[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 120 (Friday, June 21, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29219-29221]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-13242]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

AGENCY: Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration for 
Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice of a new matching program.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for 
Children and Families (ACF), Office of Child Support Enforcement 
(OCSE), is providing notice of a re-established matching program 
between HHS/ACF/OCSE and state agencies administering the Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The matching program compares 
state SNAP agency records with new hire, quarterly wage, and 
unemployment insurance information maintained in the National Directory 
of New Hires (NDNH). The outcomes of the comparisons help state 
agencies with establishing or verifying eligibility for applicants and 
recipients of SNAP benefits; reducing SNAP benefit errors; and, 
maintaining program integrity.

DATES: The deadline for comments on this notice is July 22, 2019. The 
re-established matching program will commence not sooner than 30 days 
after publication of this notice, provided no comments are received 
that warrant a change to this notice. The matching program will be 
conducted for an initial term of 18 months (from approximately August 
16, 2019 through February 15, 2021) and, within three months of 
expiration, may be renewed for one additional year if the parties make 
no change to the matching program and certify that the program has been 
conducted in compliance with the agreement.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit written comments on this 
notice to Linda Boyer, Director, Division of Federal Systems, Office of 
Child Support Enforcement, Administration for Children and Families, by 
email at [email protected], or by mail at Mary E. Switzer 
Building, 330 C St. SW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20201. Comments 
received will be available for

[[Page 29220]]

public inspection at this address from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, 
Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: General questions about the matching 
program may be submitted to Linda Boyer, Director, Division of Federal 
Systems, Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration for 
Children and Families, by email at [email protected], or by mail 
at Mary E. Switzer Building, 330 C St. SW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 
20201 or by telephone at 202-401-5410.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 
U.S.C. 552a), provides certain protections for individuals applying for 
and receiving federal benefits. The law governs the use of computer 
matching by federal agencies when records in a system of records, which 
contains information about individuals that are retrieved by name or 
other personal identifier, are matched with records of other federal, 
state, or local government records. The Privacy Act requires agencies 
involved in a matching program to:
    1. Obtain approval of a Computer Matching Agreement, prepared in 
accordance with the Privacy Act, by the Data Integrity Board of any 
federal agency participating in a matching program.
    2. Enter into a written Computer Matching Agreement
    3. Provide a report of the matching program to Congress and the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and make it available to the 
public, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(o), (u)(3)(A), and (u)(4).
    4. Publish a notice of the matching program in the Federal Register 
as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(12) after OMB and Congress complete 
their review of the report, as provided by OMB Circular A-108,
    5. Notify the individuals whose information will be used in the 
matching program that the information they provide is subject to 
verification through matching, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(1)(D).
    6. Verify match findings before suspending, terminating, reducing, 
or making a final denial of an individual's benefits or payments or 
taking other adverse action against the individual, as required by 5 
U.S.C. 552a(p).
    This matching program meets these requirements.

    Dated: June 17, 2019.
Scott M. Lekan,
Commissioner, OCSE.

Participating Agencies

    The Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) is the source 
agency, and state agencies administering the Supplemental Nutrition 
Assistance Program (SNAP) are non-federal (recipient) agencies.

Authority for Conducting the Matching Program

    The authority for conducting the matching program is contained in 
section 453(j)(10) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 653(j)(10)). 
The Agriculture Act of 2014, Public Law 113-079, amended section 11(e) 
of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020(e)(24)) by adding 
the requirement that the state agency shall request wage data directly 
from the National Directory of New Hires established under section 
453(i) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 653(i)) relevant to 
determining eligibility to receive supplemental nutrition assistance 
program benefits and determining the correct amount of those benefits 
at the time of certification.

Purpose(s)

    The purpose of the matching program is to provide each 
participating state agency administering SNAP with new hire, quarterly 
wage, and unemployment insurance information from OCSE's National 
Directory of New Hires (NDNH) system of records to assist them in 
establishing or verifying SNAP applicants' and recipients' eligibility 
for assistance, reducing payment errors, and maintaining program 
integrity, including determining whether duplicate participation exists 
or if the applicant or recipient resides in another state. The state 
SNAP agencies may also use the NDNH information for the secondary 
purpose of updating the recipients' reported participation in work 
activities and updating recipients' and their employers' contact 
information maintained by the state SNAP agencies.

Categories of Individuals

    The categories of individuals involved in the matching program are 
adult members of households who have applied for or receive SNAP 
benefits.

Categories of Records

    The categories of records involved in the matching program, which 
may include personal identifiers, are new hire, quarterly wage, and 
unemployment insurance information. The specific data elements that 
will be provided to HHS/ACF/OCSE in a state agency input file are:

 Submitting state code (2-digit Federal Information Processing 
Standard code)
 Date stamp (input file transmission date)
 Adult SNAP caseload month and year of adult SNAP applicants 
and recipients
 Adult SNAP applicant/recipient Social Security number
 Adult SNAP applicant/recipient's first, middle, and last name
 Name/Social Security number verification request

    Optional:

 Passback data (state agency information used to identify 
individuals within the input file to be returned on the output file)
 Same state data indicator (indicates whether the state agency 
requests NDNH new hire, quarterly wage, or unemployment insurance even 
if the information was provided by that same state)

    HHS/ACF/OCSE will compare the Social Security numbers in the state 
agency input file to the Social Security numbers in the NDNH, and will 
provide the state agency with any available new hire, quarterly wage, 
and available unemployment insurance information in NDNH pertaining to 
the individuals whose records are contained in the state agency input 
file. The NDNH data elements that HHS/ACF/OCSE will return to the state 
agency are as follows:

a. New Hire File

 New hire processed date
 Employee name and address
 Employee date and state of hire
 Federal and state employer identification numbers
 Department of Defense code
 Employer name and address
 Transmitter agency code
 Transmitter state code
 Transmitter state or agency name

b. Quarterly Wage File

 Quarterly wage processed date
 Employee name
 Federal and state employer identification numbers
 Department of Defense code
 Employer name and address
 Employee wage amount
 Quarterly wage reporting period
 Transmitter agency code
 Transmitter state code
 Transmitter state or agency name

c. Unemployment Insurance File

 Unemployment insurance processed date

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 Claimant name and address
 Claimant benefit amount
 Unemployment insurance reporting period
 Transmitter state code
 Transmitter state or agency name

System(s) of Records

    The NDNH data used in this matching program will be disclosed from 
the following OCSE system of records, as authorized by routine use 15: 
``OCSE National Directory of New Hires,'' no. 09-80-0381, last 
published in full at 80 FR 17906 (Apr. 2, 2015) and partially updated 
at 83 FR 6591 (Feb. 14, 2018).

[FR Doc. 2019-13242 Filed 6-20-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-42-P