[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 222 (Friday, November 17, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57697-57699]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-28374]



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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Defense Logistics Agency


Privacy Act of 1974; Notice of a Computer Matching Program 
Between the Railroad Retirement Board and the Defense Manpower Data 
Center of the Department of Defense

AGENCY: Defense Manpower Data Center, Defense Logistics Agency, 
Defense.
ACTION: Notice of a computer matching program between the Railroad 
Retirement Board (RRB) and the Department of Defense (DoD) 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 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 constructive notice in lieu of direct notice to 
the record subjects of a computer matching program between RRB and DoD 
that their records are being matched by computer. The record subjects 
are RRB delinquent debtors who may be current or former Federal 
employees receiving Federal salary or benefit payments and who are 
delinquent in their repayment of debts owed to the United States 
Government under programs administered by RRB so as to permit RRB to 
pursue and collect the debt by voluntary repayment or by administrative 
or salary offset procedures under the provisions of the Debt Collection 
Act of 1982.

DATES: This proposed action will become effective December 18, 1995, 
and the computer matching may proceed accordingly without further 
notice, unless comments are received which would result in a contrary 
determination or if the Office of Management and Budget or Congress 
objects thereto. Any public comment must be received before the 
effective date.

ADDRESSES: Any interested party may submit written comments to the 
Director, Defense Privacy Office, Crystal Mall 4, Room 920, 1941 
Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington, VA 22202-4502.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Aurelio Nepa, Jr. at telephone 
(703) 607-2943.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to subsection (o) of the Privacy 
Act of 1974, as amended, (5 U.S.C. 552a), the DMDC and RRB 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 the debtors within the Federal government so 
that RRB can pursue recoupment of the debt by voluntary payment or by 
administrative or 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. 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 RRB and DMDC is 
available upon request to the public. Requests should be submitted to 
the address caption above or to the Debt 

[[Page 57698]]
Collection Officer, Railroad Retirement Board, Bureau of Fiscal 
Operations, 844 Rush Street, Chicago, IL 60611-2092. Telephone (312) 
751-4963.
    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 in the Federal 
Register at 54 FR 25818 on June 19, 1989.
    The matching agreement, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(r) of the 
Privacy Act, and a copy of this notice will be submitted for review to 
the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight of the House of 
Representatives, the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate, 
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. A130, `Federal Agency Responsibilities 
for Maintaining Records about Individuals,' dated July 15, 1994 (59 FR 
37906, July 25, 1994). The matching program is subject to review by OMB 
and Congress and shall not become effective until that review period 
has elapsed.
    Dated: November 13, 1995.

Patricia L. Toppings,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.

NOTICE OF A COMPUTER MATCHING PROGRAM BETWEEN THE RAILROAD 
RETIREMENT BOARD AND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR DEBT COLLECTION

    A. Participating agencies: Participants in this computer matching 
program are the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) and the Defense 
Manpower Data Center (DMDC) of the Department of Defense (DoD). RRB is 
the source agency, i.e., the activity disclosing the records for the 
purpose of the match. 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 an agreement, the 
RRB will provide and disclose debtor records to DMDC to identify and 
locate any matched Federal personnel, employed or retired, who may owe 
delinquent debts to the Federal Government under certain programs 
administered by the DOD. RRB will use this information to initiate 
independent collection of those debts under the provisions of the Debt 
Collection Act of 1982 when voluntary payment is not forthcoming. These 
collection efforts will include requests by the RRB of any employing 
Federal agency 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), 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. 136, as amended, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and 
Readiness; 10 U.S.C. 138, as amended, Assistant Secretaries of Defense; 
Section 101(1) of Executive Order 12731; 4 CFR ch. II, Federal Claims 
Collection Standards (General Accounting Office -Department of 
Justice); 5 CFR 550.1101 - 550.1108 Collection by Offset from Indebted 
Government Employees (OPM); and 20 CFR part 367, Recovery of Debts Owed 
to the Railroad Retirement Board From Other Government Agencies.

    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:
    RRB will use personal data from the following Privacy Act record 
system for the match: RRB-42, entitled 'Uncollectible Benefit 
Overpayment Accounts' last published in the Federal Register at 49 FR 
7900 on March 2, 1984 and amended as published in the Federal Register 
at 56 FR 47502 on September 19, 1991.
    DMDC 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 on February 22, 1993, at 
58 FR 10875.
    Sections 5 and 10 of the Debt Collection Act authorize agencies to 
disclose information about debtors in order to effect salary or 
administrative offsets. Agencies must publish routine uses pursuant to 
subsection (b)(3) of the Privacy Act for those systems of records from 
which they intend to disclose this information. Sections 5 and 10 of 
the Debt Collection Act will comprise the necessary authority to meet 
the Privacy Act's `compatibility' condition. The systems of records 
described above contain an appropriate routine use disclosure between 
the agencies of the information proposed in the match. The routine use 
provisions are compatible with the purpose for which the information 
was collected.

    E. Description of computer matching program: The RRB, as the source 
agency, will provide DMDC with a electronic file which contains the 
names of delinquent debtors in programs the RRB administers. Upon 
receipt of the computer tape file of debtor accounts, DMDC will perform 
a computer match using all nine digits of the SSN of the RRB 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 employment records of non-postal Federal 
employees and military members, active, and retired. Matching records 
('hits'), based on the SSN, will produce the member's name, service or 
agency, category of employee, and current work or home address. The 
hits or matches will be furnished to the RRB. The RRB is responsible 
for verifying and determining that the data on the DMDC reply tape file 
are consistent with the RRB source file and for resolving any 
discrepancies or inconsistencies on an individual basis. The RRB 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 magnetic computer tape provided by the RRB will contain data 
elements of the debtor's name, SSN, internal account numbers and the 
total amount owed for each debtor on approximately 5,000 delinquent 
debtors.
    The DMDC computer database file contains approximately 10 million 
records of active duty and retired military members, including the 
Reserve and Guard, and the OPM government wide Federal civilian records 
of current and retired Federal employees.
    DMDC will match the SSN on the RRB tape by computer against the 
DMDC database. Matching records, hits based on SSN, will produce data 
elements of the member's name, SSN, service or agency, and current work 
or home address.

    F. Inclusive dates of the matching program: This computer matching 
program is subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget and 
Congress. If no objections are raised by either, and the mandatory 30 
day public notice period for comment has expired for this Federal 
Register notice with no significant adverse public comments in receipt 
resulting in a contrary determination, then this computer matching 
program becomes effective and the respective agencies may begin the 
exchange of data 30 days after the date of this published notice at a 

[[Page 57699]]
mutually agreeable time and will be repeated semiannually. Under no 
circumstances shall the matching program be implemented before the 30 
day public notice period for comment has elapsed as this time period 
cannot be waived. By agreement between RRB and DMDC, the matching 
program will be in effect and continue for 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, Crystal Mall 4, Room 920, 1941 Jefferson Davis 
Highway, Arlington, VA 22202-4502. Telephone (703) 607-2943.

[FR Doc. 95-28374 Filed 11-16-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5000-04-F