[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 137 (Wednesday, July 17, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58239-58240]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15684]


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SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION


Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

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

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 the National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 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). This proposed new 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. This new Agreement, between 
SBA and VA, will terminate the existing Agreement published, December 
15, 2022, Computer Matching Agreement Between U.S. Small Business 
Administration and U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA).

DATES: Submit comments on or before August 16, 2024. This new matching 
agreement will be effective upon publication and expires 18 months from 
the date of publication.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments or inquiries on this proposed 
matching program, identified by DOCKET NUMBER SBA-2024-0009 or 
inquiries and comments can be addressed to: Larry Stubblefield, Deputy 
Associate Administrator, Office of Government Contracting and Business 
Development, [email protected], (202) 205-6572).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, please 
contact: John Perkins, Supervisory Program Specialist, Office of 
Government Contract Business Development, email: [email protected], 
(202) 798-7750 or Jason Hoge, Executive Director, Product Engineering 
(Acting), email [email protected] telephone (612) 725-4337; for 
Security Information: Kelvin Moore, SBA Chief Information Security 
Officer/Deputy Chief Information Officer (Acting), Office of the Chief 
Information Officer, email: [email protected], ((202) 921-6273) and 
for Privacy related: LaWanda Burnette, Chief Privacy Officer, Office of 
the Chief Information Officer, email: [email protected], (202) 
853-0851.

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 21,468.
    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

[[Page 58240]]

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: Small businesses owned and controlled by 
one or more qualifying veterans.
    Categories of Records: Information relating to applicants to the 
Small Business Administration's Veteran Small Business Certification 
Program. This is for small business owned or controlled by veterans.
    Specific data elements to match from SBA are: Veteran Business 
Owner applicant's first name, last name, tax identification number 
(SSN/ITIN), birth date, street address 1, street address 2, city, 
state, country, zip code, middle name, home phone, mother's maiden 
name, gender, birthplace city, birthplace state, birthplace country.
    VA will respond from match to SBA and return: Veteran's combined 
disability data (disability rating and combined effective date); 
Service-connected determination (individual ratings, decision, 
effective date, rating end date, rating percentage; and Title 38 
Veteran status data (veteran status and status not confirmed reason).

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 modified 88 FR 2748, to 
verify qualifying veteran status for inclusion in SBA's Veterans' Small 
Business Certification Program.

Stephen Kucharski,
Acting Chief Information Officer and Senior Agency Official for 
Privacy, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-15684 Filed 7-16-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8026-09-P