80 FR 110 pgs. 32635-32636 - Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program Between the Office of Personnel Management and Social Security Administration
Type: NOTICEVolume: 80Number: 110Pages: 32635 - 32636
Pages: 32635, 32636FR document: [FR Doc. 2015-14082 Filed 6-8-15; 8:45 am]
Agency: Personnel Management Office
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program Between the Office of Personnel Management and Social Security Administration
AGENCY:
Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
ACTION:
Notice-computer matching between the Office of Personnel Management and the Social Security Administration (Computer Matching Agreement 1071).
SUMMARY:
In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amendedby the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (Pub. L. 100-503),Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidelines on the Conduct of MatchingPrograms (54 FR 25818 published June 19, 1989), and OMB Circular No. A-130,revised November 28, 2000, "Management of Federal Information Resources," theOffice of Personnel Management (OPM) is publishing notice of its new computermatching program with the Social Security Administration (SSA). This notice replacesthe notice placed in the Federal Register /Vol. 78, No. 5/Tuesday, January 8, 2013/Notices, page 1275.
DATES:
OPM will file a report of the subject matching program with the Committeeon Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, the Committee onOversight and Government Reform of the House of Representatives, and the Office ofInformation and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Thematching program will begin 30 days after the Federal Register notice has beenpublished or 40 days after the date of OPM's submissions of the letters to Congress andOMB, whichever is later. The matching program will continue for 18 months from thebeginning date and may be extended an additional 12 months thereafter. Subsequentmatches will run until one of the parties advises the other in writing of its intention toreevaluate, modify, and/or terminate the agreement.
ADDRESSES:
Send comments to Deon Mason, Chief, Business Services, ResourceManagement, Retirement Services, Office of Personnel Management, Room 3316-G, 1900E Street NW., Washington, DC 20415.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION,CONTACT:
Bernard A. Wells III on (202) 606-2730.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. General
The Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended, establishes the conditions under whichcomputer matching involving the Federal government could be performed and addingcertain protections for individuals applying for and receiving Federal benefits. Section7201 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-508) furtheramended the Privacy Act regarding protections for such individuals. The Privacy Act, asamended, regulates the use of computer matching by Federal agencies when records ina system of records are matched with other Federal, State, or local government records.Among other things, it requires Federal agencies involved in computer matchingprograms to:
(1) Negotiate written agreements with the other agency for agencies participating in the matching programs;
(2) Obtain the approval of the match agreement by the Data Integrity Boards(DIB) of the participating Federal agencies;
(3) Furnish detailed reports about matching programs to Congress and OMB;
(4) Notify applicants and beneficiaries that their records are subject to matching;
(5) Verify match findings before reducing, suspending, termination or denying an individual's benefits or payments.
B. OPM Computer Matches Subject to the Privacy Act
We have taken action to ensure that all of OPM's computer matching programs complyWith the requirements of the Privacy Act, as amended.
Notice of Computer Matching Program, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) with the Social Security Administration (SSA)
A. Participating agencies
OPM and SSA.
B. Purpose of the Matching Program
[top] The purpose of this agreement is to establish the terms, conditions and safeguards fordisclosure of Social Security benefit information to OPM via direct computer link forthe administration of certain programs by OPM's Retirement Services. OPM is legallyrequired to offset specific
C. Authority for Conducting the Matching Program
Section 8461 (h) of title 5 of the United States Code.
