Privacy Act of 1974; Report of Matching Programs

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Privacy Act of 1974; Report of Matching Programs

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

ACTION: Notice of renewal--VA/IRS Match Program.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Department of Veterans Affairs

(VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), intends to renew the

computer matching program comparing Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and

Social Security Administration (SSA) income records with VA patient

income data which is contained in the patient medical records.

The goal of these matches is to compare income, social security

number, and employment status as reported to VHA with income records

maintained by IRS and SSA. For the information of all concerned, a

summary report of the VHA matching program describing the computer

matches follows. In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2), copies of the

computer matching report are being sent to both houses of Congress.

These matches are expected to commence on or about May 1, 1995, but

start no sooner than 30 days after publication of this notice in the

Federal Register, or 40 days after copies of this notice and the

agreement are submitted to Congress and the Office of Management and

Budget. These matches may be extended by the involved Data Integrity

Boards for a twelve month period provided all agencies involved certify

to the Data Integrity Boards, within three months of the termination

date of the original match, that the matching program will be conducted

without change and the matching programs have been conducted in

compliance with the original matching agreements. The matches will not

continue past the legislative authorized date to obtain this

information. However, expiration of this agreement is December 31,

1995.

ADDRESSES: Interested individuals may comment on the matches by writing

to the Associate Chief Medical Director for Administration (161D),

Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, 810

Vermont Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20420.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janice E. Wheeler (202) 273-6276,

Program Analyst, Income Verification Match Policy Service.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Further information regarding the matching

program is provided below. This information is required by Title 5

U.S.C. 552a(e)(12), the Privacy Act of 1974, as [[Page 21587]] amended.

A copy of this notice has been provided to both houses of Congress and

the Office of Management and Budget.

Approved: April 25, 1995.

Jesse Brown,

Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Report of Matching Program

Department of Veterans Affairs Patient Medical Records With Income

Records Maintained by the Internal Revenue Service and the Social

Security Administration

a. Authority: Title 38, U.S.C. 5106 and 5317; Pub. L. 101-508 as

amended by Pub. L. 102-568.

b. Program Description:

(1) Purpose: (a) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans

Health Administration (VHA) plans to match the household income

information contained in the medical records of certain nonservice-

connected veterans, with the income records for those persons

maintained by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Social

Security Administration (SSA). Those nonservice-connected veterans

subject to income verification matching are those veterans who are

receiving VA medical care in a mandatory eligibility category due to a

finding of low income subsequent to means testing.

(b) Currently, information about a veterans household income (i.e.,

veterans and spouses receipt of wage, self-employment and other income

as well as employment status, health insurance coverage and number of

dependents) is obtained when the veteran makes application for medical

care at a VA medical care facility. The household income and dependent

data is evaluated in a ``means test'' which takes into account

deductions of certain income not counted as such for Veterans Health

Administration eligibility purposes. Once a net income for the veteran

is established, it is applied against means test thresholds, or levels

of income establishing mandatory or discretionary eligibility for

medical care. If the veteran's net income falls below the applicable

means test threshold, he or she is eligible for mandatory care (i.e.,

no-cost care); however, if the net income falls over the applicable

threshold, the veteran is given a discretionary eligibility. Veterans

who are eligible for discretionary care are provided care if the VA

medical facility has the resources to treat discretionary veterans, and

if the veteran agrees to make a co-payment for such care. The proposed

matching programs will enable VA to verify the accuracy of reported

income and employment status and therefore more accurately determine

eligibility for medical care.

(2) Procedures: VA's Veterans Health Administration has established

an Income Verification Match (IVM) Center. The IVM Center will

electronically extract demographic and income data from each VA medical

care facility's database on nonservice-connected veterans found

eligible for mandatory care based solely on low income. The VHA IVM

extract file will be matched against IRS and SSA income records. If a

VHA record and SSA or IRS record match on social security number and

name, the IVM Center will begin an extensive case development and

verification process. This process will assure the validity of the

matched cases by verifying the IRS/SSA reported income amount with the

payer(s) and recipients of the income. Each veteran and/or spouse

identified by the match will be contacted in order to notify the

veteran and/or spouse of any income discrepancy identified by the

match, to verify the discrepancy, and to advise him or her of potential

changes to the veteran's medical care eligibility at the VA medical

center, and the potential billing action for co-payments. Before any

adverse action is taken, the individual(s) identified by the match will

be given the opportunity to contest the findings. Where there are

reasonable grounds to believe that there has been a violation of

criminal laws, the matter will be referred for prosecution

consideration in accordance with existing VA policies.

c. Records to be Matched: The VA records involved in the match are

patient medical records maintained in the ``Patient Medical Record-VA

(24VA136)'' published at 40 FR 38095 (8/26/75) and amended at 40 FR

52125 (11/7/75), 41 FR 2881 (1/20/76), 41 FR 11631 (3/19/76), 42 FR

30557 (6/15/72), 44 FR 31058 (5/30/79), 45 FR 77220 (11/21/80), 46 FR

2766 (1/12/81), 47 FR 28522 (6/30/82), 47 FR 51841 (11/17/82), 50 FR

11610 (3/22/85), 51 FR 25968 (7/17/86), 51 FR 44406 (12/9/86), 52 FR

381 (1/5/87), 53 FR 49818 (12/13/90), 55 FR 5112 (2/13/90), 55 FR 37604

(9/12/90), 55 FR 42534 (10/19/90), 56 FR 1054 (1/10/91), 57 FR 28003

(6/23/92), 57 FR 4519 (10/1/92), 58 FR 29853 (5/24/93), 58 FR 40852 (7/

30/93) and 58 FR 57674 (10/26/93). The IRS records are from the Wage

and Information Returns (IRP) Master File, Privacy Act system Treas/IRS

22.061. The SSA records are from the Earnings Recording and Self-

Employment Income system, HHS/SSA/OSR 09-60-0059.

d. Period of Match: The initial date exchanges are expected to

begin 40 days after the matching agreements are signed by the Data

Integrity Boards (DIB's) and Congressional Offices and OMB have been

notified, and 30 days from the date of publication of notice in the

Federal Register or 40 days from the date this notice is approved,

whichever is later. These matches may be extended by the involved DIB's

for a twelve-month period provided the agencies participating in the

match certify to the DIB's, within three months of the termination date

of the original match, that the matching program will be conducted

without change and the matching programs have been conducted in

compliance with the original matching agreements. The matches will not

continue past the date legislative authority to obtain this information

expires.

[FR Doc. 95-10692 Filed 5-1-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8320-01-M