Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice--Computer Matching Between the Department of Education

and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act

of 1988, Pub. L. 100-503, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Final Guidelines on the Conduct of Matching Programs, notice is hereby

given of the computer matching program between the Department of

Education (ED) (the recipient agency) and the Department of Veterans

Affairs (VA) (the source agency).

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as

amended by the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988,

OMB Final Guidelines on the Conduct of Matching Programs (see 54 FR

25818, June 19,

[[Page 55101]]

1989), and OMB Circular A-130, the following information is provided:

1. Names of Participating Agencies

The Department of Education and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

2. Purpose of the Match

The purpose of the match is to verify the status of applicants for

financial assistance under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of

1965, as amended (HEA) who claim to be veterans.

The Secretary of Education is authorized by the HEA to administer

the Title IV programs and to enforce the terms and conditions of the

HEA. The Secretary has the authority to treat veterans as independent

applicants, and those who claim veteran status do not have to provide

parental income and asset information to apply for Title IV, HEA

program assistance.

Section 480(c) of the HEA defines the term ``veteran'' to mean any

individual who (A) has engaged in the active duty in the United States

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard; and (B) was released

under a condition other than dishonorable. Section 480(d)(3) of the HEA

enables an applicant who claims veteran status (as defined in

subsection (c)(1)) to meet the definition of an independent student for

purposes of Title IV, HEA program assistance eligibility.

3. Authority for Conducting the Matching Program

Section 480(c) and (d)(3) of the HEA; Title 38, U.S.C., section

210(c), as amended by section 501(a) and (b).

4. Categories of Records and Individuals Covered by the Match

ED will provide the Social Security Number and other identifying

information of each applicant who indicates that he or she is a

veteran. This information will be extracted from the Federal Student

Aid Application File system of records (18-40-0014). The ED data will

be matched against the Veterans and Beneficiaries Identification and

Records Location Subsystem--VA (38VA23).

5. Effective Dates of the Matching Program

The matching program will become effective on January 1, 1999, or

40 days after a copy of the computer matching agreement, as approved by

the Data Integrity Board of each agency, is sent to Congress and OMB,

unless OMB objects to some or all of the agreement, or 30 days after

publication of this notice in the Federal Register, whichever date is

later. The matching program will continue for 18 months after the

effective date and may be extended for an additional 12 months

thereafter, if the conditions specified in 5 U.S.C. 522a(o)(2)(D) have

been met.

6. Address for Receipt of Public Comments or Inquiries

Individuals wishing to comment on this matching program or obtain

additional information about the program including a copy of the

computer matching agreement between ED and VA should contact Sr.

Bernardine Hayes, Program Specialist, Policy Development Division, U.S.

Department of Education, 600 Independence Avenue, SW (Room 3045, ROB-

3), Washington, DC 20202-5447. Telephone (202) 708-8242. Written

comments should be submitted to Sr. Hayes at this address. Individuals

who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the

Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 between 8

a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time, Monday through Friday.

Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an

alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer

diskette) on request to the contact person listed in the preceding

paragraph.

Electronic Access to This Document

Anyone may view this document, as well as all other Department of

Education documents published in the Federal Register, in text or

portable document format (pdf) on the World Wide Web at either of the

following sites:

http://ocfo.ed.gov/fedreg.htm

http://www.ed.gov/news.html

To use the pdf you must have the Adobe Acrobat Reader Program with

Search, which is available free through either of the previous sites.

If you have questions about using the pdf, call the U.S. Government

Printing Office at (202) 512-1530 or, toll free, at 1-888-293-6498.

Anyone may view these documents in text copy only on an electronic

bulletin board of the Department. Telephone: (202) 219-1511 or, toll

free, 1-800-222-4922. The documents are located under Option G--Files/

Announcements, Bulletins and Press Releases.

Note: The official version of this document is the document

published in the Federal Register.

Dated: October 6, 1998.

David A. Longanecker,

Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education.

[FR Doc. 98-27519 Filed 10-13-98; 8:45 am]

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