[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 150 (Thursday, August 4, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 47299]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-19774]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Privacy Act of 1974: Computer Matching Program

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice of Computer Match Program.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a, the Privacy Act of 1974, as 
amended, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidelines on 
the Conduct of Matching Programs, notice is hereby given that the 
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) intends to conduct a computer 
matching program with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Data from the 
proposed match will be used to verify the earned income of nonservice-
connected veterans, and those veterans who are zero percent service-
connected (noncompensable), whose eligibility for VA medical care is 
based on their inability to defray the cost of medical care. These 
veterans supply household income information that includes their 
spouses and dependents at the time of application for VA health care 
benefits.

DATES: Effective Date: This match will start September 6, 2011, unless 
comments dictate otherwise.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted by mail or hand-delivery 
to Director, Regulations Policy and Management (02REG), Department of 
Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Ave., NW., Room 1068, Washington, DC 
20420; fax to (202) 273-9026; e-mail through http://www.Regulations.gov. All comments received will be available for public 
inspection in the Office of Regulation Policy and Management, Room 
1063B, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday 
(except holidays). Please call (202) 461-4902 for an appointment (this 
is not a toll free number). In addition, during the comment period, 
comments may be viewed online through the Federal Docket Management 
System (FDMS) at http://www.Regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tony A. Guagliardo, Director, Health 
Eligibility Center, (404) 848-5300 (this is not a toll free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Veterans Affairs has 
statutory authorization under 38 U.S.C. 5317, 38 U.S.C. 5106, 26 U.S.C. 
6103(l)(7)(D)(viii) and 5 U.S.C. 552a to establish matching agreements 
and request and use income information from other agencies for purposes 
of verification of income for determining eligibility for benefits. 38 
U.S.C. 1710(a)(2)(G), 1720(a)(3), and 1710(b) identify those veterans 
whose basic eligibility for medical care benefits is dependent upon 
their financial status. Eligibility for nonservice-connected and zero 
percent noncompensable service-connected veterans is determined based 
on the veteran's inability to defray the expenses for necessary care as 
defined in 38 U.S.C. 1722. This determination can affect their 
responsibility to participate in the cost of their care through 
copayments and their assignment to an enrollment priority group.
    The goal of this match is to obtain IRS unearned income information 
data needed for the income verification process. The VA records 
involved in the match are ``Enrollment and Eligibility Records--VA'' 
(147VA16). IRS will extract return information with respect to unearned 
income from the Information Return Master File (IRMF) Processing File, 
Treas/IRS 22.061, through the Disclosure of Information to Federal, 
State and Local Agencies (DIFSLA) program. A copy of this notice has 
been sent to both Houses of Congress and OMB.
    This matching agreement expires 18 months after its effective date. 
This match will not continue past the legislative authorized date to 
obtain this information.

    Approved. July 8, 2011.
John R. Gingrich,
Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2011-19774 Filed 8-3-11; 8:45 am]
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