[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 174 (Wednesday, September 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 54371]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-22622]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Privacy Act of 1974; Report of Matching Program

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides notice that 
it intends to conduct a recurring computer-matching program matching 
Social Security Administration (SSA) income data from the Earnings 
Recording and Self-Employment Income System (also referred to as the 
Master Earnings File (MEF)) with VA pension, compensation, and parents' 
dependency and indemnity compensation records. The purpose of this 
match is to identify applicants and beneficiaries who have applied for 
or who are receiving VA benefits and received earned income, and to 
adjust or terminate VA benefits, if appropriate.

DATES: The match will start no sooner than 30 days after publication of 
this notice in the Federal Register (FR), or 40 days after copies of 
this Notice and the agreement of the parties are submitted to Congress 
and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), whichever is later, and 
end not more than 18 months after the agreement is properly implemented 
by the parties. The involved agencies' Data Integrity Boards (DIB) may 
extend this match for 12 months provided the agencies certify to their 
DIBs, within three months of the ending date of the original match, 
that the matching program will be conducted without change and that the 
matching program has been conducted in compliance with the original 
matching program.

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: Jennifer Copeland, Pension Analyst, 
Pension and Fiduciary Service (21PF), Department of Veterans Affairs, 
810 Vermont Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20420, (202) 632-8863.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: VA plans to match records of applicants and 
beneficiaries, including veterans and survivors, and their eligible 
dependent(s), who have applied for or who are receiving needs-based VA 
benefits, with earned income information maintained by SSA. VA will 
also match records of veterans, who have applied for or who are 
receiving disability compensation at the 100 percent rate based on 
unemployability, with SSA earned income information. VA will use this 
information to verify income information submitted by beneficiaries and 
adjust VA benefit payments as prescribed by law. The proposed matching 
program will enable VA to ensure accurate reporting of income and 
employment status.
    The legal authority to conduct this match is 38 U.S.C. 5106, which 
requires any Federal department or agency to provide VA such 
information as VA requests for the purposes of determining eligibility 
for benefits or verifying other information concerning to payment of 
benefits. In addition, 26 U.S.C. 6103(l)(7) authorizes the disclosure 
of tax return information to VA.
    VA records involved in the match are in ``Compensation, Pension, 
Education, and Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Records--VA 
(58VA21/22/28),'' a system of records which was first published at 41 
FR 9294 (March 3, 1976), amended and republished in its entirety at 77 
FR 42593 (July 19, 2012). The SSA records are from the system of 
records identified as the Earnings Recording and Self-Employment Income 
System (MEF), 60-0059, published at 71 FR 1819 (January 11, 2006).
    In accordance with the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2) and (r), 
copies of the agreement are being sent to both Houses of Congress and 
to OMB. This notice is provided in accordance with provisions of 
Privacy Act of 1974 as amended by Public Law 100-503.

Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this 
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document 
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as 
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Robert L. 
Nabors II, Chief of Staff, approved this document on August 27, 2015, 
for publication.

    Dated: September 1, 2015.
Kathleen M. Manwell,
Program Analyst, VA Privacy Service, Office of Privacy and Records 
Management, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2015-22622 Filed 9-8-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P