[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 250 (Wednesday, December 31, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68362-68363]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-34125]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Privacy Act of 1974; Amendment of System of Records

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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    Notice is hereby given that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) 
is adding new routine uses to the system of records entitled 
``Personnel and Accounting Pay System--VA'' (27VA047) as set forth in 
the Federal Register 40 FR 38095 (8/26/75) and amended in 48 FR 16372 
(4/15/83), 50 FR 23009 (5/30/85), 51 FR 6858 (2/26/86), 51 FR 25968 (7/
17/86), 55 FR 42534 (10/19/90), 56 FR 23952 (5/24/91), 58 FR 39088 (7/
21/93), 58 FR 40852 (7/30/93), 60 FR 35448 (7/7/95), and 62 FR 41483 
(8/1/97). This system of records contains information on current 
salaried VA employees.
    Pursuant to Pub. L. 104-193, the ``Personal Responsibility and Work 
Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996,'' VA is required to disclose 
data from 27VA047 to the Office of Child Support Enforcement, 
Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health and 
Human Services for use in its Federal Parent Locator System (FPLS) and 
Federal Tax Offset System, DHHS/OCSE No. 09-90-0074. Information on 
this system was last published at 62 FR 41483, August 1, 1997.
    FPLS is a computerized network through which States may request 
location information from Federal and State agencies to find non-
custodial parents and/or their employers for purposes of establishing 
paternity and securing support. Effective October 1, 1997, the FPLS 
will be enlarged to include the National Directory of New Hires, a 
database containing information on employees commencing employment, 
quarterly wage data on

[[Page 68363]]

private and public sector employees, and information on unemployment 
compensation benefits. Effective October 1, 1998, the FPLS will be 
expanded to include a Federal Case Registry. The Federal Case Registry 
will contain abstracts on all participants involved in child support 
enforcement cases. When the Federal Case Registry is instituted, its 
files will be matched on an ongoing basis against the files in the 
National Directory of New Hires to determine if an employee is a 
participant in a child support case anywhere in the country. If the 
FPLS identifies a person as being a participant in a State child 
support case, that State will be notified of the participant's current 
employer. State requests to the FPLS for location information will also 
continue to be processed after October 1, 1998.
    When individuals are hired by VA, we may disclose to the FPLS their 
names, social security numbers, home addresses, dates of birth, dates 
of hire, and information identifying us as the employer. We also may 
disclose to FPLS names, social security numbers, and quarterly earnings 
of each VA employee, within one month of the end of the quarterly 
reporting period.
    In addition, names and social security numbers submitted by VA to 
the FPLS will also be disclosed by the Office of Child Support 
Enforcement to the Social Security Administration for verification to 
ensure that the social security number provided is correct. The data 
disclosed by VA to FPLS will also be disclosed by the Office of Child 
Support Enforcement to the Secretary of the Treasury for use in 
verifying claims for the advance payment of the earned income tax 
credit or to verify a claim for employment on a tax return.
    We are proposing these routine uses in accordance with the Privacy 
Act (5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(3)). The Privacy Act permits the disclosure of 
information about individuals without their consent for a routine use 
where the information will be used for a purpose which is compatible 
with the purpose for which the information was originally collected. 
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has indicated that a 
``compatible'' use is a use which is necessary and proper. See OMB 
Guidelines, 51 FR 18982, 18985 (1986). Since the proposed uses of the 
data are required by Pub. L. 104-193, they are clearly necessary and 
proper uses, and therefore ``compatible'' uses which meet Privacy Act 
requirements.
    An altered system of records report and a copy of the revised 
system notice have been sent to the House of Representatives Committee 
on Government Reform and Oversight, the Senate Committee on 
Governmental Affairs, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as 
required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(r) and guidelines issued by OMB (59 FR 37906, 
37916-18 (7/25/94)).
    Interested persons are invited to submit written comments, 
suggestions, or objections regarding the proposed changes to the system 
of records of the Director, Office of Regulations Management (02D), 
Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Room 1154, 
Washington, DC 20420. All relevant material received before January 30, 
1998. All written comments received will be available for public 
inspection at the above address in the Office of Regulations 
Management, Room 1158, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except holidays.
    If no public comment is received during the 30-day review period 
allowed for public comment, or unless otherwise published in the 
Federal Register by VA, the new routine uses are effective January 30, 
1998.

    Approved: December 22, 1997.
Hershel Gober,
Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Notice of Amendment To System of Records
    In the system of records identified as 27VA047, ``Personnel and 
Accounting Pay System--VA,'' as set forth in the Federal Register 40 FR 
38095 (8/26/75) and amended in 49 FR 16372 (4/15/83), 50 FR 23009 (5/
30/85), 51 FR 6858 (2/26/86), 51 FR 25968 (7/17/86), 55 FR 42534 (10/
19/90), 56 FR 23952 (5/24/91), 58 FR 39088 (7/21/93), 58 FR 40852 (7/
30/93) 60 FR 35448 (7/7/95), and 62 FR 41483 (8/1/97), the system is 
revised as follows:
* * * * *
    Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including 
categories of users and the purpose of such uses:
* * * * *
    30. The names, social security numbers, home addresses, dates of 
birth, dates of hire, quarterly earnings, employer identifying 
information, and State of hire of employees may be disclosed to the 
Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration for Children and 
Families, Department of Health and Human Services Federal Parent 
Locator System (FPLS) for the purpose of locating individuals to 
establish paternity, establishing and modifying orders of child 
support, identifying sources of income, and for other child support 
enforcement actions as required by the Personal Responsibility and Work 
Opportunity Reconciliation Act (Welfare Reform Law, Pub. L. 104-193).
    31. Information from this system of records may be released to the 
Social Security Administration for verifying social security numbers in 
connection with the operation of the Federal Parent Locator System 
(FPLS) by the Office of Child Support Enforcement.
    32. Information from this system of records may be released to the 
Department of the Treasury for purposes of administering the Earned 
Income Tax Credit Program (Section 32, Internal Revenue Code of 1986) 
and verifying a claim with respect to employment in a tax return.

[FR Doc. 97-34125 Filed 12-30-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-M