[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 23, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13974-13976]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-7036]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Defense Logistics Agency


Privacy Act of 1974; Notice of a Computer Matching Program 
Between the United States Department of Agriculture and the Defense 
Manpower Data Center of the Department of Defense.

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 Department of Defense (DoD), as the matching 
agency under the Privacy Act is hereby giving notice to the record 
subjects of a computer matching program between United States 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) and DoD that their records are being 
matched by computer. The record subjects are USDA delinquent debtors 
who may be current or former Federal employees receiving Federal salary 
or benefit payments and who are indebted and or delinquent in their 
repayment of debts owed to the United States Government under programs 
administered by USDA.

DATES: This proposed action will become effective April 22, 1999, and 
the matching may commence unless changes to the program are required 
due to public comment or by Congressional or by the 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 (703) 
607-2943.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to subsection (o) of the Privacy 
Act of 1974, as amended, 5 U.S.C. 552a, the DoD and USDA have concluded 
an agreement to conduct a computer matching program. The purpose of the 
match is to exchange personal data between the agencies for debt 
collection.

[[Page 13975]]

 The match will yield the identity and location of the debtors within 
the Federal government so that USDA 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 USDA and DMDC is 
available upon request to the public. Requests should be submitted to 
the address caption above or to Ms. Joyce Baumgartner, Debt Collection 
Coordinator, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, 
SW, Room 3022, South Building, Washington, DC 20250. Telephone (202) 
720-4958.
    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 on June 19, 1989 
at 54 FR 25818.
    The matching agreement, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(r) of the 
Privacy Act, and an advance copy of this notice was submitted on March 
10, 1999, to the House Committee on Government Reform, 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. A-130, 
`Federal Agency Responsibilities for Maintaining Records about 
Individuals,' dated February 8, 1996 (February 20, 1996, 61 FR 6427).

    Dated: March 17, 1999.

L. M. Bynum,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.

COMPUTER MATCHING PROGRAM BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF 
AGRICULTURE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR DEBT COLLECTION

    A.  Participating Agencies: Participants in this computer matching 
program are the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the 
Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) of the Department of Defense (DoD). 
The USDA is the source agency, i.e., the activity disclosing the 
records for the purpose of the match. The DMDC is the specific 
recipient activity or matching agency, i.e., the agency that actually 
performs the computer matching.

    B.  Purpose of the Match: The purpose of this match is to identify 
and locate any matched Federal personnel, employed, serving, or 
retired, who owe delinquent debts to the Federal Government under 
certain programs administered by the USDA. USDA 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 USDA 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: 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 7 
CFR Part 3, Debt Management (USDA).

    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:
    Record system identified as USDA/FSA-14, entitled 'Applicant/
Borrower,' last published in the Federal Register at 62 FR 5583 on 
February 6, 1997.
    Record system identified as USDA/FCIC-1, entitled 'Accounts 
Receivable,' last published in the Federal Register at 53 FR 4047 on 
February 11, 1988.
    Record system identified as USDA/FSA-13, entitled 'Claims Data Base 
(Automated),' last published in the Federal Register at 62 FR 5581 on 
February 6, 1997.
    Record system identified as USDA/OCFO-3, entitled 'Billings and 
Collections Systems,' last published in the Federal Register at 62 FR 
47622 on September 10, 1997.
    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.

    E.  Description of Computer Matching Program: USDA, as the source 
agency, will provide DMDC with an electronic file which contains the 
names of delinquent debtors in programs the USDA 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 USDA 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 USDA. USDA is responsible for 
verifying and determining that the data on the DMDC electronic reply 
file are consistent with the USDA's source file and for resolving any 
discrepancies or inconsistencies on an individual basis. USDA 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 USDA will contain data elements of 
the debtor's name, SSN, internal account numbers and the total amount 
owed for each debtor on approximately 136,000 delinquent debtors.
    The DMDC computer database file contains approximately 4.8 million 
records of active duty and retired military members, including the 
Reserve and Guard, and approximately 3.1 million records of active and 
retired non-postal Federal civilian employees.

    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 the mandatory 30 day period for public comment has expired 
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

[[Page 13976]]

becomes effective and the respective agencies may begin the exchange of 
data at the mutually agreeable time on a annual basis. By agreement 
between USDA and DoD, the matching program will be in effect and 
continue for 18 months with an option to extend 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. 99-7036 Filed 3-22-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5000-04-F