[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 159 (Friday, August 16, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 50146]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-20003]


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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 unearned 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: The effective (start) date of the matching 
agreement is the expiration of the 30-day Federal Register public 
comment period, unless comments dictate otherwise.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted through 
www.Regulations.gov; by mail or hand-delivery to the Director, 
Regulations Management (02REG), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 
Vermont Ave. NW., Room 1068, Washington, DC 20420; or by fax to (202) 
273-9026. Copies of comments received will be available for public 
inspection in the Office of Regulation Policy and Management, Room 
1063B, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday (except holidays). Please call (202) 461-4902 for an 
appointment. In addition, during the comment period, comments may be 
viewed online through the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) at 
www.Regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Floretta W. Hardmon, Acting Director, 
Veterans Health Administration Chief Business Office, Member Services, 
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), 1710(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. 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) Process 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 31, 2013.
Jose D. Riojas,
Interim Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2013-20003 Filed 8-15-13; 8:45 am]
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