[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 174 (Monday, September 11, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62360-62363]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-19482]


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FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM


Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

ACTION: Notice of a modified system of records.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, notice 
is given that the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 
(Board) proposes to modify an existing system of records, entitled 
BGFRS-29, ``FRB--Benefits Records.'' This system of records contains 
records necessary to administer and maintain the Board's benefits 
programs and to assist in personnel management.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before October 11, 2023. This 
new system of records will become effective

[[Page 62361]]

October 11, 2023, without further notice, unless comments dictate 
otherwise.
    The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which has oversight 
responsibility under the Privacy Act, requires a 30-day period prior to 
publication in the Federal Register in which to review the system and 
to provide any comments to the agency. The public is then given a 30-
day period in which to comment, in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4) 
and (11).

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by BGFRS-29, ``FRB--
Benefits Records,'' by any of the following methods:
     Agency Website: https://www.federalreserve.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments at https://www.federalreserve.gov/apps/foia/proposedregs.aspx.
     Email: [email protected]. Include SORN name 
and number in the subject line of the message.
     Fax: (202) 452-3819 or (202) 452-3102.
     Mail: Ann E. Misback, Secretary, Board of Governors of the 
Federal Reserve System, 20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20551.
    In general, all public comments will be made available on the 
Board's website at https://www.federalreserve.gov/generalinfo/foia/ProposedRegs.cfm as submitted, and will not be modified to remove 
confidential, contact or any identifiable information. Public comments 
may also be viewed electronically or in paper in Room M-4365A, 2001 C 
St. NW, Washington, DC 20551, between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. during 
federal business weekdays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David B. Husband, Senior Counsel, 
(202) 530-6270, or [email protected]; Legal Division, Board of 
Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 20th Street and Constitution 
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20551. For users of telephone systems via 
text telephone (TTY) or any TTY-based Telecommunications Relay 
Services, please call 711 from any telephone anywhere in the United 
States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Board is in the process of replacing its 
current enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and accordingly is 
modifying this system of records to reflect this transition. The Board 
is also taking the opportunity to generally revise and modernize the 
system of records notice throughout to match existing personnel 
practices. The Board is modifying the system to reflect that in 
accordance with provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act, codified at 12 U.S.C. 
5493(a)(3)(A), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) employees 
may elect to participate in the Federal Reserve System's retirement and 
thrift plans. Accordingly, the Board is amending the authority section 
and the category of individuals section to reflect the inclusion of 
CFPB employees. The Board is also expressly adding dependents of Board 
and CFPB employees in the category of individuals.
    The Board is amending system-specific routine use 1 to refer to the 
Board's benefit administrators and record keepers generally rather than 
specifically listing the various Board benefit plans given that the 
plans are subject to change. The Board is also amending the same 
routine use 1 to permit disclosures when necessary to adjudicate a 
claim under a thrift or health and welfare benefits program of the 
Board, a Federal Reserve Bank, or a listed federal agency. Finally, the 
Board is amending language in the routine use that permits disclosure 
to ``an agency to conduct an analytical study or audit of benefits 
being paid under such programs'' to instead qualify that such a 
disclosure would be made only to ``an agency with governing authority 
over such programs.'' This change matches the Board's practice. In 
addition, the Board is updating the routine use section to incorporate 
a link to the Board's general routine uses.
    The Board is also making minor changes to the category of records 
section to add ``vision plan benefits'' and to replace the voluntary 
plan insurance example from ``Auto Insurance'' to ``Personal Accident 
Insurance.'' The Board is amending the record source categories to 
reflect name changes to the programs e.g., Human Resources was renamed 
People, Strategy, and Operations and also to indicate that employees or 
former employees may provide information regarding their beneficiaries 
or dependents. Finally, the Board is also updating the system location, 
system manager, the policies and practices for retrieval of records and 
the policies and practices for retention of records.
    The Board is also making technical changes to BGFRS-29 consistent 
with the template laid out in OMB Circular No. A-108. Accordingly, the 
Board has made technical corrections and non-substantive language 
revisions to the following sections: ``Policies and Practices for 
Storage of Records,'' ``Policies and Practices for Retrieval of 
Records,'' ``Policies and Practices for Retention and Disposal of 
Records,'' ``Administrative, Technical and Physical Safeguards,'' 
``Record Access Procedures,'' ``Contesting Record Procedures,'' and 
``Notification Procedures.'' The Board has also created and populated 
the following new sections: ``Security Classification'' and 
``History.''

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:
    BGFRS-29, ``FRB--Benefits Records.''

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
    Unclassified.

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System 20th Street and 
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20551 and the Board's vendor, 
Workday, Inc., 6110 Stoneridge Mall Road, Pleasanton, CA 94588. Some 
information is collected and maintained, on behalf of the Board, by its 
benefits providers.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
    Lewis Andrews, Assistant Director, Division of Management, Board of 
Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 20th Street and Constitution 
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20551, (202) 452-3082, or 
[email protected].

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    Sections 10 and 11 of the Federal Reserve Act (12 U.S.C. 244 and 
248) and 12 U.S.C. 5493(a)(3).

PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
    These records are collected and maintained to administer the 
Board's benefits programs for its employees and assist in personnel 
management.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    Past and present Board and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 
(Bureau) employees, their beneficiaries and dependents.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    All forms relating to employee benefits including enrollment, 
records relating to claims filed for benefits, and memoranda relating 
to individuals' benefits. These benefits include health insurance, 
dental plan, vision plan, life insurance, disability coverage, accident 
insurance, flexible spending accounts, premium conversion accounts, 
voluntary plans (e.g., Personal Accident Insurance), retirement and 
thrift plans, and any other benefits offered by the Board.

