Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program, 29946-29947 [2020-10697]

Agencies

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

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 97 (Tuesday, May 19, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29946-29947]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-10697]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

AGENCY: Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration for 
Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice of a new matching program.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for 
Children and Families (ACF), Office of Child Support Enforcement 
(OCSE), is providing notice of a new matching agreement to re-establish 
the matching program between HHS/ACF/OCSE (hereinafter, ``OCSE'') and 
state workforce agencies (SWA) administering the Unemployment 
Compensation benefits program (UC). The matching program compares SWA 
records with new hire and quarterly wage information maintained in the 
National Directory of New Hires (NDNH), the outcomes of which help SWAs 
administer their UC programs.

DATES: The deadline for comments on this notice is June 18, 2020. The 
re-established matching program will commence not sooner than 30 days 
after publication of this notice, provided no comments are received 
that warrant a change to this notice. The matching program will be 
conducted for an initial term of 18 months (from approximately July 19, 
2020, to January 18, 2022) and, within three months of expiration, may 
be renewed for one additional year if the parties make no change to the 
matching program and certify that the program has been conducted in 
compliance with the agreement.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit written comments on this 
notice to Venkata Kondapolu, Acting Director, Division of Federal 
Systems, Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration for 
Children and Families, by email at [email protected], or by 
mail at Mary E. Switzer Building, 330 C St. SW, 5th Floor, Washington, 
DC 20201. Comments received will be available for public inspection at 
this address from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: General questions about the matching 
program may be submitted to Venkata Kondapolu, Acting Director, 
Division of Federal Systems, Office of Child Support Enforcement, 
Administration for Children and Families, by email at 
[email protected], or by mail at Mary E. Switzer Building, 
330 C St. SW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20201 or by telephone at 202-
260-4712.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 
U.S.C. 552a), provides 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, which 
contains information about individuals that are retrieved by name or 
other personal identifier, are matched with other federal, state, or 
local government records. The Privacy Act requires agencies involved in 
a matching program to:
    1. Obtain approval of a Computer Matching Agreement, prepared in 
accordance with the Privacy Act, by the Data Integrity Board of each 
federal agency participating in a matching program. 5 U.S.C. 
522a(u)(3)(A) and (u)(4).
    2. Provide a report of the matching program in advance to Congress 
and OMB for approval and make the agreement available to the public. 5 
U.S.C. 552a(o)(2).
    3. Publish advance notice of the matching program in the Federal 
Register. 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(12).
    4. Enter into a written Computer Matching Agreement. 5 U.S.C. 
552a(o)(1).
    5. Notify the individuals whose information will be used in the 
matching program that the information they provide is subject to 
verification through matching, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(1)(D).
    6. Verify match findings before suspending, terminating, reducing, 
or making a final denial of an individual's benefits or payments or 
taking other adverse action against the individual, as required by 5 
U.S.C. 552a(p).
    7. Provide an annual report of the matching program activities to 
Congress and the OMB, and make the report available to the public. 5 
U.S.C. 552a(u)(3)(D).
    This matching program meets these requirements.

Linda K. Hitt,
Executive Secretariat Certifying Officer.

Participating Agencies

    The agencies participating in the matching program are OCSE (source 
agency) and state agencies administering the Unemployment Compensation 
(UC) benefits program (non-federal agencies).

Authority for Conducting the Matching Program

    The authority for conducting the matching program is 42 U.S.C. 
653(j)(8).

Purpose(s)

    The purpose of the matching program is to provide each SWA with new 
hire and quarterly wage information from OCSE's National Directory of 
New Hires (NDNH) system of records pertaining to adult UC applicants 
and recipients resulting from comparing client name and Social Security 
number combinations in the SWA's files to information in the NDNH. The 
match results assist the SWAs in establishing or verifying an 
individual's eligibility for assistance, reducing payment errors, and 
maintaining program integrity, including determining whether duplicate 
participation exists or if the applicant or recipient resides in 
another state. The state SWAs may also use the NDNH information for 
secondary purposes, such as updating UC recipients' reported 
participation in work activities, updating recipients' and their 
employers' contact information, administering the SWAs' tax compliance 
function, and complying with U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reporting 
requirements.

Categories of Individuals

    The categories of individuals involved in the matching program are 
adult members of households who have applied for or receive UC 
benefits.

Categories of Records

    The categories of records involved in the matching program, which 
may include personal identifiers, are new hire, quarterly wage, and 
unemployment insurance information. The specific data elements that 
will be provided to OCSE in a state agency input file are:

 Submitting state code (two-digit Federal Information 
Processing Standard code)
 Date stamp (input file transmission date)
 Caseload month and year of SWA applicants and recipients

[[Page 29947]]

 SWA applicant/recipient's Social Security number
 SWA applicant/recipient's first, middle, and last name
 Name/Social Security number verification request

    Optional:

 Passback data (state agency information used to identify 
individuals within the input file to be returned on the output file)
 Same state data indicator (indicates whether the state agency 
requests NDNH new hire, quarterly wage, or unemployment insurance even 
if the information was provided by that same state)

    OCSE will compare the Social Security numbers in the state agency 
input file to the Social Security numbers in the NDNH and will provide 
the state agency with any available new hire and quarterly wage 
information in the NDNH pertaining to the individuals whose records are 
contained in the state agency input file. The NDNH data elements OCSE 
will return to the state agency are as follows:

a. New Hire File

 New hire processed date
 Employee name and address
 Employee date and state of hire
 Federal and State employer identification numbers
 Department of Defense code
 Employer name and address
 Transmitter agency code
 Transmitter state code
 Transmitter state or agency name

b. Quarterly Wage File

 Quarterly wage processed date
 Employee name
 Federal and state employer identification numbers
 Department of Defense code
 Employer name and address
 Employee wage amount
 Quarterly wage reporting period
 Transmitter agency code
 Transmitter state code
 Transmitter state or agency name

System(s) of Records

    The NDNH information used in this matching program will be 
disclosed to SWAs from the following OCSE system of records, as 
authorized by routine use 13: ``OCSE National Directory of New Hires,'' 
No. 09-80-0381, last published in full at 80 FR 17906 (Apr. 2, 2015) 
and partially updated at 83 FR 6591 (Feb. 14, 2018).

[FR Doc. 2020-10697 Filed 5-18-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4184-42-P