[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 97 (Tuesday, May 19, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29947-29948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-10694]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


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 new matching agreement to re-establish 
the matching program between HHS/ACF/OCSE (hereinafter, ``OCSE'') and 
state agencies administering the Temporary Assistance for Needy 
Families (TANF) program. The matching program compares state TANF 
agency records with employment and wage information maintained in the 
National Directory of New Hires (NDNH), the outcomes of which help 
state agencies administer their TANF programs.

DATES: The deadline for comments on this notice is June 18, 2020. 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 July 19, 
2020, through January 18, 2022) 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 Venkata Kondapolu, Acting 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 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 Venkata Kondapolu, Acting 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-
260-4712.

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 each 
federal agency participating in the matching program. 5 U.S.C. 
522a(u)(3)(A) and (u)(4).
    2. Provide a report of the matching program in advance to Congress 
and OMB for approval and make the agreement available to the public. 5 
U.S.C. 552a(o)(2).
    3. Publish advance notice of the matching program in the Federal 
Register. 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(12).
    4. Enter into a written Computer Matching Agreement. 5 U.S.C. 
552a(o)(1).
    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).
    7. Provide an annual report of the matching program activities to 
Congress and the OMB, and make the report available to the public. 5 
U.S.C. 552a(u)(3)(D).
    This matching program meets these requirements.

Linda K. Hitt,
Executive Secretariat Certifying Officer.

Participating Agencies

    The agencies participating in the matching program are OCSE (source 
agency) and state agencies administering the TANF benefit program (non-
federal agencies).

[[Page 29948]]

Authority for Conducting the Matching Program

    The authority for conducting the matching program is 42 U.S.C. 
653(j)(3).

Purpose(s)

    The purpose of the matching program is to provide each 
participating state agency administering TANF with new hire, quarterly 
wage, and unemployment insurance information from OCSE's NDNH system of 
records to assist them in establishing or verifying TANF 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 TANF 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 TANF 
agencies.

Categories of Individuals

    The categories of individuals involved in the matching program are 
adult members of households who have applied for or receive TANF 
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 OCSE in a state agency input file are:

 Submitting state code (two-digit Federal Information 
Processing Standard code)
 Date stamp (input file transmission date)
 Adult TANF caseload month and year of adult TANF applicants 
and recipients
 Adult TANF applicant/recipient's Social Security number
 Adult TANF 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)

    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 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
 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 information used in this matching program will be 
disclosed from the following OCSE system of records, as authorized by 
routine use 8: ``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. 2020-10694 Filed 5-18-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4184-42-P