[[Page 62362]]

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
    Information is provided by the individual to whom the record 
pertains, the benefit provider, and staff of People, Strategy & 
Operations in the Division of Management. In addition, an employee or 
former employee may provide information about their beneficiary or 
dependent.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
    General routine uses A, B, C, D, F, G, H, I, and J apply to this 
system. These general routine uses are located at https://www.federalreserve.gov/files/SORN-page-general-routine-uses-of-board-systems-of-records.pdf and are published in the Federal Register at 83 
FR 43872 at 43873-74 (August 28, 2018). Records may also be used:
    1. to disclose information to the benefit administrators and record 
keepers of the Board's benefit plans, a Federal Reserve Bank, or the 
Department of Labor, Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security 
Administration, Department of Defense, or any federal agencies that 
have special civilian employee retirement programs; or to a national, 
state, county, municipal, or other publicly recognized charitable or 
income security administration agency (e.g., state unemployment-
compensation agencies), when necessary to adjudicate a claim under the 
retirement, thrift, insurance, unemployment, or health and welfare 
benefits programs of the Board, a Federal Reserve Bank, or any agency 
cited above, or to an agency with governing authority over such 
programs to conduct an analytical study or audit of benefits being paid 
under such programs;
    2. to disclose to the Office of Personnel Management's Federal 
Employees Group Life Insurance Program information necessary to verify 
election, declination, or waiver of regular and/or optional life 
insurance coverage, eligibility for payment of a claim for life 
insurance, or a Thrift Savings Program (TSP) election change and 
designation of beneficiary;
    3. to disclose to health insurance carriers that provide a health 
benefits plan under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program 
information that is necessary to verify eligibility for payment of a 
claim for health benefits; and
    4. to disclose information to the executor of an individual's 
estate, the government entity probating a will, a designated 
beneficiary, or to any person who is responsible for the care of an 
individual to the extent necessary when the individual to whom a record 
pertains is deceased, or mentally incompetent, or under other legal 
disability, and to disclose information to an individual's emergency 
contact when necessary to assist that individual in obtaining any 
employment benefit or any working condition, such as accommodations 
under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
    Paper records in this system are stored in locked file cabinets 
with access limited to staff with a need to know. Electronic records 
are stored on a secure server with access limited to staff with a need 
to know.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
    Records can be retrieved by name or employee identification number.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
    The retention period for these records is currently under review. 
Until the review is completed, the records will not be destroyed.

ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
    Paper records are secured by lock and key and electronic files are 
stored within multiple secure systems. The systems have the ability to 
track individual user actions within them. The audit and accountability 
controls are based on NIST and Board standards which, in turn, are 
based on applicable laws and regulations. The controls assist in 
detecting security violations and performance or other issues in the 
system. Access to the systems is restricted to authorized users who 
require access for official business purposes. Users are classified 
into different roles and common access and usage rights are established 
for each role. User roles are used to delineate between the different 
types of access requirements such that users are restricted to data 
that is required in the performance of their duties. Periodic 
assessments and reviews are conducted to determine whether users still 
require access, have the appropriate role, and whether there have been 
any unauthorized changes. Additionally, periodic security assessments 
consistent with NIST guidance are performed to ensure ongoing security 
and integrity of the systems.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
    The Privacy Act allows individuals the right to access records 
maintained about them in a Board system of records. Your request for 
access must: (1) contain a statement that the request is made pursuant 
to the Privacy Act of 1974; (2) provide either the name of the Board 
system of records expected to contain the record requested or a concise 
description of the system of records; (3) provide the information 
necessary to verify your identity; and (4) provide any other 
information that may assist in the rapid identification of the record 
you seek.
    Current or former Board employees may make a request for access by 
contacting the Board office that maintains the record. The Board 
handles all Privacy Act requests as both a Privacy Act request and as a 
Freedom of Information Act request. The Board does not charge fees to a 
requestor seeking to access or amend his/her Privacy Act records.
    You may submit your Privacy Act request to the--Secretary of the 
Board, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 20th Street 
and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20551.
    You may also submit your Privacy Act request electronically by 
filling out the required information at: https://foia.federalreserve.gov/.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
    The Privacy Act allows individuals to seek amendment of information 
that is erroneous, irrelevant, untimely, or incomplete and is 
maintained in a system of records that pertains to them. To request an 
amendment to your record, you should clearly mark the request as a 
``Privacy Act Amendment Request.'' You have the burden of proof for 
demonstrating the appropriateness of the requested amendment and you 
must provide relevant and convincing evidence in support of your 
request.
    Your request for amendment must: (1) provide the name of the 
specific Board system of records containing the record you seek to 
amend; (2) identify the specific portion of the record you seek to 
amend; (3) describe the nature of and reasons for each requested 
amendment; (4) explain why you believe the record is not accurate, 
relevant, timely, or complete; and (5) unless you have already done so 
in a related Privacy Act request for access or amendment, provide the 
necessary information to verify your identity.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
    Same as ``Access procedures'' above. You may also follow this 
procedure in order to request an accounting of previous disclosures of 
records pertaining to you as provided for by 5 U.S.C. 552a(c).

[[Page 62363]]

EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:
    None.

HISTORY:
    This SORN was previously published in the Federal Register at 73 FR 
24984 (May 6, 2008). The SORN was also amended to incorporate two new 
routine uses required by OMB at 83 FR 43872 (August 28, 2018).

    Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Ann Misback,
Secretary of the Board.
[FR Doc. 2023-19482 Filed 9-8-23; 8:45 am]
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