[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 209 (Wednesday, October 28, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68419-68420]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-23788]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Privacy Act of 1974: Computer Matching Program

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

ACTION: Notice of new 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 Social Security Administration (SSA). Data from the proposed 
match will be used to verify the net earnings from self-employment and 
wages 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 new system will become 
effective November 28, 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 SSA/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 SSA earned income information data 
needed for the income verification process. The VA records involved in 
the match are ``Income Verification Records--VA'' (89VA10NB). The SSA 
records are from the Master Files of Social Security Number (SSN) 
Holders and SSN Applications (Enumeration System). 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 Social Security Administration.
    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

[[Page 68420]]

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 SSA records are 
from the Master Files of Social Security Number (SSN) Holders and SSN 
Applications (Enumeration System). The SSA will provide return 
information with respect to earned income from the Earnings Recording 
and Self-Employment Income System (commonly referred to as the MEF). 
SSA will provide VA/VHA with the following tax return information from 
the MEF for each individual with a verified SSN for whom VA/VHA 
requests information: Employer identification numbers (EIN), earnings 
report type, employer name and address, year of earnings, wage amounts 
from Form W-2, and earnings amounts from self-employment.
    System(s) of Records: VHA's System of Records entitled ``Income 
Verification Records--VA'' (89VA10NB) (Routine use nineteen (19)), as 
published at 73 FR 26192 (May 8, 2008), and updated at 78 FR 76897 
(December 19, 2013)). SSA will extract and disclose the necessary tax 
return information from the Earnings Recording and Self-Employment 
Income System, (commonly referred to as the MEF), 60-0059, last fully 
published at 71 FR 1819 (January 11, 2006) and updated on July 5, 2013 
(78 Fed. Reg. 40542), and November 1, 2018 (83 FR 54969).

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. Joseph S. 
Stenaka, Executive Director for Information Security Operations and 
Chief Privacy Officer, approved this document on October 13, 2020 for 
publication.

    Dated: October 22, 2020.
Amy L. Rose,
Program Analyst, VA Privacy Service, Office of Information Security, 
Office of Information and Technology, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2020-23788 Filed 10-27-20; 8:45 am]
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