[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 4, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9755-9756]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-5237]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Air Force


Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: Department of the Air Force, DOD.
ACTION: Addition of a system of records.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Air Force proposes to add a system of 
records to its inventory of systems of records notices subject to the 
Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended.
DATES: The addition will be effective on April 3, 1997, unless comments 
are received that would result in a contrary determination.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to the Air Force Access Programs Manager, HQ 
USAF/SCMI, 1250 Air Force Pentagon, Washington, DC 20330-1250.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. Anne Rollins at (703) 697-8674 or 
DSN 227-8674.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The complete inventory of Department of the 
Air Force system of records notices subject to the Privacy Act of 1974 
(5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended, have been published in the Federal 
Register and are available from the address above.
    The proposed system report, as required by 5 U.S.C. 522a(r) of the 
Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, was submitted on February 25, 1997, to 
the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, the Senate 
Committee on Governmental Affairs, and the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) pursuant to paragraph 4c 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 26, 1997.

L. M. Bynum,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
F168 AF SG G

SYSTEM NAME:
    Reporting of Medical Conditions of Public Health and Military 
Significance.

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    Epidemiology Services Branch, Epidemiologic Research Division, 
Armstrong Laboratory, 2601 West Gate Road, Suite 114, Brooks Air Force 
Base, TX 78235-5241, medical centers, hospitals and clinics, medical 
aid stations, Air National Guard activities, and Air Force Reserve 
units. Official mailing addresses are published as an appendix to the 
Air Force's compilation of systems of records notices.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    Active duty Air Force members and their dependents, civilian Air 
Force employees, retired Air Force members and their dependents, Air 
Force Reserve and Air National Guard personnel and foreign national Air 
Force employees.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    Name, Social Security Number, home address, home phone, date of 
birth, and records relating to communicable diseases, occupational 
illnesses, animal bites, and both completed and attempted suicides.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    10 U.S.C. 55, Medical and Dental Care; 10 U.S.C. 8013, Secretary of 
the Air Force; powers and duties; delegation by; 29 CFR 1960, 
Occupational Illness/Injury Reporting Guidelines for Federal Agencies; 
Air Force Instruction 48-105, Surveillance, Prevention, and Control of 
Diseases and Conditions of Public Health or Military Significance; and 
E.O. 9397 (SSN).

PURPOSE(S):
    Records from this system of records will be used for ongoing public 
health surveillance, which is the systematic collection, analysis, and 
interpretation of outcome-specific data for use in the planning, 
implementation, and evaluation of public health practice within the Air 
Force.
    Primary users include appropriate Air Force activity/installation 
preventive medicine and public health personnel and their major command 
and Air Force counterparts. Records are used and reviewed by health 
care personnel in the performance of their duties.
    Health care personnel include military and civilian personnel 
assigned to the Air Force facility where the records are maintained. 
Students participating in a USAF training program may also use and 
review records as part of their training program.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSE OF SUCH USES:
    In addition to those disclosures generally permitted under 5 U.S.C. 
552a(b) of the Privacy Act, these records, or information contained 
therein, may specifically be disclosed outside the DoD as a routine use 
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(3) as follows:
    To the officials and employees of the National Research Council and 
the Department of Veterans Affairs in cooperative studies of the 
natural history of disease and epidemiology. Each study in which the 
records of members and former members of the Air Force are used must be 
approved by the Surgeon General of the Air Force.
    To officials and employees of local and state governments in the 
performance of their official duties pursuant to the laws and 
regulations governing local control of communicable diseases, 
preventive medicine and safety programs, and other public health and 
welfare programs.
    The `Blanket Routine Uses' published at the beginning of the Air 
Force's compilation of record system notices apply to this system, 
except as stipulated in `Note' below.
    NOTE: Records of identity, diagnosis, prognosis or treatment of any 
client/patient, irrespective of whether or when he/she ceases to be a 
client/patient, maintained in connection with the performance of any 
alcohol/drug abuse treatment function conducted, requested, or directly 
or indirectly assisted by any department or agency of the United 
States, shall, except as provided herein, be confidential and be 
disclosed only for the purposes and under the circumstances expressly 
authorized in 42 U.S.C. 290dd-2. This statute takes precedence over the 
Privacy Act of 1974 in regard to accessibility of such records except 
to the individual to whom the record pertains. The `Blanket Routine 
Uses' do not apply to these types of records.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, 
AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
STORAGE:
    Maintained in machine readable form.

RETRIEVABILITY:
    Records are retrieved by name, Social Security Number, reportable 
event, location, or any combination of these.

SAFEGUARDS:
    Records are accessed by custodians of the record system and by 
person(s) responsible for servicing the record system in performance of 
their official duties who are properly screened. Except when under 
direct physical control by authorized individuals, records will be 
electronically stored in computer storage devices protected by computer 
system software. Computer

[[Page 9756]]

terminals are located in supervised areas with terminal access 
controlled by password or other user code systems.

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:
    Local retention may vary, but will be no less than 5 years after 
the fiscal year to which the records relate. After that time, records 
may be destroyed by erasing, deleting, or overwriting.

SYSTEM MANAGER(s) AND ADDRESS:
    Chief, Epidemiology Services Branch, Epidemiologic Research 
Division, Armstrong Laboratory (AL/AOES), 2601 West Gate Road, Suite 
114, Brooks Air Force Base, TX 78235-5241, or comparable official of 
the Public Health Office serving the Air Force activity/installation. 
Official mailing addresses are published as an appendix to the Air 
Force's compilation of systems of records notices.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:
    Individuals seeking to determine whether this system of records 
contains information on themselves should address written inquiries to 
Chief, Epidemiology Services Branch, Epidemiologic Research Division, 
Armstrong Laboratory (AL/AOES), 2601 West Gate Road, Suite 114, Brooks 
Air Force Base, TX 78235-5241, or comparable official of the Public 
Health Office serving the Air Force activity/installation. Official 
mailing addresses are published as an appendix to the Air Force's 
compilation of systems of records notices.
    Written requests should contain the full name and signature of the 
requester.
    Requests in person must be made during normal office duty hours 
Monday through Friday, excluding national and/or local holidays.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
    Individuals seeking to access records about themselves contained in 
this system should address written requests to the Chief, Epidemiology 
Services Branch, Epidemiologic Research Division, Armstrong Laboratory 
(AL/AOES), 2601 West Gate Road, Suite 114, Brooks Air Force Base, TX 
78235-5241, or comparable official of the Public Health Office serving 
the Air Force activity/installation. Official mailing addresses are 
published as an appendix to the Air Force's compilation of systems of 
records notices.
    Written requests should contain the full name and signature of the 
requester.
    Requests in person must be made during normal office duty hours 
Monday through Friday, excluding national and/or local holidays.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
    The Air Force rules for accessing records, and for contesting and 
appealing initial agency determinations are published in Air Force 
Instruction 37-132; 32 CFR part 806b; or may be obtained from the 
system manager.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
    Records in this system are obtained from DOD and Air Force 
employees involved in the surveillance, prevention, control, and 
reporting of diseases and conditions of public health or military 
significance.
    Database is compiled using information from personnel, medical, and 
casualty records, investigative reports, and environmental sampling 
data.

EXEMPTIONS CLAIMED FOR THE SYSTEM:
    None.
[FR Doc. 97-5237 Filed 3-3-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5000-04-F