[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 225 (Friday, November 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67483-67484]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-25847]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Docket No. DHS-2021-0033]


Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program

AGENCY: Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and 
Immigration Services.

ACTION: Notice of a re-established matching program.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended by the 
Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 and the Computer 
Matching and Privacy Protections Amendment of 1990 (Privacy Act), and 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance on the conduct of 
matching programs, notice is hereby given of the re-establishment of a 
matching program between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the California 
Department of Healthcare Services (CA-DHCS). CA-DHCS will match against 
DHS-USCIS data to verify the immigration status of non-U.S. citizens 
who apply for federal benefits (Benefit Applicants) under Medicaid 
programs that CA-DHCS administers to determine whether Benefit 
Applicants possess the requisite immigration status to be eligible for 
the Medicaid it administers.

DATES: Please submit comments on or before December 27, 2021. The 
matching program will be effective on December 27, 2021 unless comments 
have been received from interested members of the public that require 
modification and republication of the notice. The matching program will 
continue for 18 months from the beginning date and may be extended an 
additional 12 months if the conditions specified in 5 U.S.C. 
552a(o)(2)(D) have been met.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number DHS-
2021-0033, by one of the following methods:
     Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: 202-343-4010.
     Mail: Lynn Parker Dupree, Chief Privacy Officer, Privacy 
Office, Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC 20528-0655.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket number DHS-2021-0033. All comments received will be posted 
without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain additional information about 
this matching program and the contents of this Computer Matching 
Agreement between DHS-USCIS and CA-DHCS, please view this Computer 
Matching Agreement at the following website: https://www.dhs.gov/publication/computer-matching-agreements-and-notices. For general 
questions about this matching program, contact Jonathan M. Mills, 
Acting Chief, USCIS SAVE Program at (202) 306-9874. For general privacy 
questions, please contact Lynn Parker Dupree, (202) 343-1717, Chief 
Privacy Officer, Department of Homeland Security, Washington, DC 20528-
0655.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DHS-USCIS provides this notice in accordance 
with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended by the 
Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (Pub. L. 100-503) 
and the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Amendments of 1990 
(Pub. L. 101-508) (Privacy Act); Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
Final Guidance Interpreting the Provisions of Pub. L. 100-503, the 
Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988, 54 FR 25818 (June 
19, 1989); and OMB Circular A-108, 81 FR 94424 (December 23, 2016).
    Participating Agencies: DHS-USCIS and CA-DHCS.
    Authority for Conducting the Matching Program: Section 121 of the 
Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, Public Law 99-603, 
as amended by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), Pub. L. 104-193, 110 Stat. 2168 
(1996), requires DHS to establish a system for the verification of 
immigration status of noncitizens applicants for, or recipients of, 
certain types of benefits as specified within IRCA, and to make this 
system available to state agencies that administer such benefits. The 
Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 
(IIRIRA), Pub. L. 104-208, 110 State. 3009 (1996) grants federal, 
state, or local government agencies seeking to verify or ascertain the 
citizenship or immigration status of any individual within the 
jurisdiction of the agency with the authority to request such 
information from DHS-USCIS for any purpose authorized by law.
    Purpose: This Agreement re-stablishes the terms and conditions 
governing CA-DHCS's access to, and use of, the DHS-

[[Page 67484]]

USCIS Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program, 
which provides immigration status information from federal immigration 
records to authorized users, and to comply with the Computer Matching 
and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (CMPPA).
    CA-DHCS will use the SAVE Program to verify the immigration status 
of noncitizens who apply for federal benefits (Benefit Applicants) 
under Medicaid programs that it administers. CA-DHCS will use the 
information obtained through the SAVE Program to determine whether 
Benefit Applicants possess the requisite immigration status to be 
eligible for the Medicaid administered by CA-DHCS.
    This Agreement describes the respective responsibilities of DHS-
USCIS and CA-DHCS to verify Benefit Applicants' immigration status 
while safeguarding against unlawful discrimination and preserving the 
confidentiality of information received from the other party. The 
requirements of this Agreement will be carried out by authorized 
employees and/or contractor personnel of DHS-USCIS and CA-DHCS.
    Categories of Individuals: The individuals about whom DHS-USCIS 
maintains information, which is contained in its Verification 
Information System (VIS) database used by the SAVE Program to verify 
immigration status, that are involved in this matching program include 
noncitizens (meaning any person as defined in Immigration and 
Nationality Act section 101(a)(3)), those naturalized, and to the 
extent those that have applied for Certificates of Citizenship, derived 
U.S. citizens, on whom DHS-USCIS has a record as an applicant, 
petitioner, sponsor, or beneficiary. The individuals about whom CA-DHCS 
maintains information that is involved in this matching program include 
non-citizen Benefit Applicants for, or recipients of, Medicaid 
administered by CA-DHCS.
    Categories of Records: Data elements to be matched between CA-DHCS 
records and DHS-USCIS federal immigration records include the 
following: Last Name, First Name, Middle Name, Date of Birth, 
Immigration Numbers (e.g., Alien Registration/USCIS Number, I-94 
Number, SEVIS ID Number, Certificate of Naturalization Number, 
Certificate of Citizenship Number, or Unexpired Foreign Passport 
Number), and Other Information from Immigration Documentation (for 
example, Country of Birth, Date of Entry, Employment Authorization 
Category). Additional Data elements provided to CA-DHCS from DHS-USCIS 
records related to the match may include: Citizenship or Immigration 
Data (for example, immigration class of admission and/or employment 
authorization), Sponsorship Data (for example, name, address, and 
social security number of Form I-864/I-864EZ sponsors and Form I-864A 
household members, when applicable) and Case Verification Number.
    System of Records: DHS/USCIS-004 Systematic Alien Verification for 
Entitlements (SAVE) System of Records Notice, 85 FR 31798 (May 27, 
2020).

Lynn Parker Dupree,
Chief Privacy Officer, Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2021-25847 Filed 11-24-21; 8:45 am]
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