[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 164 (Tuesday, August 25, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45231-45232]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-22695]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Defense Logistics Agency


Privacy Act of 1974; Notice of a Computer Matching Program

AGENCY: Defense Manpower Data Center, Defense Logistics Agency, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of a Computer Matching Program

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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 Railroad 
Retirement Board (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, as amended.
DATES: This proposed matching program will become effective September 
24, 1998 and matching may commence, unless changes to the matching 
program are required due to public comments or by Congressional or 
Office of Management and Budget objections. Any public comment must be 
received before the effective date.
ADDRESSES: Any interested party may submit written comments to the 
Director, Defense Privacy Office, 1941 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 
920, Arlington, VA 22202-4502.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Vahan Moushegian, 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 Management Operations 
Specialist, 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 advanced copy of this notice was submitted on August 
11, 1998, to the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, 
the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, 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 February 8, 1996 (61 FR 6435).

[[Page 45232]]

    Dated: August 19, 1998.

L. M. Bynum,
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 this agreement, the 
RRB will provide and disclose debtor records to DMDC to identify and 
locate any matched Federal personnel, employed, serving, or retired, 
who may owe delinquent debts to the Federal Government under certain 
programs administered by the RRB. The RRB will use this information to 
initiate independent collection of those debts under the provisions of 
the Debt Collection Act of 1982, as amended, when voluntary payment is 
not forthcoming. These collection efforts will include requests by the 
RRB of the military service/employing agency in the case of military 
personnel (either active, reserve, or retired) and current non-postal 
civilian employees, and to the Office of Personnel Management in the 
case of retired non-postal civilian employees, 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 (Public Law 97-365), as amended by the Debt Collection 
Improvement Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-134, section 31001); 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. 135, Under Secretary of 
Defense (Comptroller); Section 101(1) of Executive Order 12731; 4 CFR 
101.1-105.5, Federal Claims Collection Standards; 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 record system identified as 
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.
    DoD 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 at 61 FR 32779, June 25, 
1996.
    Sections 5 and 10 of the Debt Collection Act of 1982 (Public Law 
97-365) 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 constitutes 
the necessary authority to satisfy the compatibility requirement of 
subsection (a)(7) of the Privacy Act. The systems of records described 
above contain an appropriate routine use provision which permits 
disclosure of information between the agencies.
    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 electronic 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 civilian 
employees and military members, both active and retired. The `hits', or 
matches will be furnished to the RRB. The RRB is responsible for 
verifying and determining that the data on the DMDC electronic reply 
file are consistent with the RRB's 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 electronic file 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 8.64 million 
records of active duty and retired military members, including the 
Reserve and Guard, and the OPM government wide non-postal Federal 
civilian records of current and retired Federal employees.
    DMDC will match the SSN on the RRB file by computer against the 
DMDC database. Matching records, `hits' based on SSN, will produce data 
elements of the individual's name, SSN, military service or employing 
agency, and current work or home address.
    F. INCLUSIVE DATES OF THE MATCHING PROGRAM: This computer matching 
program is subject to public comment and review by Congress and the 
Office of Management and Budget. If the mandatory 30 day period for 
public comment has expired and no comments are received and if no 
objections are raised by either Congress or the Office of Management 
and Budget within 40 days of being notified of the proposed match, the 
computer matching program becomes effective and the respective agencies 
may begin the exchange of data at a mutually agreeable time on an 
annual basis. 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, 1941 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 920, 
Arlington, VA 22202-4502. Telephone (703) 607-2943.
[FR Doc. 98-22695 Filed 8-24-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5000-4-F