Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records, 87423-87424 [2024-25410]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 212 (Friday, November 1, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 87423-87424]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25410]



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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR


Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: Office of Workers Compensation Programs, Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of a new system of records.

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SUMMARY: The Privacy Act of 1974 and Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) Circular No. A-108 require that each agency publish notice of a 
new or modified system of records that it maintains. The Office of 
Workers Compensation proposes to add a new system of records for its 
Ombuds Office. The system consists of an online form for Ombud's Office 
inquiries and a database to store the information from the form so the 
Ombud's office can track the inquiry and the actions it is taking to 
resolve the issue.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than December 2, 2024. This 
modification is effective upon publication of this Notice. If no public 
comments are received, the routine uses will be effective beginning 
December 2, 2024. If DOL receives public comments, DOL will review the 
comments to determine whether any changes to the notice are necessary.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this notice. You may 
submit comments by any of the following methods:
     Mail, hand delivery, or courier: 200 Constitution Avenue 
NW, Room S-3524, Washington, DC 20210. In your comment, specify ``OWCP 
Ombuds File System, DOL/OWCP-14.''
     The OWCP Ombud's Office at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To submit general questions about the 
system, contact Shalonda Cawthon by email at [email protected] or 
(202) 343-5580 (this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is for a new system of records 
operated by the OWCP Ombuds Office for the Division of Federal 
Employees' Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation (DFELHWC) and 
Division of Coal Mine Workers' Compensation (DCMWC).

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:
    OWCP Ombuds File System, DOL/OWCP-14.

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
    Unclassified.

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    U.S. Department of Labor, OWCP, Ombuds Office--DFELHWC and DCMWC, 
Frances Perkins Building, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 
20210 and on the DOL Microsoft Azure Cloud.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
    OWCP Ombudsperson for Division of Federal Employees' Longshore and 
Harbor Workers' Compensation (DFELHWC) and Division of Coal Mine 
Workers' Compensation (DCMWC), 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 
20210.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    a. 30 U.S.C. 901 et seq., 20 CFR 725.1 et seq.
    b. 33 U.S.C. 901 et seq. (20 CFR parts 701 et seq.); 36 DC Code 501 
et seq.; 42 U.S.C. 1651 et seq.; 43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.; 5 U.S.C. 8171 
et seq.
    c. 5 U.S.C. 8101 et seq., 20 CFR 1.1 et seq.

PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
    The OWCP Ombuds Office serves claimants and external interested 
parties who seek assistance with inquiries, individual concerns and 
achieving resolution to complaints related to the Division of Federal 
Employees', Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation (DFELHWC), and 
the Division of Coal Mine Workers' Compensation (DCMWC) programs. The 
Ombuds Office System will provide a mechanism for interested parties to 
submit inquiries and concerns. The system will also provide a method 
for the OWCP Ombuds Office to track inquiries and identify systemic 
issues impacting the customer experience.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    Individual claimants or their survivors who are seeking benefits 
from the Division of Federal Employees', Longshore and Harbor Workers' 
Compensation (DFELHWC) or the Division of Coal Mine Workers' 
Compensation (DCMWC) programs as well as their authorized 
representatives, such as attorneys, family members or advocates who 
have been chosen by claimants to represent them in regard to their 
claims with OWCP.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    This system may contain the following information gathered from the 
Ombuds Inquiry Form:
    1. Date Inquiry Form Submitted.
    2. Claimant First and Last Name.
    3. Claimant Date of Birth.
    4. OWCP Program.
    5. Claim Number/Case I.D./OWCP Number.
    6. Claimant Phone Number.
    7. Claimant Email Address.
    8. Claimant Home Address (street, city, state, zip code).
    9. Authorized Representative First and Last Name (if applicable).
    10. Authorized Representative Email Address (if applicable).
    11. Inquiry/Concern Narrative.
    In addition, the system will track information on the status of the 
inquiry and its resolution.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
    The source of the records is the Ombuds Inquiry Form, which is 
submitted by individual claimants (current federal employees, past 
federal employees, members of the public) or their survivors who are 
seeking the assistance of the Ombuds office in connection with benefits 
from the OWCP's DFELHWC and DCMWC programs as well as the authorized 
representatives of those individuals.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSE OF SUCH USES:
    The Ombuds Office may disclose relevant and necessary information 
for purpose of resolving an inquiry or concern, if consent is given by 
the claimant or authorized representative to share the information, as 
indicated on through the online Ombuds Inquiry Form. In addition to the 
disclosures contained in the DOL's Universal Routine Uses of 
Records,\1\ a record from this system of records may be disclosed as 
follows:
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    \1\ See https://www.dol.gov/general/privacy under the heading 
``System of Records Notices (SORNs).''
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    a. To appropriate agencies, entities, and persons when (a) DOL 
suspects or has confirmed that there has been a breach of the system of 
records; (b) DOL has determined that as a result of the suspected or 
confirmed breach there is a risk of harm to individuals, DOL (including 
its information systems, programs, and operations), the Federal 
Government, or national security; and (c) the disclosure made to such 
agencies, entities, and persons is reasonably necessary to assist in 
connection with DOL's efforts to respond to the suspected or confirmed 
breach or to prevent, minimize, or remedy such harm.
    b. To another Federal agency or Federal entity, when DOL determines 
that information from this system of records is reasonably necessary to 
assist the recipient agency or entity in (a) responding to a suspected 
or confirmed breach or (b) preventing, minimizing, or remedying the 
risk of harm to individuals, the recipient agency or

