Privacy Act of 1974; Notice of a Computer Matching Program, 56744-56745 [2011-23509]

Agencies

• Office of the Secretary
• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56744-56745]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing 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: https://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 https://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]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P