[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 81 (Thursday, April 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18397-18398]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08746]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

ACTION: Notice of a new matching 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 Social Security Administration (SSA). 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: Comments on this matching program must be received no later than 
May 29, 2018. If no public comment is received during the period 
allowed for comment or unless otherwise published in the Federal 
Register by VA, the new agreement will become effective a minimum of 30 
days after date of publication in the Federal Register or April 9, 
2018, whichever is later. If VA receives public comments, VA shall 
review the comments to determine whether any changes to the notice are 
necessary. This matching program will be valid for 18 months from the 
effective date of this notice.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted through 
www.Regulations.gov; by mail or hand-delivery to Director, Regulation 
Policy and Management (00REG), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 
Vermont Ave. NW, Room 1064, Washington, DC 20420; or by fax to (202) 
273-9026 (not a toll-free number). Comments should indicate that they 
are submitted in response to SSA-VA/VHA CMA #1052. 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. (This is not a toll-free 
number.) In addition, comments may be viewed online at 
www.Regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LeRoy F. Garcia, Acting Director, 
Health Eligibility Center (HEC), (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 SSA earned income information data 
needed for the income verification process. The VA records involved in 
the match are ``Enrollment and Eligibility Records--VA'' (147VA16). The 
SSA records are from the Earnings Recording and Self-Employment Income 
System, SSA/OEEAS 09-60-0059 and Master Files of Social Security Number 
Holders and SSN Applications, SSA/OEEAS, 60-0058, (referred to as ``the 
Numident''). A copy of this notice has been sent to both Houses of 
Congress and OMB.
    Participating Agencies: The Social Security Administration is the 
source agency, and the Department of Veterans Affairs is the recipient 
agency.
    Authority for Conducting the Matching Program: Public Law 101-508, 
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, as amended, and Public Law 104-262,

[[Page 18398]]

Veterans Health Care Amendments Act, grant VA the authority to verify 
income data furnished by certain veteran applicants. This agreement is 
executed under the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 United States Code (U.S.C.) 
552a, as amended by the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 
1988, and the regulations and guidance promulgated thereunder. Legal 
authority for the disclosures under this agreement is 38 U.S.C. 5106 
and 5317, and 26 U.S.C. 6103(l)(7)(D)(viii). Under 38 U.S.C. 1710, VA/
VHA has a statutory obligation to collect income information from 
certain applicants for medical care and to use that income data to 
determine the appropriate eligibility category for the applicant's 
medical care. 26 U.S.C. 6103(l)(7) authorizes the disclosure of tax 
return information with respect to net earnings from self-employment 
and wages, as defined by relevant sections of the Internal Revenue Code 
(IRC), to Federal, state, and local agencies administering certain 
benefit programs under Title 38 of the U.S.C.
    Purpose(s): This computer matching agreement sets forth the terms, 
conditions, and safeguards under which SSA will disclose tax return 
information to VA, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to be used to 
verify Veteran's employment status and earnings to determine 
eligibility for its health benefit programs.
    Categories of Individuals: Veterans who have applied for or have 
received VA health care benefits under Title 38, United States Code, 
Chapter 17; Veterans' spouses and other dependents as provided for in 
other provisions of Title 38, United States Code.
    Categories of Records: Federal Tax Information (FTI) and social 
security information generated as a result of computer matching 
activity with records from the IRS and SSA. The records may also 
include, but are not limited to, correspondence between HEC, Veterans, 
their family members, and Veterans' representatives such as Veterans 
Service Officers (VSO); copies of death certificates; Notice of 
Separation; disability award letters; IRS documents (e.g., Form 1040s, 
Form 1099s, W-2s); workers compensation forms; and various annual 
earnings statements, as well as pay stubs and miscellaneous receipts.
    System(s) of Records: SSA will initially access and verify 
submitted SSNs through the Master Files of Social Security Number 
Holders and SSN Applications, 60-0058, (the Enumeration System), last 
fully published on December 29, 2010 (75 FR 82121), and amended on July 
5, 2013 (78 FR 40542), and February 13, 2014 (79 FR 8780) for 
verification purposes. SSA will subsequently run those verified SSNs 
against systems records to extract and disclose the necessary tax 
return information from the Earnings Recording and Self-Employment 
Income System, 60-0059, last fully published on January 11, 2006 (71 FR 
1819), and amended on July 5, 2013 (78 FR 40542). VA/VHA will match SSA 
information with information extracted from its system of records (SOR) 
``Income Verification Records--VA'' (89VA10NB). Routine use nineteen 
(19) permits VA/VHA to disclose identifying information, including 
SSNs, concerning veterans, their spouses, and dependents of veterans to 
Federal agencies for purposes of conducting computer matches to 
determine or verify eligibility of certain veterans who are receiving 
VA/VHA medical care under Title 38 of the U.S.C. The SORs involved in 
this computer matching program have routine uses permitting the 
disclosures needed to conduct this match.

Signing Authority

    The Senior Agency Official for Privacy, 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. John 
Oswalt, Executive Director for Privacy, Department of Veterans Affairs 
approved this document on March 19, 2018 for publication.

    Dated: April 23, 2018.
Kathleen M. Mazwell,
Program Analyst, VA Privacy Service, Office of Privacy Information and 
Identity Protection, Office of Quality, Privacy and Risk, Office of 
Information and Technology, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2018-08746 Filed 4-25-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P