[[Page 87424]]

entity (including its information systems, programs, and operations), 
the Federal Government, or national security, resulting from a 
suspected or confirmed breach.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
    Files are stored electronically. Users will fill out an online 
Inquiry Form, which is saved to a dedicated SharePoint repository where 
information is analyzed by the OWCP Ombuds Office staff. It is a one-
way transaction and after submitting the form, the submitter no longer 
has access to the information in the form that was submitted. The 
SharePoint repository is stored on the DOL Azure Cloud with periodic 
backup of the data to protect against system failure or loss. Other 
than backups there are no copies of the data stored outside the DOL 
Azure Cloud.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
    Records are retrieved by claimant's name, claim number/ID number, 
program, and/or date of birth.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
    The system maintains only PII that is necessary and relevant to 
accomplish the purpose for which it is being collected. It will be 
destroyed when 5 years old or when no longer needed for reference based 
on NARA approved Record Control Schedules DAA-0271-2017-0002-0002.

ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
    DOL uses a role-based access for the system's SharePoint files 
where only those expressly granted access by the system administrator 
can see the folder where the information is stored. Users can be 
granted read only or read/write access and access will be granted only 
to authorized personnel from the Ombud's Office. DOL works with 
Microsoft to ensure the security of the cloud environment. Controls 
include but are not limited to, firewalls, least privilege, role-based 
access, and two factor authentication. DOL assigns NIST 800-53 control 
requirements to the system.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
    If an individual wishes to access their own records in the system, 
the individual should contact OWCP directly and follow the instructions 
for making a Privacy Act Request on the DOL's web page at: https://www.dol.gov/general/privacy/instructions. The DOL also describes its 
process for requesting records under the Privacy Act in regulations at 
29 CFR 71.2. Individuals who need additional assistance may also reach 
out to the DOL's Privacy Office by email at [email protected].

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
    If an individual wishes to request a correction or amendment of a 
record, the individual should direct their request to OWCP directly. 
The request must be in writing and must identify:
     The name of the individual making the request,
     The particular record in question,
     The correction or amendment sought,
     The justification for the change, and
     Any other pertinent information to help identify the file.
    Additional information can be found on the DOL's web page at: 
https://www.dol.gov/general/privacy/instructions. The DOL also 
describes its process for requesting a correction or amendment at 29 
CFR 71.9. Individuals who need additional assistance may also reach out 
to the DOL's Privacy Office by email at [email protected].

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
    If an individual wishes to know if a system contains information 
about the individual, the individual should contact OWCP directly and 
follow the instructions for making a Privacy Act Request on the DOL's 
web page at: https://www.dol.gov/general/privacy/instructions. The DOL 
also describes its process for requesting records under the Privacy Act 
in regulations at 29 CFR 71.2. Individuals who need additional 
assistance may also reach out to the DOL's Privacy Office by email at 
[email protected].

EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:
    None.

HISTORY:
    None. This is a new System of Records.

    Signed at Washington, DC.
Carolyn Angus-Hornbuckle,
Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management.
[FR Doc. 2024-25410 Filed 10-31-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-CK-P