Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program, 94882-94883 [2024-28029]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 230 (Friday, November 29, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 94882-94883]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28029]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

ACTION: Notice of a modified matching program.

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SUMMARY: This is an 18-month re-establishment computer matching 
agreement (CMA) with the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), 
Department of Defense (DoD) and the Department of Veterans Affairs 
(VA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), regarding Veterans that 
have returned to active duty and that are also in receipt of 
compensation or pension benefits. The purpose of this agreement is to 
verify eligibility for DoD and United States Coast Guard members of the 
Reserve forces who receive VA disability compensation or pension to 
receive, in lieu and upon election, military pay and allowances when 
performing active duty.

DATES: Comments on this matching program must be received no later than 
December 30, 2024. If no public comment is received during the period 
allowed for comment or unless otherwise published in the Federal 
Register by VA, the new agreement will become effective a minimum of 30 
days after date of publication in the Federal Register. If VA receives 
public comments, VA shall review the comments to determine whether any 
changes to the notice are necessary. This matching program will be 
valid for 18 months from the effective date of this notice.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted through www.Regulations.gov or 
mailed to VA Privacy Service, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, (005X6F), 
Washington, DC 20420. Comments should indicate that they are submitted 
in response to CMA 87 Return to Active Duty. Comments received will be 
available at regulations.gov for public viewing, inspection or copies.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Delonda Garmon (VBA), Program Analyst, 
Department of Veterans Affairs, 1800 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20006, 
[email protected], 202-461-9700.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This agreement continues an arrangement for 
a periodic computer-matching program between VA, VBA as the matching 
recipient agency and the DoD, DMDC as the matching source agency. This 
agreement sets forth the responsibilities of VBA and DoD with respect 
to information disclosed pursuant to this agreement and takes into 
account both agencies' responsibilities under the Privacy Act of 1974, 
5 U.S.C. 552a, as amended by the Computer Matching and Privacy 
Protection Act of 1988, as amended, and the regulations promulgated 
thereunder, including computer matching portions of a revision of OMB 
Circular No. A-108, 81 FR 94424, dated December 23, 2016.
PARTICIPATING AGENCIES:
    VA, VBA, as the matching recipient agency, and DoD, DMDC, as the 
matching source agency.
AUTHORITY FOR CONDUCTING THE MATCHING PROGRAM:
    The legal authority for conducting the matching program for use in 
the administration of VA's Compensation and Pension Benefits Programs 
is contained in 38 U.S.C. 5304(c), Prohibition Against Duplication of 
Benefits, which precludes pension, compensation, or retirement pay on 
account of any person's own service, for any period for which he 
receives active duty pay. The law (10 U.S.C. 12316) prohibits the 
receipt of reserve pay and VA compensation for the same time period, 
however, it does permit waiver of VA compensation to draw reserve 
pay.''
PURPOSE(S):
    The purpose of this matching program between VBA and DoD is to 
verify the continuing eligibility for Uniformed Services Members, 
including National Guard and Reserve personnel, for VA benefits by 
identifying VA disability benefit recipients who return to active duty, 
including active-duty training status, and to ensure that VA benefits 
are terminated or adjusted when appropriate.
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS:
    1. Veterans who have applied for compensation for service-connected 
disability under 38 U.S.C. ch. 11.
    2. Veterans who have applied for nonservice-connected disability 
under 38 U.S.C. ch. 15.
    3. Veterans entitled to burial benefits under 38 U.S.C. ch. 23.
    4. Surviving spouses and children who have claimed pensions based 
on nonservice-connected death of a Veteran under 38 U.S.C. ch. 15.
    5. Surviving spouses and children who have claimed death 
compensation based on service-connected death of a Veteran under 38 
U.S.C. ch. 11.
    6. Surviving spouses and children who have claimed dependency and 
indemnity compensation for service-connected death of a Veteran under 
38 U.S.C. ch. 13.
    7. Parents who have applied for death compensation based on 
service-connected death of a Veteran under 38 U.S.C. ch. 11.
    8. Parents who have applied for dependency and indemnity 
compensation for service-connected death of a Veteran under 38 U.S.C. 
ch. 13.
    9. Individuals who applied for educational assistance benefits 
administered by VA under title 38 of the U.S. Code.
    10. Individuals who applied for educational assistance benefits 
maintained by the Department of Defense under title 10 of the U.S. Code 
that are administered by VA.
    11. Veterans who apply for training and employers who apply for 
approval of their programs under the provisions of the Emergency 
Veterans' Job Training Act of 1983, Pub. L. 98-77.
    12. Any VA employee who generates or finalizes adjudicative actions 
using the Benefits Delivery Network or the Veterans Service Network 
computer processing systems.
    13. Veterans who apply for training and employers who apply for 
approval of their programs under the provisions of the Service Members 
Occupational Conversion and Training Act of 1992, Pub. L. 102-484.
    14. Representatives of individuals covered by the system.
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS:
    Records may include: 1. Name 2. Social Security Number 3. Date of 
birth 4. Paid Inactive-duty training days 5. Paid Active-duty days.
SYSTEM(S) OF RECORDS:
    Compensation, Pension, Education, and Vocational Rehabilitation and 
Employment Records--VA (58 VA 21/22/28), last published at 86 FR 61858 
(November 8, 2021); DMDC 01, entitled ``Defense Manpower Data Center 
Data Base,'' last published at 87 FR 32145 (May 27, 2022); and 
``Veterans Affairs/Department of Defense Identity Repository (VADIR)-VA 
(138VA005Q)'', last published at 87 FR 79066 (December 23, 2022).

[[Page 94883]]

Signing Authority

    The Senior Agency Official for Privacy, or designee, approved this 
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document 
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as 
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. John 
Oswalt, Chief Privacy Officer and Chair of the Data Integrity Board, 
Department of Veterans Affairs approved this document on November 8, 
2024 for publication.

    Dated: November 25, 2024.
Amy L. Rose,
Government Information Specialist, VA Privacy Service, Office of 
Compliance, Risk and Remediation, Office of Information and Technology, 
Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2024-28029 Filed 11-27-24; 8:45 am]
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