[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 20, Volume 2]
[Revised as of April 1, 2004]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 20CFR401.105]

[Page 15]
 
                      TITLE 20--EMPLOYEES' BENEFITS
 
               CHAPTER III--SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
 
PART 401_PRIVACY AND DISCLOSURE OF OFFICIAL RECORDS AND INFORMATION--Table 
of Contents
 
        Subpart C_Disclosure of Official Records and Information
 
Sec. 401.105  Disclosure of personal information without the consent of 
the subject of the record.

    (a) SSA maintains two categories of records which contain personal 
information:
    (1) Nonprogram records, primarily administrative and personnel 
records which contain information about SSA's activities as a government 
agency and employer, and
    (2) Program records which contain information about SSA's clients 
that it keeps to administer benefit programs under Federal law.
    (b) We apply different levels of confidentiality to disclosures of 
information in the categories in paragraphs (a) (1) and (2) of this 
section. For administrative and personnel records, we apply the Privacy 
Act restrictions on disclosure. For program records, we apply somewhat 
more strict confidentiality standards than those found in the Privacy 
Act. The reason for this difference in treatment is that our program 
records include information about a much greater number of persons than 
our administrative records, the information we must collect for program 
purposes is often very sensitive, and claimants are required by statute 
and regulation to provide us with the information in order to establish 
entitlement for benefits.