D. Categories of Records and Individuals Covered by the Match
Under the matching program, OPM will match SSA's disability insurance benefits (DIB)and payment date against OPM's records of retirees receiving a FERS disability annuity.The purpose of the matching program is to identify a person receiving both a FERSdisability annuity and a DIB under section 223 of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 423, in order to apply OPM offsets. Under FERS, 5 U.S.C. 8452(a)(2)(A), for anymonth in which an annuitant is entitled to both a FERS disability annuity and to a DIB,the FERS annuity shall be computed as follows: The FERS disability annuity is reduced,for any month during the first year after the individual's FERS disability annuitycommences or is restored, by 100% of the individual's assumed Social Security DIB forsuch month, and, for any month occurring during a period other than the perioddescribed above, by 60% of the individual's assumed Social Security DIB for suchmonth. OPM will provide SSA with an extract from the Annuity Master File and frompending claims snapshot records via the File Transfer Management System (FTMS).The extracted file will contain identifying information concerning the child survivorannuitant for whom OPM needs information concerning receipt of SSA child survivorbenefits: full name, Social Security Number, date of birth, and type of informationrequested, as required to extract data from the SSA State Verification and ExchangeSystem Files for Title II records. Each record on the OPM file will be matched toSSA's records to identify FERS child survivor annuitants who are receiving SSA CIBs.The SSA systems of records involved in this CMA are the Master Files of SocialSecurity Number Holders and SSN Applications (Numident), 60-0058 and the MBR, 60-0090. OPM's system of records involved in this matching program is designatedOPM/Central-1, Civil Service Retirement and Insurance Records. For records fromOPM/Central-1, notice was provided by the publication of the system of records in the Federal Register at 64 FR 54930 (Oct. 8, 1999), as amended at 73 FR 15013 (March20, 2008).
OPM's records of surviving spouses who may be eligible to receive the FERSSupplementary Annuity will be matched against SSA's mother or father's insurancebenefit and/or disabled widow(er)'s insurance benefit records. If the surviving spouseis receiving one of the above described Social Security benefits, he or she is noteligible to receive the FERS Supplementary Annuity. FERS, 5 U.S.C. 8442 (f)provides that a survivor who is entitled to a survivor's annuity and who meets certainother statutory requirements shall also be entitled to a Supplementary Annuity. To beeligible to receive a Supplementary Annuity for a given month, the surviving spouse ofa deceased FERS annuitant must be eligible for a FERS survivor annuity, be under age60, be an individual who would be entitled to widow's or widower's insurance benefitsunder the requirements of sections 202(e) and 402(f), based on the wages and selfemployment survivor had attained age 60 and otherwise satisfied necessary requirementfor widow's or widow(er's) insurance benefits. See 5 U.S.C 8442(f)(4)(B). Theindividual must not be eligible for Social Security mother's or father's insurance benefitsor disabled widow(er)'s insurance benefits based on the deceased annuitant's wages andselfemployment income.
E. Privacy Safeguards and Security
The Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(l)(G)) requires that each matching agreement specifyprocedures for ensuring the administrative, technical, and physical security of therecords matched and the results of such programs. All Federal agencies are subject to:The Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA) (44 U.S.C. 3541 et seq.); related OMB circulars and memorandum ( e.g. OMB Circular A-130 andOMB M-06-16); National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) directives; andthe Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). These laws, circulars, memoranda,directives and regulations include requirements for safeguarding Federal informationsystems and personally identifiable information used in Federal agency businessprocesses, as well as related reporting requirements. OPM and SSA recognize that alllaws, circulars, memoranda, directives, and regulations relating to the subject of thisagreement and published subsequent to the effective date of this agreement must alsobe implemented if mandated. FISMA requirements apply to all Federal contractors andorganizations or sources that process or use Federal information, or that operate, use,or have access to Federal information systems on behalf of an agency. OPM will beresponsible for oversight and compliance of their contractors and agents. Both OPMand SSA reserve the right to conduct onsite inspection to monitor compliance withFISMA regulations.
F. Inclusive Dates of the Match
The matching program shall become effective upon signing of the agreement by bothparties to the agreement and approval of the agreement by the Data Integrity Boards ofthe respective agencies, but no sooner than 40 days after notice of the matchingprogram is sent to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget or 30 days afterpublication of this notice in the Federal Register , whichever is later. The matchingprogram will continue for 18 months from the effective date and may be extended foran additional 12 months thereafter, if certain conditions are met.
U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Katherine Archuleta,
Director.
[FR Doc. 2015-14082 Filed 6-8-15; 8:45 am]
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