[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 210 (Thursday, October 30, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61795-61796]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-27375]


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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION


Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of renewal of the computer matching program between the 
Department of Education and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act 
of 1988, (Pub.L. 100-503), and the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) Final Guidelines on the Conduct of Matching Programs, notice is 
hereby given of the renewal of the computer matching program between 
the Department of Education (ED) (the recipient agency) and the 
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) (the source agency). After a new 
computer matching agreement has been approved by the ED and VA Data 
Integrity Boards, the computer matching program will begin on the 
effective date as specified in the agreement and as indicated in 
paragraph 5, below.
    In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as 
amended by the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988, 
OMB Final Guidelines on the Conduct of Matching Programs (54 FR 25818, 
June 19, 1989), and OMB Circular No. A-130, the following information 
is provided:
    1. Names of Participating Agencies.
    The U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs.
    2. Purpose of the Match.
    The purpose of this matching program between ED and VA is to verify 
the status of applicants for financial assistance under Title IV of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA), who claim to be 
veterans.
    The Secretary of ED is authorized by the HEA to administer the 
Title IV programs and to enforce the terms and conditions of the HEA. 
The Secretary has the authority to treat veterans as independent 
applicants. Applicants who are determined to be veterans do not have to 
provide parental income and asset information to apply for Title IV, 
HEA program assistance.
    Section 480(c)(1) of the HEA defines the term ``veteran'' to mean 
``any individual who (A) has engaged in active duty in the United 
States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard; and (B) was 
released under a condition other than dishonorable.'' (20 U.S.C. 
1087vv(c)(1)). Section 480(d)(3) of the HEA enables an applicant who is 
determined to be a veteran (as defined in subsection (c)(1)) to meet 
the definition of an independent student for purposes of Title IV, HEA 
program assistance eligibility. (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(d)(3)).
    3. Legal Authority for Conducting the Matching Program.
    ED is authorized to conduct the matching program under sections 
480(c) and (d)(3) of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1087vv(c)(1) and (d)(3)) and 5 
U.S.C. 552a. The VA's authority is 38 U.S.C. 523.
    4. Categories of Records and Individuals Covered by the Match.
    ED will provide the Social Security Number and other identifying 
information of each applicant who indicates that he or she is a 
veteran. This information will be extracted from the Federal Student 
Aid Application File systems of records (18-11-01), pursuant to routine 
use no. 16, as corrected by 66 FR 18758 (April 11, 2001). The ED data 
will be matched against the Veterans and Beneficiaries Identification 
and Records Location Subsystem--VA (38VA21), routine use no. 21, as 
added by 66 FR 30049-50 (June 4, 2001).
    5. Effective Dates of the Matching Program.
    The matching program will become effective on (1) December 24, 
2003, the day after the expiration of the current computer matching 
agreement (CMA); (2) thirty (30) days after this notice of the matching 
program has been published in the Federal Register; or (3) forty (40) 
days after a report concerning the matching program has been 
transmitted to the Office of Management

[[Page 61796]]

and Budget and the Congress, whichever date occurs last. The matching 
program will continue for 18 months after the effective date and may be 
extended for an additional 12 months thereafter, if the conditions 
specified in 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2)(D) have been met.
    6. Address for Receipt of Public Comments or Inquiries.
    Individuals wishing to comment on this matching program or obtain 
additional information about the program, including requesting a copy 
of the computer matching agreement between ED and VA, should contact 
Ms. Marya Dennis, Management and Program Analyst, U.S. Department of 
Education, 3111 Union Center Plaza, 830 First Street NE., Washington, 
DC 20202. Telephone: (202) 377-3385. If you use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Information Relay 
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339.
    Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an 
alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape or computer 
diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding 
paragraph.

Electronic Access to the Document

    You may view this document, as well as all other Department of 
Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or Adobe 
Portable Document Format (PDF) on the Internet at the following site: 
http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister.
    To use PDF you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is 
available free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, 
call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free at 1-888-293-
6498, or in the Washington, DC, area at (202) 512-1530.

    Note: The official version of this document is the document 
published in the Federal Register. Free Internet access to the 
official edition of the Federal Register and Code of Federal 
Regulations is available on GPO access at: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html.


    Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552a; Pub. L. 100-503.

    Dated: October 24, 2003.
Theresa S. Shaw,
Chief Operating Officer, Federal Student Aid.
[FR Doc. 03-27375 Filed 10-29-03; 8:45 am]
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