[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 168 (Thursday, September 2, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49333-49334]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-19067]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

AGENCY: Administration for Children and Families, Department of Health 
and Human Services.

ACTION: Notice of a re-established matching program.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the 
Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children 
and Families, Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (HHS/ACF/
OPRE), is providing notice of a re-established matching program between 
the Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center (DoD/DMDC) and 
State Public Assistance Agencies (SPAAs), ``Verification of Continued 
Eligibility for Benefits Through the Public Assistance Reporting 
Information System (PARIS) Program.'' HHS/ACF/OPRE facilitates the 
matching program.

DATES: The deadline for comments on this notice is October 4, 2021. 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 
September 30, 2021, through March 30, 2023) and within 3 months of 
expiration may be renewed for 1 additional year if the parties make no 
change to the matching program and certify that the program has been 
conducted in compliance with the matching agreement.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit written comments on this 
notice, by mail or email, to the Director, Division of Data and 
Improvement, HHS/ACF Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, 330 
C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201, [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: General questions about the matching 
program may be submitted to Alicia Gumbs, HHS/ACF Office of Planning, 
Research, and Evaluation, 330 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20201 (202) 
690-8490, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 
U.S.C. 552a, subsection(e)(12)), 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 (meaning, Federal agency records about 
individuals retrieved by name or other personal identifier) are matched 
with records of other Federal or non-Federal agencies. The Privacy Act 
requires agencies involved in a matching program to:
    1. Enter into a written agreement, which must be prepared in 
accordance with the Privacy Act, approved by the Data Integrity Board 
of each source and recipient Federal agency, provided to Congress and 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and made available to the 
public, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(o), (u)(3)(A), and (u)(4).
    2. 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).
    3. 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).
    4. Report the matching program to Congress and the OMB, in advance 
and annually, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(o) (2)(A)(i), (r), and 
(u)(3)(D).
    5. Publish advance notice of the matching program in the Federal 
Register as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(12).

[[Page 49334]]

    This matching program complies with these requirements.

Naomi Goldstein,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Planning, Research, and Evaluation, ACF.

Participating Agencies

    Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center (DoD/DMDC) is 
the source agency, and each State Public Assistance Agency (SPAA) is a 
non-Federal agency. The Department of Health and Human Services, 
Administration for Children and Families, Office of Planning, Research 
and Evaluation (HHS/ACF/OPRE) facilitates the matching program and is 
not a source or recipient of data used in the matching program.

Authority for Conducting the Matching Program

    Sections 402, 1137, and 1903(r) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 602, 1320b-7, and 1396b(r)).

Purpose(s)

    This matching program identifies individuals receiving both Federal 
compensation (pay or pension benefits) and public assistance benefits 
under Federal benefit programs administered by the states and verifies 
public assistance clients' declarations of income circumstances.
    Each participating State Public Assistance Agency (SPAA) will 
provide the Department of Defense, Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) 
with finder files containing identifying and other data about public 
assistance applicants or recipients (clients), which DMDC will match 
against DoD military and civilian pay files, military retired pay 
files, and survivor pay files (Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 
civilian retired and survivor pay files will not be used). DMDC will 
return matched data to the SPAA, which the SPAA will use to verify 
clients' continued eligibility to receive public assistance benefits 
under HHS' Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) 
programs and the Department of Agriculture's Supplemental Nutrition 
Assistance Program (SNAP) and, if ineligible, to take such action as 
may be authorized by law and regulation to ensure fair and equitable 
treatment in the delivery of benefits attributable to funds provided by 
the Federal Government. HHS will support each SPAA's efforts to 
participate in the matching program by assisting with finalizing the 
terms of the agreement and coordinating signatures on the agreement.

Categories of Individuals

    The categories of individuals whose information is involved in the 
matching program are:
     Individuals who apply for or receive public assistance 
benefits under Federal programs administered by the states (i.e., under 
Medicaid, TANF, and SNAP); and
     Individuals who receive compensation from the DoD (i.e., 
military, civilian, survivor, or retirement pay or pension benefits).

Categories of Records

    The categories of records involved in the matching program are 
public assistance client identifying information and Federal pay and 
pension data.
    A SPAA will provide the following data elements to DMDC about each 
public assistance client:
     Client social security number (SSN), client last name, 
first name, client date of birth, address, gender, marital status, 
information regarding the specific public assistance benefit being 
received, file date, state name, state optional data, client location 
code, and case number.
    DMDC will provide the SPAA with match results containing the 
following data elements about any public assistance client who is 
receiving compensation from DoD:
     SSN; state data; record type; file date; date of birth; 
last name; first name; middle name; suffix name; sex; gross pay; unit 
identification (ID) code (UIC); agency; pay plan; pay grade; pay step; 
basic salary; state residence; Federal taxable wages; Federal tax 
withheld; state taxable wages; state tax withheld; employee status 
code; payroll office number; personnel office ID; pay basic code; pay 
period end date (YYYYMMDD); disbursing date (YYYYMMDD); pay status; 
category code; total base pay all drills; marital status code; 
dependents quantity; off duty military code; welfare to work hire code; 
city; state; zip; address lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6; mailing address 
effective; claim number; retired pay entitlement effective; comments 1, 
2, 3 and 4; and member SSN.

System(s) of Records

    The DoD data used in this matching program will be disclosed from 
the following system of records, as authorized by routine use 16 
published March 11, 2019: DMDC 01, titled ``Defense Manpower Data 
Center Data Base,'' last published in full at 84 FR 6383 (Feb. 27, 
2019), and modified at 84 FR 8698 (Mar. 11, 2019) and 84 FR 15605 (Apr. 
16, 2019).

[FR Doc. 2021-19067 Filed 8-31-21; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-79-P