[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 101 (Thursday, May 25, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33861-33862]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11161]



[[Page 33861]]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food and Nutrition Service


Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice of a new matching program.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, USDA 
FNS is providing notice of a new computer matching program (CMP) 
between FNS and the State agencies that administer the Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The CMP allows State agencies 
access to the National Accuracy Clearinghouse (NAC), a national 
database operated by FNS, as a tool to prevent individuals from 
receiving SNAP benefits in more than one State simultaneously, commonly 
referred to as duplicate participation. State agencies provide 
information about SNAP applicants and participants to the NAC that is 
then compared to discover potential duplicate participation. The NAC 
CMP employs a Privacy-Preserving Record Linkage (PPRL) approach that 
identifies and links records that correspond to the same individual 
across different databases, without the need to collect or retain the 
names, Social Security numbers, or dates of birth of the individuals 
being matched. State agencies use the PPRL process to convert this 
information to a secure cryptographic hash before sharing it to the 
NAC. When a match is found, indicating potential duplicate 
participation, the NAC notifies the affected State agencies and 
facilitates communication between the State agencies as they each take 
action to resolve the match.

DATES: The effective date of the new matching program will be no sooner 
than 30 days from the publication of this notice, provided no comments 
are received that result in a contrary determination. The matching 
program will be conducted for an initial term of 18 months and, within 
three months of expiration, may be renewed for one additional year if 
the parties make no change to the matching program and certify that the 
program has been conducted in compliance with the agreement. Please 
submit any comments by June 26, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit written comments by one of the 
following methods:
     Preferred: Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov provides the ability to type short comments 
directly into the comment field on this web page or attach a file for 
lengthier comments. Follow the online instructions at that site for 
submitting comments.
     By email: FNS, SNAP, State Administration Branch (SAB) at 
[email protected].
     By mail: Maribelle Balbes, Branch Chief, SAB, SNAP, FNS, 
1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314.
     Instructions: All comment submissions must include the 
agency name and docket number for this rulemaking. 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: For general questions, please contact 
the above individual, Maribelle Balbes, Branch Chief, SAB, SNAP, FNS at 
[email protected] or 703-605-4272.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, 5 
U.S.C. 552a, 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, which 
contains information about individuals that are retrieved by name or 
other personal identifier, are matched with records of other Federal, 
State, or local government records. The Privacy Act requires agencies 
involved in a matching program to:
    1. Obtain approval of a Computer Matching Agreement, prepared in 
accordance with The Privacy Act, by the Data Integrity Board of any 
Federal agency participating in a matching program.
    2. Enter into a written Computer Matching Agreement.
    3. Provide a report of the matching program to Congress and the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and make it available to the 
public, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(o), (u)(3)(A), and (u)(4).
    4. Publish a notice of the matching program in the Federal Register 
as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(12) after OMB and Congress complete 
their review of the report, as provided by OMB Circular A-108, Federal 
Agency Responsibilities for Review, Reporting, and Publication under 
The Privacy Act.
    5. 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).
    6. 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).
    This matching program meets these requirements.

Participating Agencies

    FNS and the State agencies that administer SNAP to include all 50 
States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Authority for Conducting the Matching Program

    The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (FNA), as amended, 7 U.S.C. 
2020(x), provides the legal authority for conducting the matching 
program. Section 11(x) requires FNS to establish an interstate data 
system to be known as the NAC and to promulgate regulations to set 
requirements for use of the NAC. The FNA requires State agencies to 
participate in the NAC matching program as both providers of data to 
the NAC and users of the information in the NAC that has been provided 
by the other State agencies to detect and prevent duplicate 
participation in SNAP.

Purpose(s)

    The NAC CMP is intended to (1) enhance Program integrity by 
providing State agencies with a tool to screen for duplicate 
participation and take timely action to reduce improper payments and 
(2) improve Program access and customer experience by facilitating 
State-to-State communication to help State agencies promptly and 
accurately process SNAP recipient moves from one State to another.
    To meet this purpose, State agencies participate in this CMP as 
both providers and users of information in the NAC. Each State agency 
must submit information to the NAC about individuals applying for SNAP 
benefits within the State and those existing participants certified to 
receive SNAP benefits. Each State agency also has access to the NAC to 
perform the required queries against information provided by the other 
State agencies to discover potential duplicate participation. The NAC 
compares the secure hashes provided by State agencies to find matches 
and notifies the affected State agencies when a match is found. After 
being notified of a match, State agencies must take

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appropriate action to resolve the match, while ensuring timely, 
accurate, and fair service to SNAP applicants and recipients. The NAC 
facilitates this process by providing a method for State agencies to 
share information with each other as they each take the necessary steps 
to determine and enact the appropriate resolution.

Categories of Individuals

    SNAP applicants, new household members, and recertifying 
participants are matched against the NAC as part of the eligibility 
determination process to ensure the individual is not currently 
receiving benefits in another state.

Categories of Records

    State agencies are required by regulations at 7 CFR 272.18(b) to 
provide information about SNAP participants and applicants, SNAP case 
information, and match action and resolution information. The NAC will 
also contain information created by the system when a match is found.

Information on Individuals

    State agencies are required to put names, Social Security numbers, 
and dates of birth through a Privacy-Preserving Record Linkage (PPRL) 
process that converts these data elements to a secure cryptographic 
hash before sharing the information to the NAC. When two or more hashes 
match, a positive match is identified by the NAC. State agencies are 
also required to provide a Participant ID to the NAC to allow the State 
agency to connect the match in the NAC to an individual in the State 
agency's system for match resolution. Requirements:
    1. Data elements for match: Name, Social Security number, date of 
birth.
    2. Additional information: Participant ID and, when applicable, a 
vulnerable individual flag.

SNAP Case Information

    Other case information provided by State agencies allows insight 
into the matched individual's situation in that State. These elements 
should be uploaded to the NAC, if available and applicable:

1. Case number
2. Participant closing date
3. Recent benefit months

Match Resolution Information

    This is information provided about actions taken to pursue 
clarification and verification of the information received from the 
NAC. This includes the final disposition of the match information on 
the participant in which a match was found. Information required:

1. Initial action
2. Date of initial action
3. Final disposition
4. Date of final disposition

Information Generated by the System

    1. Match ID: When a match is found, the NAC will create a match 
record and generate a unique match ID to identify the record in the 
NAC. The match ID will be provided to the affected State agencies as 
part of the match notification to allow them to find the match record 
in the NAC.
    2. Match record: The match record will contain information about 
the match itself, such as the date of the match and the affected States 
and the SNAP case information previously provided by the State 
agencies, including the Participant ID. Each State agency will use the 
Participant ID provided in the match record to identify the matched 
individual in its own eligibility system. This is needed because the 
NAC will not contain the names, Social Security numbers, or dates of 
birth of matched individuals.

System(s) of Records

    The system of records for this data exchange comprising the NAC is 
USDA/FNS-14, National Accuracy Clearinghouse (NAC) System to Prevent 
Duplicate Participation, 88 FR 11403 (Feb. 23, 2023). This data 
exchange is authorized under routine uses.

Cynthia Long,
Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-11161 Filed 5-24-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-30-P