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P