[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 6, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2292-2294]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-01198]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No. SSA 2017-0043]


Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

AGENCY: Social Security Administration (SSA).

ACTION: Notice of a new matching program.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act, as 
amended, this notice announces a new matching program with the Office 
of Personnel Management (OPM).
    The agreement between SSA and OPM sets forth the terms, conditions, 
and safeguards under which OPM will disclose civil service benefit and 
payment data to SSA. SSA is legally required to offset specific 
benefits by a percentage of civil service benefits received (Spousal 
and Survivors benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, 
and Retirement and Disability Insurance Benefits are offset by a 
percentage of the recipients own Federal Government pension benefits). 
SSA administers the Old Age, Survivors, Disability Insurance (OASDI), 
SSI, and Special Veterans' Benefits (SVB) programs. SSA will use the 
match

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results under this agreement to meet its civil service benefit offset 
obligations. Appendices A, B, C, and D of this agreement contain 
specific information on the matching programs that SSA will conduct 
under this agreement. SSA's Office of the Chief Actuary (OCA) will also 
use OPM's data for statistical and research purposes in tracking the 
size of, and impact on, subpopulations of government annuitants 
affected by the Government Pension Offset (GPO), the Windfall 
Elimination Provision (WEP), and in cost estimates of proposals to 
change the two provisions.

DATES: The deadline to submit comments on the proposed matching program 
is 30 days from the date of publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register. The matching program will be applicable on October 1, 2018, 
or once a minimum of 30 days after publication of this notice has 
elapsed, whichever is later. The matching program will be in effect for 
a period of 18 months.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may comment on this notice by either 
telefaxing to (410) 966-0869, writing to Mary Ann Zimmerman, Acting 
Executive Director, Office of Privacy and Disclosure, Office of the 
General Counsel, Social Security Administration, G-401 WHR, 6401 
Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401, or emailing 
[email protected]. All comments received will be available for 
public inspection by contacting Ms. Zimmerman at this street address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Interested parties may submit general 
questions about the matching program to Mary Ann Zimmerman, Acting 
Executive Director, Office of Privacy and Disclosure, Office of the 
General Counsel, by any of the means shown above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: None.

Mary Zimmerman,
Acting Executive Director, Office of Privacy and Disclosure, Office of 
the General Counsel.

Participating Agencies

    SSA and OPM.

Authority for Conducting the Matching Program

    The legal authority for SSA to conduct this matching activity for 
SSI purposes is section 1631(e)(1)(B) and (f) of the Social Security 
Act (Act) (42 U.S.C. 1383(e)(1)(B) and (f)), and for SVB purposes, is 
section 806 of the Act (42 U.S.C. 1006). The legal authority for SSA to 
conduct this matching activity for OASDI includes Section 224 of the 
Act (42 U.S.C. 424a), which provides for the reduction of Social 
Security disability benefits when the disabled worker is also entitled 
to a Public Disability Benefit (PDB). Also, Section 215a(7)(A) of the 
Act (42 U.S.C. 415) requires a modification to the computation formula 
reducing the Primary Insurance Amount of a retired and disabled worker 
entitled to a pension from employment not covered under Social 
Security. Section 202k(5)(A) (42 U.S.C. 402) provides for the reduction 
of spouse's and survivor's benefits by a percentage of a pension 
received based on work not covered by Social Security.
    Section 1631(f) of the Act (42 U.S.C. 1383(f)) requires Federal 
agencies to furnish SSA with information necessary to verify 
eligibility. Section 224(h)(1) of the Act (42 U.S.C. 424a(h)(1)) 
requires any Federal agency to provide SSA with information in its 
possession that SSA may require for the purposes of making a timely 
determination of the amount of reduction under section 224 of the Act 
(42 U.S.C. 424a).

Purpose(s)

    The purpose of this agreement is to set forth the terms, 
conditions, and safeguards under which OPM will disclose civil service 
benefit and payment data to SSA. SSA is legally required to offset 
specific benefits by a percentage of civil service benefits received 
(Spousal and Survivors benefits, SSI benefits, and Retirement and 
Disability Insurance Benefits are offset by a percentage of the 
recipients own Federal Government pension benefits). SSA administers 
the OASDI, SSI, and SVB programs. SSA will use the match results under 
this agreement to meet its civil service benefit offset obligations. 
Appendices A, B, C, and D of this agreement contain specific 
information on the matching programs that SSA will conduct under this 
agreement. SSA's OCA will also use OPM's data for statistical and 
research purposes in tracking the size of, and impact on, 
subpopulations of government annuitants affected by the GPO, the WEP, 
and in cost estimates of proposals to change the two provisions.

Categories of Individuals

    The individuals whose information is involved in this matching 
program are those individuals who are receiving civil service benefits 
and payments, and either Spousal and Survivors benefits, SSI or SVB 
benefits, or Retirement and Disability Insurance benefits.

Categories of Records

    OPM will provide SSA with an electronic file containing civil 
service benefit and payment data from the annuity and survivor master 
file. Each month, OPM will provide SSA with an electronic file that 
will include updated payment information for new civil service 
annuitants and annuitants whose civil service annuity has changed. This 
monthly file contains approximately 25,000 records. OPM will provide 
SSA with the entire master annuity file of approximately 2.7 million 
records once yearly for the month of the civil service cost-of-living 
allowance. OPM will furnish SSA with the following civil service 
benefit and payment data: Name; Social Security number (SSN); date of 
birth; civil service claim number; first potential month and year of 
eligibility; first month, day, and year of entitlement; amount of 
current gross civil service benefits; effective date (month, day, and 
year) of civil service amount; SSNs for disabled children; retroactive 
payments; and payments that are currently coded `special pay.'
    SSA will attempt to verify the SSNs furnished by OPM using the SSA 
Enumeration System database and the individuals' name, date of birth, 
and SSN. SSA will only use verified SSNs in the matches with its 
systems of records (SOR). SSA will match the SSN-verified OPM data 
against the Supplemental Security Record and Master Beneficiary Record 
to identify: SSI/SVB recipients who are also receiving a civil service 
pension; individuals who may be subject to PDB offset; and 
beneficiaries subject to a Federal pension offset.

System(s) of Records

    OPM will provide SSA with monthly electronic files from the OPM SOR 
published as OPM/Central-1 (Civil Service Retirement and Insurance 
Records), as amended on March 20, 2008 (73 FR 15013). SSA will conduct 
the match using the individual's SSN, name, and date of birth on both 
the OPM file and SSA's databases covered under the following SSA SORs: 
the Master Files of Social Security Number (SSN) Holders and SSN 
Applications (Enumeration System), 60-0058, as published at 75 FR 82121 
(December 29, 2010), as amended at 78 FR 40542 (July 5, 2013), 79 FR 
8780 (February 13, 2014), 83 FR 31250-31251 (July 3, 2018), and 83 FR 
54969 (November 1, 2018); the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR), 60-0090, 
as published at 71 FR 1826 (January 11, 2006), as amended at 72 FR 
69723 (December 10, 2007), 78 FR 40542 (July 5, 2013), 83 FR 31250-
31251 (July 3, 2018), and 83 FR 54969 (November 1, 2018); and the 
Supplemental Security Income Record

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and Special Veterans Benefits (SSR/SVB), 60-0103, as published at 71 FR 
1830 (January 11, 2006), as amended at 72 FR 69723 (December 10, 2007), 
83 FR 31250-31251 (July 3, 2018), and 83 FR 54969 (November 1, 2018).

[FR Doc. 2019-01198 Filed 2-5-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4191-02-P