Office of Child Support Enforcement; Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Agreement, 2299 [2012-627]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
• Administration for Children and Families

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 2299]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-627]



[[Page 2299]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Office of Child Support Enforcement; Privacy Act of 1974; 
Computer Matching Agreement

AGENCY: Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), ACF, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of a Computer Matching Program.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 522a), as 
amended, OCSE is publishing notice of a computer matching program 
between OCSE and state agencies administering the Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

DATES: HHS invites interested parties to review, submit written data, 
comments or arguments to the agency about the matching program until 
February 16, 2012. As required by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a(r)), 
HHS on January 5, 2012, sent a report of a Computer Matching Program to 
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 
of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit written comment on this notice 
by writing to Linda Deimeke, Director, Division of Federal Systems, 
Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration for Children and 
Families, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW., 4th Floor East, Washington, DC 
20447. Comments received will be available for public inspection at 
this address from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Deimeke, Director, Division of 
Federal Systems, Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration 
for Children and Families, 370 L'Enfant Promenade SW., 4th Floor East, 
Washington, DC 20447, (202) 401-5439.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as 
amended, provides for certain protections for individuals applying for 
and receiving federal benefits. The law governs the use of computer 
matching by federal agencies when records in a system of records are 
matched with other federal, state or local government records. The 
Privacy Act requires agencies involved in computer matching programs 
to:
    1. Negotiate written agreements with the other agency or agencies 
participating in the matching programs;
    2. Provide notification to applicants and beneficiaries that their 
records are subject to matching;
    3. Verify information produced by such matching program before 
reducing, making a final denial of, suspending or terminating an 
individual's benefits or payments;
    4. Publish notice of the computer matching program in the Federal 
Register;
    5. Furnish reports about the matching program to Congress and OMB; 
and
    6. Obtain the approval of the matching agreement by the Data 
Integrity Board of any Federal agency participating in a matching 
program.
    This matching program meets these requirements.

    Dated: December 16, 2011.
Vicki Turetsky,
Commissioner, Office of Child Support Enforcement.

Notice of New Computer Matching Program

A. Participating Agencies

    The participating agencies are OCSE, which is the ``source 
agency,'' and state agencies administering the Supplemental Nutrition 
Assistance Program (SNAP), which are the ``non-federal agencies.''

B. Purpose of the Matching Program

    The purpose of the matching program is to provide new hire, 
quarterly wage (QW) and unemployment insurance (UI) information from 
OCSE's National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) to state agencies 
administering SNAP for the purpose of establishing or verifying the 
eligibility of SNAP applicants and recipients. The state agencies 
administering SNAP may also use the NDNH information for the purpose of 
updating the recipients' reported participation in work activities and 
updating recipients' and their employers' contact information 
maintained by the state agencies administering SNAP.

C. Authority for Conducting the Match

    The authority for conducting the matching program is contained in 
Section 453(j)(10) of the Social Security Act. 42 U.S.C. 653(j)(10).

D. Categories of Individuals Involved and Identification of Records 
Used in the Matching Program

    The categories of individuals involved in the matching program are 
adult members of households that receive or have applied for SNAP 
benefits. The system of records maintained by OCSE from which records 
will be disclosed for the purpose of this matching program is the 
``OCSE National Directory of New Hires'' (NDNH), No. 09-80-0381, last 
published in the Federal Register at 76 FR 560 on January 5, 2011. The 
NDNH contains new hire, QW and UI information. The disclosure of NDNH 
information by OCSE to the state agencies administering SNAP is a 
``routine use'' under this system of records. Records resulting from 
the matching program and which are disclosed to state agencies 
administering the SNAP include names, Social Security numbers, home 
addresses and employment information.

E. Inclusive Dates of the Matching Program

    The computer matching agreement will be effective and matching 
activity may commence the later of the following:
    (1) 30 days after this notice is published in the Federal Register 
or (2) 40 days after OCSE sends a report of the matching program to the 
Congressional committees of jurisdiction under 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2)(A); 
and to OMB, unless OMB disapproves the agreement within the 40-day 
review period or grants a waiver of 10 days of the 40-day review 
period. The matching agreement will remain in effect for 18 months from 
its effective date, unless one of the parties to the agreement advises 
the other by written request to terminate or modify the agreement. The 
agreement is subject to renewal by the HHS Data Integrity Board for 12 
additional months if the matching program will be conducted without any 
change and each party to the agreement certifies to the Board in 
writing that the program has been conducted in compliance with the 
agreement.

[FR Doc. 2012-627 Filed 1-13-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-42-P