[Federal Register: March 10, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 46)]
[Notices]
[Page 11384-11386]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10mr03-39]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Defense Logistics Agency
Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program
AGENCY: Defense Manpower Data Center, Defense Logistics Agency, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of a computer matching program.
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SUMMARY: Subsection (e)(12) of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5
U.S.C. 552a), requires agencies to publish advanced notice of any
proposed or revised computer matching program by the matching agency
for public comment. The DoD, as the matching agency under the Privacy
Act, is hereby giving notice to the record subjects of a computer
matching program between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and
DoD that their records are being matched by computer. The purpose is to
identify and locate Federal personnel, employed, serving, or retired,
who owe delinquent debts to the Federal Government under certain
programs administered by VA.
DATES: This proposed action will become effective April 9, 2003, and
matching may commence unless changes to the matching program are
required due to public comments or by Congressional or by Office of
Management and Budget objections. Any public comment must be received
before the effective date.
ADDRESSES: Any interested party may submit written comments to the
Director, Defense Privacy Office, 1941 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite
920, Arlington, VA 22202-4502.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Vahan Moushegian, Jr. at (703)
607-2943.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to subsection (o) of the Privacy
Act of 1974, as amended, (5 U.S.C. 552a), the Defense Manpower Data
Center (DMDC) and VA have concluded an agreement to conduct a computer
matching program between the agencies. The purpose of the match is to
exchange personal data
[[Page 11385]]
between the agencies for debt collection. The match will yield the
identity and location of the debtors within the Federal government so
that VA can pursue recoupment of the debt by voluntary payment or by
administrative or salary offset procedures.
The parties to this agreement have determined that a computer
matching program is the most efficient and effective manner to
accomplish this task with the least amount of intrusion of personal
privacy of the individuals concerned. It was therefore concluded and
agreed upon that computer matching would be the best and least
obtrusive manner and choice for accomplishing this requirement.
A copy of the computer matching agreement between VA and DoD is
available upon request. Requests should be submitted to the address
caption above or to the Debt Management Center, U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs, Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, 1 Federal
Drive, Ft. Snelling, Minnesota 55111.
Set forth below is the notice of the establishment of a computer
matching program required by paragraph 6.c. of the Office of Management
and Budget Guidelines on computer matching published on June 19, 1989,
at 54 FR 25818.
The matching agreement, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(r) of the
Privacy Act, and an advance copy of this notice was submitted on
February 12, 2003, to the House Committee on Government Reform, the
Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, and the Administrator of the
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget pursuant to paragraph 4d of Appendix I to OMB Circular No. A-
130, ``Federal Agency Responsibilities for Maintaining Records about
Individuals'', dated February 8, 1996 (February 20, 1996, 61 FR 6427).
Dated: February 21, 2003.
Patricia L. Toppings,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
Notice of a Computer Matching Program Between the Defense Manpower Data
Center, the Department of Defense, and the Debt Management Center,
Department of Veterans Affairs, for Debt Collection
A. Participating Agencies: Participants in this computer matching
program are the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), the Department of
Defense, and the Debt Management Center, Department of Veterans
Affairs. VA is the source agency, i.e., the activity disclosing the
records for the purpose of the match. The DMDC is the specific
recipient activity or matching agency, i.e., the agency that actually
performs the computer matching.
B. Purpose of the Match: Upon the execution of this agreement, VA
will provide and disclose debtor records to DMDC to identify and locate
any matched Federal personnel, employed, serving, or retired, who owe
delinquent debts to the Federal government under certain programs
administered by VA. VA will use this information to initiate
independent collection of those debts under the provisions of the Debt
Collection Act of 1982, as amended, when voluntary payment is not
forthcoming. These collection efforts will include requests by VA of
the military service/employing agency in the case of military personnel
(either active, reserve, or retired) and current non-postal civilian
employees, and to OPM in the case of retired non-postal civilian
employees, to apply administrative and/or salary offset procedures
until such time as the obligation is paid in full.
C. Authority for Conducting the Match: The legal authority for
conducting the matching program is contained in the Debt Collection Act
of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-365), as amended by the Debt Collection Improvement
Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-134, section 31001); 31 U.S.C. chapter 37,
subchapter I (General) and subchapter II (Claims of the United States
Government); 31 U.S.C. 3711, Collection and Compromise; 31 U.S.C. 3716,
Administrative Offset; 5 U.S.C. 5514, Installment Deduction for
Indebtedness (Salary Offset); 10 U.S.C. 135, Under Secretary of Defense
(Comptroller); section 101(l) of Executive Order 12731; 31 CFR chapter
IX, Federal Claims Collection Standards; 5 CFR 550.1101-550.1110
Collection by Offset from Indebted Government Employees (OPM); 38 CFR
1.980-1.994 (VA).
D. Records to be Matched: The systems of records maintained by the
respective agencies under the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, 5 U.S.C.
552a, from which records will be disclosed for the purpose of this
computer match are as follows:
VA will use personal data from the following Privacy Act record
systems for the match: Accounts Receivable Records-VA, 88VA244,
published in the Federal Register at 63 FR 16864 on April 6, 1998.
DoD will use personal data from the record system identified as
S322.11 DMDC, entitled ``Federal Creditor Agency Debt Collection Data
Base,'' last published in the Federal Register at 64 FR 42101, August
3, 1999.
E. Description of Computer Matching Program: VA, as the source
agency, will provide DMDC with an electronic file which contains the
names of delinquent debtors for programs VA administers. Upon receipt
of the electronic file of debtor accounts, DMDC will perform a computer
match using all nine digits of the SSN of the VA file against a DMDC
computer database. The DMDC database, established under an interagency
agreement between DOD, OPM, OMB, and the Department of the Treasury,
consists of personnel records of non-postal Federal civilian employees
and military members, both active and retired. The ``hits'' or matches
will be furnished to VA. VA is responsible for verifying and
determining that the data on the DMDC electronic reply file are
consistent with VA's source file and for resolving any discrepancies or
inconsistencies on an individual basis. VA will also be responsible for
making final determinations as to positive identification, amount of
indebtedness and recovery efforts as a result of the match.
The electronic file provided by VA will contain data elements of
the debtor's name, SSN, internal account numbers and the total amount
owed for each debtor on approximately 240,000 delinquent debtors.
The DMDC computer database file contains approximately 4.84 million
records of active duty and retired military members, including the
Reserve and Guard, and approximately 3.56 million records of active and
retired non-postal Federal civilian employees.
DMDC will match the SSN on the VA file by computer against the DMDC
database. Matching records, ``hits'' based on SSNs, will produce data
elements of the individual's name, SSN, military service or employing
agency, and current work or home address.
F. Inclusive Dates of the Matching Program: This computer matching
program is subject to public comment and review by Congress and the
Office of Management and Budget. If the mandatory 30 day period for
comment has expired and no comments are received and if no objections
are raised by either Congress or the Office of Management and Budget
within 40 days of being notified of the proposed match, the computer
matching program becomes effective and the respective agencies may
begin the exchange of data at a mutually agreeable time and thereafter
every six months. By agreement between VA and DMDC, the matching
program will be in effect for
[[Page 11386]]
18 months with an option to renew for 12 additional months unless one
of the parties to the agreement advises the other by written request to
terminate or modify the agreement.
G. Address for Receipt of Public Comments or Inquiries: Director,
Defense Privacy Office, 1941 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 920,
Arlington, VA 22202-4502. Telephone (703) 607-2943.
[FR Doc. 03-5536 Filed 3-7-03; 8:45 am]
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