[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 187 (Wednesday, September 25, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50352-50353]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-24566]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program Between the Office 
of Personnel Management and the Social Security Administration

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

ACTION: Notice of a computer matching program between the OPM and the 
Social Security Administration (SSA) for public comment.

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SUMMARY: OPM is publishing notice of its computer matching program with 
SSA to meet the reporting and publication requirements of Public Law 
100-503, the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988. In 
this match, SSA records are used in redetermining and recomputing 
certain annuitants' benefits where computations are based, in part, on 
military service performed after December 1956 under the Civil Service 
Retirement System (CSRS) and for annuitants under the Federal 
Employees' Retirement System (FERS) who have a CSRS component in their 
FERS annuity computation. The purpose of this match is to identify 
these beneficiaries.

DATES: This proposed action will become effective 40 days after the 
agreements by the parties participating in the match have been 
submitted to

[[Page 50353]]

Congress and the Office of Management and Budget unless either the 
Congress or the Office of Management and Budget objects thereto. Any 
public comment on this matching program must be submitted within the 
30-day public notice period, which begins on the publication date of 
this notice.

ADDRESS: Any interested party may submit written comments to Kathleen 
M. McGettigan, Assistant Director for Financial Control and Management, 
Retirement and Insurance Service, Office of Personnel Management, 1900 
E Street, NW, Room 4312, Washington, DC 20415.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Marc Flaster, (202) 606-2115.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OPM and SSA have concluded an agreement to 
conduct a computer matching program between the two agencies. The 
purpose of the agreement is to establish the conditions under which SSA 
agrees to the disclosure of Social Security benefit and/or tax return 
information to the OPM. OPM, as specified in 5 U.S.C. 8332(j)(1), has 
an obligation to use post 1956 earnings data in redetermining and 
recomputing annuities for certain CSRS and FERS annuitants. Section 
1106 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.) requires that SSA disclose 
the needed data to OPM.

Office of Personnel Management.
James B. King,
Director.

Report of Computer Matching Agreement Between the Office of 
Personnel Management and the Social Security Administration

A. Participating Agencies

    OPM and SSA.

B. Purpose of the Matching Program

    Chapters 83 and 84 of title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.), provide 
the basis for computing annuities under the Civil Service Retirement 
System and the Federal Employees' Retirement System respectively, and 
require release of information by SSA in order to administer post 1956 
data exchanges. In this match, SSA records are used in redetermining 
and recomputing certain annuitants' benefits where computations are 
based, in part, on military service performed after December 1956 under 
the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and for annuitants under the 
Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) who have a CSRS component 
in their FERS annuity computation. The purpose of this match is to 
identify these beneficiaries.

C. Authority for Conducting the Match Program

    Chapters 83 and 84, title 5, United States Code, section 1106 of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1306), and the Internal Revenue Code 
(26 U.S.C. 6103).

D. Categories of Records and Individuals Covered by the Match

    SSA will disclose data from its Master Beneficiary Record and 
Master Earnings Files, and manually extracted post 1956 military wage 
information from SSA's ``1086'' microfilm file when required. SSA has 
published routine uses for these systems of records, published at 59 FR 
62407, December 5, 1994 and 60 FR 2144, January 6, 1995, last revised 
at 60 FR 52948, on October 1, 1995.
    OPM's records consist of annuity data from its system of records 
entitled OPM/Central-1--Civil Service Retirement and Insurance Records, 
last published in the Federal Register at 60 FR 63075, December 8, 
1995.

E. Description of Matching Program

    OPM provides a monthly magnetic tape to SSA containing data on 
those individuals for whom OPM requests post 1956 military service 
benefit information. These elements will be matched against SSA 
records. SSA furnishes OPM by magnetic tape benefit information on 
these individuals, including the amount of the SSA benefit attributable 
to the post 1956 military service (which constitutes the CSRS or FERS 
annuity reduction amount).

F. Privacy Safeguards and Security

    The personal privacy of the individuals whose names are included in 
the tapes are protected by strict adherence to the provisions of the 
Privacy Act of 1974 and OMB's ``Guidance Interpreting the Provisions of 
Public Law 100-503, the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 
1988''. Access to the records used in the data exchange is restricted 
to only those authorized employees and officials who need it to perform 
their official duties. Records matched or created will be stored in an 
area that is physically safe from access by unauthorized personnel 
during duty hours as well as nonduty hours or when not in use. Records 
used in this exchange and any records created by this exchange will be 
processed under the immediate supervision and control of authorized 
personnel in a manner which will protect the confidentiality of the 
records.
    Both SSA and OPM have the right to make onsite inspections or make 
other provisions to ensure that adequate safeguards are being 
maintained by the other agency.

G. Inclusive Dates of the Matching Program

    This computer matching program is subject to review by the Congress 
and the Office of Management and Budget. OPM's report to these parties 
must be received at least 40 days prior to the initiation of any 
matching activity. If no objections are raised by either Congress or 
OMB, and the mandatory 30 day public notice period for comment for this 
Federal Register notice expires, with no significant receipt of adverse 
public comments resulting in a contrary determination, then this 
computer matching program becomes effective. By agreement between OPM 
and SSA, the matching program will be in effect and continue for 18 
months with an option to renew for 12 additional months under the terms 
set forth in 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2)(D),

[FR Doc. 96-24566 Filed 9-24-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-01-M