[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 92 (Monday, May 13, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20968-20969]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09757]


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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: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has an 18 month 
computer matching agreement (CMA) agreement with the Department of 
Defense (DoD) regarding Veterans who have returned to active duty and 
are also in receipt of compensation and pension benefits. The purpose 
of this CMA is to re-establish the agreement between VA, Veterans 
Benefits Administration (VBA) and the DoD, Defense Manpower Data Center 
(DMDC). DoD will disclose information about individuals who have 
returned to active duty. VBA will use this information as a match for 
recipients of Compensation and Pension benefits for adjustments of 
awards.

DATES: Comments on this matching program must be received no later than 
June 12, 2019. 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. 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 CMA VA/VBA) and DoD, DoD/DMDC. 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: Eric Robinson (VBA), 202-443-6016, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This agreement continues an arrangement for 
a periodic computer-matching program between the United States 
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Benefits Administration 
(VBA) as the matching recipient agency and the Department of Defense 
(DoD), Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) as the matching source 
agency. This agreement sets forth the responsibilities of VBA and DoD 
with respect to information disclosed pursuant to this agreement and 
takes into account both agencies' responsibilities under the Privacy 
Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a, as amended by the Computer Matching and 
Privacy Protection Act of 1988, as amended, and the regulations 
promulgated thereunder, including computer matching portions of a 
revision of OMB Circular No. A-130, 65 FR 77677 dated December 12, 
2000.
    Participating Agencies: The United States Department of Veterans 
Affairs (VA), Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) as the matching 
recipient agency and the Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Manpower 
Data Center (DMDC) as the matching source agency.
    Authority for Conducting the Matching Program: The legal authority 
for conducting the matching program for use in the administration of 
VA's Compensation and Pension Benefits Programs is contained in 38 
U.S.C. 5304(c), Prohibition Against Duplication of Benefits, which 
precludes pension, compensation, or retirement pay on account of any 
person's own service, for any period for which he receives active duty 
pay. The head of any Federal department or agency shall provide, 
pursuant to 38 U.S.C. 5106, such information as requested by VA for the 
purpose of determining eligibility for, or amount of benefits, or 
verifying other information with respect thereto.
    Purpose(s): The purpose of this matching program between VBA and 
DoD is to identify those veterans and VA beneficiaries who are in 
receipt of certain VA benefit payments and have returned to active 
duty. VBA has the obligation to reduce or suspend compensation and 
pension benefit payments to veterans who have returned to active duty. 
VBA will use the DoD records provided in the match to update the master 
records of veterans and VA beneficiaries receiving benefits and to

[[Page 20969]]

adjust their VA benefits, accordingly, if needed.
    Categories of Individuals:
    1. Veterans who have applied for compensation for service-connected 
disability under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 11.
    2. Veterans who have applied for nonservice-connected disability 
under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 15.
    3. Veterans entitled to burial benefits under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 23.
    4. Surviving spouses and children who have claimed pensions based 
on nonservice-connected death of a veteran under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 15.
    5. Surviving spouses and children who have claimed death 
compensation based on service-connected death of a veteran under 38 
U.S.C. Chapter 11.
    6. Surviving spouses and children who have claimed dependency and 
indemnity compensation for service connected death of a veteran under 
38 U.S.C. Chapter 13.
    7. Parents who have applied for death compensation based on service 
connected death of a veteran under 38 U.S.C. Chapter 11.
    8. Parents who have applied for dependency and indemnity 
compensation for service-connected death of a veteran under 38 U.S.C. 
Chapter 13.
    9. Individuals who applied for educational assistance benefits 
administered by VA under title 38 of the U.S. Code.
    10. Individuals who applied for educational assistance benefits 
maintained by the Department of Defense under title 10 of the U.S. Code 
that are administered by VA.
    11. Veterans who apply for training and employers who apply for 
approval of their programs under the provisions of the Emergency 
Veterans' Job Training Act of 1983, Public Law 98-77.
    12. Any VA employee who generates or finalizes adjudicative actions 
using the Benefits Delivery Network (BDN) or the Veterans Service 
Network (VETSNET) computer processing systems.
    13. Veterans who apply for training and employers who apply for 
approval of their programs under the provisions of the Service Members 
Occupational Conversion and Training Act of 1992, Public Law 102-484.
    14. Representatives of individuals covered by the system.
    Categories of Records:
    The record, or information contained in the record, may include:
    1. Identifying information (e.g., name, address. social security 
number);
    2. Military service and active duty separation information (e.g., 
name, service number, date of birth, rank, sex, total amount of active 
service, branch of service, character of service, pay grade, assigned 
separation reason, service period, whether veteran was discharged with 
a disability, reenlisted, received a Purple Heart or other military 
decoration);
    3. Payment information (e.g., veteran payee name, address, dollar 
amount of readjustment service pay, amount of disability or pension 
payments, number of non-pay days, any amount of indebtedness (accounts 
receivable) arising from title 38 U.S.C. benefits and which are owed to 
the VA);
    4. Medical information (e.g., medical and dental treatment in the 
Armed Forces including type of service-connected disability, medical 
facilities, or medical or dental treatment by VA health care personnel 
or received from private hospitals and health care personnel relating 
to a claim for VA disability benefits or medical or dental treatment);
    5. Personal information (e.g., marital status, name and address of 
dependents, occupation, amount of education of a veteran or a 
dependent, dependent's relationship to veteran);
    6. Education benefit information (e.g., information arising from 
utilization of training benefits such as a veteran trainee's induction, 
reentrance or dismissal from a program or progress and attendance in an 
education or training program);
    7. Applications for compensation, pension, education and vocational 
rehabilitation benefits and training--which may contain identifying 
information, military service and active duty separation information, 
payment information, medical and dental information, personal and 
education benefit information relating to a veteran or beneficiary's 
incarceration in a penal institution (e.g., name of incarcerated 
veteran or beneficiary, claims folder number, name and address of penal 
institution, date of commitment, type of offense, scheduled release 
date, veteran's date of birth, beneficiary relationship to veteran and 
whether veteran or beneficiary is in a work release or half-way house 
program, on parole or has been released from incarceration);
    8. VA employee's BDN or VETSNET identification numbers, the number 
and kind of actions generated and/or finalized by each such employee, 
the compilation of cases returned for each employee.
    System(s) of Records: Compensation, Pension, Education, and 
Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Records--VA (58 VA 21/22/28), 
published at 74 FR 29275 (June 19, 2009), last amended at 77 FR 42593 
on July 19, 2012. Justice/BOP-005, published on June 7, 1984 (48 FR 
2371 1), republished on May 9, 2002 (67 FR 31371), January 25, 2007 (72 
FR 3410) and April 26, 2012 (77 FR 24982) and last modified on February 
19, 2013 (78 FR 1 1575), routine use (i).
    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. James P. 
Gfrerer, Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and Chief 
Information Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs approved this 
document on April 5, 2019 for publication.

    Dated: May 8, 2019.
Amy L. Rose,
Program Analyst, VA Privacy Service, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2019-09757 Filed 5-10-19; 8:45 am]
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