[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 240 (Thursday, December 15, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76658-76659]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-27158]


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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION


Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

AGENCY: U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Government 
Contracting and Business Development.

ACTION: Notice of a New Matching Program.

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SUMMARY: The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) and 
Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) pursuant to Section 862 of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, Public Law 
116-283, 134 Stat. 3388 (January 1, 2021), amended 38 U.S.C. 8127 and 
transferred the responsibility for certification of Veteran-Owned Small 
Businesses (VOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses 
(SDVOSB) to SBA as of January 1, 2023 (Transfer Date).
    The Computer Matching program seeks to ensure that applicants for 
SBA Veteran Small Business Certification Program are eligible as 
qualifying veterans. This will be accomplished by matching specific VA 
data with SBA data to determine what applicants and participants meet 
SBA's Veteran Small Business Certification Program criteria.

DATES: Submit comments on or before January 17, 2023. This new matching 
agreement will be effective upon publication with matching to start 
January 9, 2023, and expires 18 months from the date of publication, 
however, SBA projects termination of matching no later than July 10, 
2023.

ADDRESSES: Inquiries and comments on this proposed matching program can 
be addressed to Larry Stubblefield, Associate Administrator, Office of 
Veterans Business Development, [email protected], ((202) 205-
6572), Isabelle James, Senior Advisor, Office of the Administrator, 
[email protected], and Jason Hoge, Acting Exec. Director, Product 
Engineering, Tel.: 612-725-4337 Email: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, please 
contact:

[[Page 76659]]

Ariel Nerbovig, [email protected], IT Program Manager; Kelvin 
Moore, ((202) 921-6273), SBA Chief Information Security Officer, Office 
of the Chief Information Officer, SBA Chief Information Officer/Senior 
Agency Official for Privacy, Stephen Kucharski, 
[email protected], ((202) 205-7551) and VA Chief Information 
Security Officer, Lynette Sherrill: (202) 270-1878, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Agreement between SBA and VA is expected 
to aid in the transition and identifying qualified veterans. VA 
maintains a list of veterans and service-disabled veterans and will 
provide SBA with this data. To accomplish this, VA and SBA will 
participate in a Computer Matching program to match data to identify 
what veterans are qualifying veterans and to verify eligibility for 
SBA's certification program. The average number of records being 
matched on an annual basis is 18,910.

Participating Agencies

    U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and U.S. Small Business 
Administration

Authority for Conducting the Matching Program

    1. Section 862 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2021, Public Law 116-283, 134 Stat. 3388 (January 1, 2021) (NDAA 
2021), amended 38 U.S.C. 8127 and transferred the responsibility for 
certification of VOSB and SDVOSB for VA procurements to SBA as of 
January 1, 2023 (Transfer Date). NDAA 2021 also amended Section 36 of 
the Small Business Act to create a certification requirement for 
SDVOSBs seeking sole source and set-aside contracts across the Federal 
Government.
    2. Pursuant to section 862(b) of the NDAA 2021, VA shall verify an 
individual's status as a veteran or a service-disabled veteran and 
establish a system to permit SBA to access, but not alter, the 
verification of such status.
    3. Pursuant to section 862(d) of the NDAA 2021, upon request by 
SBA, federal agencies shall provide data that SBA determines to be 
necessary to carry out the certification of a small business concern 
owned and controlled by veterans or service-disabled under sections 36 
and 36A of the Small Business Act.

Purpose(s)

    To be eligible for certification in SBA's Veteran Small Business 
Certification Program, an applicant's small business must be owned and 
controlled by one or more qualifying veterans. A ``qualifying veteran'' 
is a veteran as defined by 38 U.S.C. 101(2) or a service-disabled 
veteran. A service-disabled veteran is an individual that possesses 
either a valid disability rating letter issued by VA, establishing a 
service-connected rating between 0 and 100 percent, or a valid 
disability determination from the Department of Defense or is 
registered in the Beneficiary Identification and Records Locator 
Subsystem maintained by Department of Veterans Affairs' Veterans 
Benefits Administration as a service-disabled veteran. Reservists or 
members of the National Guard disabled from a disease or injury 
incurred or aggravated in line of duty or while in training status also 
qualify. VA maintains a list of veterans and service-disabled veterans 
and will provide SBA with this data. To accomplish this, VA and SBA 
will participate in a Computer Matching program to match data in order 
to identify what veterans are qualifying veterans and to verify 
eligibility for SBA's certification program.

Categories of Individuals

     An applicant's small business must be owned and controlled by one 
or more qualifying veterans.

Categories of Records

    Information relating to applicants' small business owned or 
controlled by veterans for certification.
    Specific data elements to match from SBA are: Veteran Business 
Owner applicant's first name, last name, street address 1, street 
address 2, birth date, city, state, country, zip code, and optional 
elements: middle name and gender. VA will respond from match to SBA and 
return: Veteran's combined disability rating (disability rating and 
combined effective date); Service-connected determination (individual 
ratings, decision, effective date, and rating percentage; and Title 38 
Veteran status data (veteran status). As of March 2023, VA will not 
give out social security numbers for new Veteran accounts. SSN will not 
be used in this match.

System(s) of Records

    ``Compensation, Pension, Education, and Vocational Rehabilitation 
and Employment Records--VA (58 VA 21/22/28)'' last amended at 86 FR 
61858 (November 8, 2021). ``Veterans Affairs Profile--VA, (192VA30),'' 
established at 87 FR 36207 (June 15, 2022). ``Veterans Affairs/
Department of Defense Identity Repository (VADIR)--VA (138VA005Q),'' 
last amended at 74 FR 142 (July 27, 2009), is in the process of being 
republished. ``Government Contracting and Business Development 
System'', SBA 30 system of records, as provided by 86 FR 19078. SBA is 
currently updating SBA 30 which will not impact this matching 
agreement.

Larry Stubblefield,
Associate Administrator, Office of Veterans Business Development, 
United State Small Business Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-27158 Filed 12-14-22; 8:45 am]
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