[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 216 (Wednesday, November 9, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-27765]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: November 9, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Office of Workers' Compensation Programs

 

Privacy Act of 1974; New Computer Matching Program

AGENCY: Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, United States 
Department of Labor.

ACTION: Notice of computer matching program between the Office of 
Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) and the United States Postal 
Service (USPS) for public comment.

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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 advance notice of computer 
matching programs as a means of informing benefit recipients/employees 
of plans to conduct computer matches and to allow public comment. This 
publishes notice that the OWCP intends to conduct a computer matching 
program with the United States Postal Service (USPS). This matching 
program will compare OWCP delinquent debtor records with USPS payroll 
records to identify postal employees who are delinquent in their 
repayment of debts owed to the federal government under the Federal 
Employees' Compensation Act so as to permit OWCP to pursue and collect 
the debt by voluntary repayment or by salary offset procedures under 
the Debt Collection Act of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-365).

DATES: Comments must be received no later than December 9, 1994. Unless 
comments are received that result in a contrary determination, this 
matching program will become effective 40 days after transmittal of a 
matching report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) or 40 days 
after transmittal of a matching report and a copy of the matching 
agreement to the Congress or 30 days after the date of this notice, 
whichever occurs last.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to the Director for Federal 
Employees' Compensation, U.S. Department of Labor, OWCP, 200 
Constitution Avenue. NW., Room S-3229, Washington, DC 20210-0002 or 
delivered to the above address between 8:15 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. Comments 
received may also be inspected during the above hours.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Alex J. Senecal at the above address or at telephone (202) 219-
8461.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to subsection (o) of the Privacy 
Act of 1974, OWCP and USPS have concluded an agreement to conduct a 
computer matching program between the agencies. The purpose of the 
match is to exchange personal data between the agencies for debt 
collection. The match will yield the identity and location of OWCP 
debtors employed by USPS so that OWCP can pursue recoupment of the debt 
by voluntary payment or by salary offset procedures. Computer matching 
appeared to be the most efficient and effective manner to accomplish 
this task with the least amount of intrusion of personal privacy of the 
individuals concerned.
    A copy of the computer matching agreement between OWCP and USPS is 
available to the public upon request. Requests should be submitted to 
the address caption above or to the USPS Records Office, 475 L'Enfant 
Plaza, SW., Washington, DC 20260-5240.
    Pursuant to subsection (r) of the Privacy Act of 1974 and the 
reporting requirements set forth in paragraph 4d of Appendix I to OMB 
Circular No. A-130, Revised, ``Management of Federal Information 
Resources,'' dated July 2, 1993 (58 FR 36068-36086), a computer 
matching program report, including an advance copy of this notice, was 
submitted to Congress and to the Office of Management and Budget on 
November 4, 1994. The matching program is subject to review by OMB and 
Congress and shall not become effective until that review period has 
elapsed.

Notice of a Computer Matching Program Between the Office of Workers' 
Compensation Programs and the United States Postal Service for Debt 
Collection

    A. Participating agencies: The United States Postal Service (USPS) 
is the recipient agency and will perform the computer match with debtor 
records provided by the Department of Labor, Office of Workers' 
Compensation Programs (OWCP), the source agency in this matching 
program.
    B. Purpose of the matching program: The computer match will compare 
USPS payroll and OWCP delinquent debtor records so that OWCP can 
identify and locate postal employees who owe delinquent debts to the 
federal government under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act 
administered by OWCP. The pay of an employee verified as a delinquent 
debtor may be offset under the provisions of the Debt Collection Act of 
1982 when voluntary payment is not made.
    C. Legal authority for conducting the match: This matching program 
will be conducted under the authority of the Debt Collection Act of 
1982 (Pub. L. 97-365) which authorizes federal agencies to offset a 
federal employee's salary as a means of satisfying delinquent debts 
owed to the United States (5 U.S.C. 5514(a)). The implementing 
regulations are contained in 4 CFR Chapter II, Federal Claims 
Collection Standards (General Accounting Office--Department of 
Justice). 20 CFR 10.320-324 (Department of Labor) contains OWCP's 
regulations governing the establishment and recovery of overpayments 
and 29 CFR 20.74-20.90, Salary Offset (Department of Labor), 
establishes the Department's regulations governing salary offset when 
the debtor is a current employee of the United States.
    D. Categories of individuals involved and identification of records 
used: The systems of records maintained by the participant agencies 
under the Privacy Act of 1974 from which records will be disclosed for 
the purpose of this computer match are:
    1. The USPS will use records from its system ``Finance Records--
Payroll System, USPS 050.020'' containing payroll records for 
approximately 700,000 current USPS employees. Disclosure will be made 
under routine use 24 of that system, a full description of which was 
last published in 57 FR 57515, dated December 4, 1992.
    2. OWCP will use records from its system identified as DOL/GOVT-1, 
entitled ``Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, Federal Employees' 
Compensation Act File'' and containing approximately 1,000 delinquent 
debt account records. Disclosure will be made under routine use ``n'' 
of that system, a full description of which was last published in the 
Federal Register at 58 FR 49548, 49556-8, on September 23, 1993 with 
amendments published at 59 FR 47361 on September 15, 1994.
    E. Description of the computer matching program: OWCP will provide 
to USPS a magnetic computer tape containing the names and Social 
Security Numbers (SSNs) of its delinquent debtors. By computer, the 
USPS will compare that information with its payroll file, establishing 
matched individuals (i.e., ``hits'') on the basis of like SSNs. For 
each matched individual, the USPS will provide to OWCP the name, SSN, 
date of birth, home address, work address, and employee type (permanent 
or temporary). OWCP will be responsible for verifying and determining 
if the data of the USPS matched records are consistent with OWCP's 
source data and will resolve any discrepancies or inconsistencies on an 
individual basis, conducting independent inquiries when necessary to 
resolve questionable identities. OWCP will also be responsible for 
making final determinations as to positive identification, amount of 
indebtedness and recovery efforts as a result of the match.
    F. Beginning and ending dates of the matching program: This 
computer matching program is expected to begin in December, 1994. By 
agreement between OWCP and USPS, the matching program will continue in 
effect for a period of 18 months and may be extended for 12 additional 
months unless one of the parties to the agreement advises the other by 
written request to terminate or modify the agreement.

    Dated: November 4, 1994.
Shelby Hallmark,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Workers' Compensation 
Programs.
[FR Doc. 94-27765 Filed 11-8-94; 8:45 am]
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