[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 164 (Monday, August 24, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52194-52195]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-18521]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Privacy Act of 1974: Computer Matching Program

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

ACTION: Notice of a Modified Computer Matching Program.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, and the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidelines on the Conduct of 
Matching Programs, notice is hereby given that the Department of 
Veterans Affairs (VA) intends to conduct a computer matching program 
with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Data from the proposed match 
will be used to verify the unearned income of nonservice-connected 
veterans, and those veterans who are zero percent service-connected 
(noncompensable), whose eligibility for VA medical care is based on 
their inability to defray the cost of medical care. These veterans 
supply household income information that includes their spouses and 
dependents at the time of application for VA health care benefits.

DATES: Comments on this matching program must be received no later than 
30 days after publication of this notice. If no public comment is 
received during the period allowed for comment or unless otherwise 
published in the Federal Register by VA, the computer matching 
agreement will become effective December 31, 2020 and expires 18 months 
after its effective date. This match will not continue past the 
legislative authorized date to obtain this information.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted through 
www.Regulations.gov; by mail or hand-delivery to the Director, 
Regulations Management (00REG), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 
Vermont Ave. NW, Room 1068, 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 Matching Program IRS/VA. 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, during the comment period, comments may be viewed 
online through the Federal Docket Management System (FDMS) at 
www.Regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dionne Dent-Lockett, Director, Health 
Eligibility Center, VHA Member Services (404) 828-5302 (this is not a 
toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Veterans Affairs has 
statutory authorization under 38 U.S.C. 5317, 38 U.S.C. 5106, 26 U.S.C. 
6103(l)(7)(D)(viii) and 5 U.S.C. 552a to establish matching agreements 
and request and use income information from other agencies for purposes 
of verification of income for determining eligibility for benefits. 38 
U.S.C. 1710(a)(2)(G), 1710(a)(3), and 1710(b) identify those veterans 
whose basic eligibility for medical care benefits is dependent upon 
their financial status. Eligibility for nonservice-connected and zero 
percent noncompensable service-connected veterans is determined based 
on the veteran's inability to defray the expenses for necessary care as 
defined in 38 U.S.C. 1722. This determination can affect their 
responsibility to participate in the cost of their care through 
copayments and their assignment to an enrollment priority group. The 
goal of this match is to obtain IRS unearned income information data 
needed for the income verification process. The VA records involved in 
the match are ``Income Verification Records--VA'' (89VA10NB). The IRS 
records are from the Information Return Master File (IRMF) Process 
File, Treas/IRS 22.061, through the Disclosure of Information to 
Federal, State and Local Agencies (DIFSLA) program. A copy of this 
notice has been sent to both Houses of Congress and OMB.
    Participating Agencies: Department of Veterans Affairs/Veteran 
Health Administration and Internal Revenue Service.
    Authority for Conducting the Matching Program: This agreement is 
executed under the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 United States Code (U.S.C.) 
Sec.  552a, as amended by the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection 
Act of 1988, and the regulations and guidance promulgated thereunder.
    Legal authority for the disclosures under this agreement is 38 
U.S.C. 5106 and 5317, and 26 U.S.C. 6103(l)(7)(D)(viii). Under 38 
U.S.C. 1710, VA/VHA has a statutory obligation to collect income 
information from certain applicants for medical care and to use that 
income data to determine the appropriate eligibility category for the 
applicant's medical care. 26 U.S.C. 6103(l)(7) authorizes the 
disclosure of tax return information with respect to net earnings from 
self-employment and wages, as defined by relevant sections of the 
Internal Revenue Code (IRC), to Federal, state, and local agencies 
administering certain benefit programs under Title 38 of the U.S.C.
    Purpose(s): To identify and verify those veterans whose basic 
eligibility for medical care benefits is dependent upon their financial 
status and ensure they are in the correct Priority Group and copayment 
status.
    Categories of Individuals: Nonservice-connected and zero percent 
noncompensable service-connected veterans who are in Priority Group 5 
based on their inability to defray the expenses for necessary care as 
defined in 38 U.S.C. 1722.
    Categories of Records: The VA records involved in the match are 
``Income Verification Records--VA'' (89VA10NB). The IRS will provide 
tax return information with respect to unearned income from the 
Information Return Master File (IRMF) Process File, Treas/IRS 22.061. 
The IRS will disclose when there is a match of individual identifier, 
to VHA the: Payee Account Number, Payee Name and Mailing Address, Payee 
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), Payer Name and Address, Payer 
TIN, and Income Type and Amount.
    System(s) of Records: VHA's System of Records entitled ``Income 
Verification

[[Page 52195]]

Records-VA'' (89VA10NB) as published at 73 FR 26192 (May 8, 2008), and 
updated at 78
    FR 76897 (December 19, 2013) (Routine use nineteen (19)). IRS will 
extract return information with respect to unearned income from the 
Information Return Master File (IRMF) Processing File, Treasury/IRS 
22.061, as published at 80 FR 54081 (September 8, 2015), through the 
Disclosure of Information to Federal, State and Local Agencies (DIFSLA) 
program.

Signing Authority

    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, approved this document on July 9, 2020 for 
publication.

    Dated: August 19, 2020.
Amy L. Rose,
Program Analyst, VA Privacy Service, Office of Information Security, 
Office of Information and Technology, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2020-18521 Filed 8-21-20; 8:45 am]
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