[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 68 (Wednesday, April 8, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19790-19791]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-07347]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No. SSA-2019-0056]


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 Child Support Enforcement (OCSE). OCSE will provide SSA with 
quarterly wage and unemployment insurance information located in the 
National Directory of New Hires to allow SSA to determine eligibility 
of applicants for Extra Help (low-income subsidy assistance) under the 
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003. 
This agreement assists SSA in determining eligibility of applicants for 
Extra Help; redetermining eligibility of existing Extra Help 
beneficiaries during periodic screening, and administering the Extra 
Help program.

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 May 27, 2020, 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 Matthew Ramsey, 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 Mr. Ramsey at this street address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Interested parties may submit general 
questions about the matching program to Andrea Huseth, Supervisory Team 
Lead, Office of Privacy and Disclosure, Office of the General Counsel, 
Social Security Administration, G-401 WHR, 6401 Security Boulevard, 
Baltimore, MD 21235-6401, at telephone: (410) 965-6868, or send an 
email to [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: None.

Matthew Ramsey,
Executive Director, Office of Privacy and Disclosure, Office of the 
General Counsel.

    Participating Agencies: SSA and OCSE.
    Authority for Conducting the Matching Program: The legal authority 
for disclosures under this agreement are the Social Security Act (Act) 
and the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. Subsection 453(j)(4) of the 
Act provides that OCSE shall provide the Commissioner of SSA with all 
information in the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH). 42 U.S.C. 
653(j)(4). SSA has authority to use data to determine entitlement to 
and eligibility for programs it administers pursuant to sections 
453(j)(4), 1631(e)(1)(B) and (f), and 1860D-14(a)(3) of the Act. 42 
U.S.C. 653(j)(4), 1383(e)(1)(B) and (f), and 1395w-114(a)(3). 
Disclosures under this agreement shall be made in accordance with 5 
U.S.C. 552a(b)(3), and in compliance with the matching procedures in 5 
U.S.C. 552a(o), (p), and (r).
    The Act provides that the determination of whether a Part D 
eligible individual residing in a state is a subsidy eligible 
individual shall be determined under the state plan for medical 
assistance or by the Commissioner of Social Security. 42 U.S.C. 1395w-
114(a)(3)(B)(i).
    SSA has independent authority to collect this information regarding 
Medicare Parts A-D eligibility and premium calculations via sections 
202-205, 223, 226, 228, 1611, 1631, 1818, 1836, 1839, 1840, and 1860D-1 
to 1860D-15 of the Act (42 U.S.C. 402-405, 423, 426, 428, 1382, 1383, 
1395i-2, 1395o, 1395r, 1395s, and 1395w-101 to 1395w-115).
    Purpose(s): This matching program establishes the conditions under 
which OCSE will provide SSA with quarterly wage and unemployment 
insurance information located in the NDNH to allow SSA to determine 
eligibility of applicants for Extra Help (low-income subsidy 
assistance) under the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and 
Modernization Act of 2003 (Pub. L. 108-173) (Extra Help). This 
agreement also governs the use, treatment, and safeguarding of the 
information exchanged. OCSE is the ``source agency'' and SSA is the 
``recipient agency,'' as defined by the Privacy Act. 5 U.S.C. 
552a(a)(9) and (11).
    This agreement assists SSA in (1) determining eligibility of 
applicants for Extra Help; (2) redetermining eligibility of existing 
Extra Help beneficiaries during periodic screening, and (3) 
administering the Extra Help program.
    The Privacy Act provides that no record contained in a system of 
record may be disclosed for use in a computer matching program, except 
pursuant to a written agreement containing specified provisions. 5 
U.S.C. 552a(o). SSA and OCSE are executing this agreement to comply 
with the Privacy Act and the regulations and guidance promulgated 
thereunder.
    Categories of Individuals: The individuals whose information is 
involved in this matching program are

[[Page 19791]]

applicants for Extra Help (low-income subsidy assistance) under the 
Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 
(Pub. L. 108-173) (Extra Help).
    Categories of Records: SSA's Title XVIII Eligible (T18ELG) table 
within the Medicare Database File (MDB) contains approximately 90 
million records.
    The SSA finder file will contain approximately 10,000 records from 
the MDB each day. Once a month, SSA has an increased volume of 
approximately 200,000 in one of the daily exchanges. Once a year, the 
volume will increase by approximately 1.9 million records in the finder 
file to support the Extra Help process.
    The NDNH contains approximately 1.5 billion new hire, quarterly 
wage, and unemployment insurance records, which represents the most 
recent 24 months of information. In accordance with section 453(j)(4) 
of the Act, NDNH information provided to SSA by OCSE will contain all 
the available data elements from the quarterly wage and unemployment 
insurance files, if any, pertaining to the individuals whose records 
are contained in the SSA finder file. 42 U.S.C. 653(j)(4).
    Specified Data Elements Used in the Match:
    1. SSA will provide OCSE the following data elements electronically 
in the Finder File:

 COSSN (SSN)
 Name

    2. OCSE will provide electronically to SSA the following data 
elements from the NDNH quarterly wage file:

 Quarterly wage record identifier
 For employees:
    (1) Name (first, middle, last)
    (2) SSN
    (3) Verification request code
    (4) Processed date
    (5) Non-verifiable indicator
    (6) Wage amount
    (7) Reporting period

 For employers of individuals in the quarterly wage file of the 
NDNH:

    (1) Name
    (2) Employer identification number
    (3) Address(es)
 Transmitter Agency Code
 Transmitter State Code
 State or Agency Name

    3. OCSE will provide electronically to SSA the following data 
elements from the NDNH unemployment insurance file:

 Unemployment insurance record identifier
 Processed date
 SSN
 Verification request code
 Name (first, middle, last)
 Address
 Unemployment insurance benefit amount
 Reporting period
 Transmitter Agency Code
 Transmitter State Code
 State or Agency Name

    4. Data Elements SSA updates in the OCSEFITM table, if there is a 
match:

 Quarterly Wage record identifier
 For employees:
    (1) Employee's SSN
    (2) Employee's wage amount
    (3) Reporting period
 For employers of individuals:
    (1) Employer identification number
    (2) Employer's name
 Unemployment Insurance identifier:
    (1) Claimant SSN
    (2) Unemployment insurance benefit amount
    (3) Reporting period
    (4) Transmitter State Name

    System(s) of Records: SSA collects and maintains this information 
in the Medicare Database (MDB) File system of records, No. 60-0321, 
published at 69 FR 77816 (December 28, 2004), amended at 71 FR 42159-
42164 (July 25, 2006), at 72 FR 69723 (December 10, 2007), and at 83 FR 
54969 (November 1, 2018). The MDB contains information related to 
Medicare Part A, Part B, Medicare Advantage Part C, and Medicare Part 
D.
    OCSE will match SSA information in the MDB against the quarterly 
wage and unemployment insurance information furnished by state and 
federal agencies maintained in its system of records ``OCSE National 
Directory of New Hires'' (NDNH), No. 09-80-0381 was published in the 
Federal Register on April 2, 2015 at 80 FR 17906 and amended at 83 FR 
6591 (February 14, 2018). The disclosure of NDNH information by OCSE to 
SSA constitutes a ``routine use,'' as defined by the Privacy Act. 5 
U.S.C. 552a(b)(3). Routine use (9) of the SOR authorizes disclosure of 
NDNH information to SSA, 80 FR 17906, 17907 (April 2, 2015).

[FR Doc. 2020-07347 Filed 4-7-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4191-02-P