Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Defense Logistics Agency

Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program

AGENCY: Defense Manpower Data Center, Defense Logistics Agency, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of a Computer Matching Program.

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SUMMARY: Subsection (e)(12) of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, (5

U.S.C. 552a) requires agencies to publish advance notice of any

proposed or revised computer matching program by the matching agency

for public comment. The Department of Defense (DoD), as the matching

agency under the Privacy Act, is hereby giving constructive notice in

lieu of direct notice to the record subjects of a computer matching

program between the Department of the Treasury and DoD that their

records are being matched by computer. The record subjects are

delinquent debtors of the Bureau of the Public Debt, Department of the

Treasury, who are current or former Federal employees receiving any

Federal salary or benefit payments and who are indebted or delinquent

in their repayment of debts to the United States Government under

certain programs administered by the Public Debt.

DATES: This proposed action will become effective February 24, 1999 and

matching may commence unless changes to the matching program are

required due to public comments or by Congressional or by Office of

Management and Budget objections. Any public comment must be received

before the effective date.

ADDRESSES: Any interested party may submit written comments to the

Director, Defense Privacy Office, 1941 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite

920, Arlington, VA 22202-4502.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Vahan Moushegian, Jr. at (703)

607-2943.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to subsection (o) of the Privacy

Act of 1974, as amended, (5 U.S.C. 552a), the Department of the

Treasury and the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) have concluded an

agreement to conduct a computer matching program. The purpose of the

match is to exchange personal data between the agencies for debt

collection. The match will yield the identity and location of the

debtors within the Federal Government so that the Bureau can pursue

recoupment of the debt by voluntary payment or by administrative or

salary offset procedures. Computer matching appeared to be the most

efficient and effective manner to accomplish this task with the least

amount of intrusion of personal privacy of the individuals concerned.

It was therefore concluded and agreed upon that computer matching would

be the best and least obtrusive manner and choice for accomplishing

this requirement.

A copy of the computer matching agreement between the Department of

the Treasury and DMDC is available to the public upon request. Requests

should be submitted to the address caption above or to the Debt

Collection Officer, Bureau of Public Debt, Hintgen Building, Room 114,

P.O. Box 1328, Parkersburg, WV 26106-1328.

Set forth below is the notice of the establishment of the computer

matching program required by paragraph 6.c. of the Office of Management

and Budget Guidelines on computer matching published on June 19, 1989,

at 54 FR 25818.

The matching agreement, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(r) of the

Privacy Act, and an advance copy of this notice was submitted on

January 12, 1999, to the House Committee on Government Reform and

Oversight, the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, and the

Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget pursuant to paragraph 4d of Appendix I

to OMB Circular No. A-130, 'Federal Agency Responsibilities for

Maintaining Records about Individuals,' dated February 8, 1996

(February 20, 1996, 61 FR 6427).

Dated: January 19, 1999.

L. M. Bynum,

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.

COMPUTER MATCHING PROGRAM BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY/

BUREAU OF PUBLIC DEBT, AND THE DEFENSE MANPOWER DATA CENTER AND THE

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR DEBT COLLECTION.

A. Participating agencies: Participants in this computer matching

program are the Bureau of Public Debt, Department of the Treasury and

the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), Department of Defense (DoD).

The Bureau of Public Debt is the source agency, i.e., the agency

disclosing the records for the purpose of the match. DMDC is the

specific recipient or matching agency, i.e., the agency that actually

performs the computer matching.

B. Purpose of the match: The purpose of the match is to identify

and locate any matched Federal personnel, employed, serving or retired,

who owe delinquent debts to the Federal Government under certain

programs administered by the Bureau of Public Debt. The Bureau will use

this information to initiate independent collection of those debts

under the provisions of the Debt Collection Act of 1982, as amended,

when voluntary payment is not forthcoming. These collection efforts

will include requests by the Bureau of the military service/employing

agency in the case of military personnel (either active, reserve, or

retired) and current non-postal civilian employees, and to the Office

of Personnel Management in the case of retired non-postal civilian

employees to apply administrative and/or salary offset procedures until

such time as the obligation is paid in full.

C. Authority for conducting the match: The legal authority for

conducting the matching program is contained in the Debt Collection Act

of 1982 (Public Law 97-365), as amended by the Debt Collection

Improvement Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-134, section

[[Page 3688]]

31001); 31 U.S.C. Chapter 37, Subchapter I (General) and Subchapter II

(Claims of the United States Government), 31 U.S.C. 3711 Collection and

Compromise, 31 U.S.C. 3716 Administrative Offset, 5 U.S.C. 5514

Installment Deduction for Indebtedness (Salary Offset); 10 U.S.C. 135,

Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) Section 101(l) of Executive

Order 12731; 4 CFR 101.1-105.3, Federal Claims Collection Standards; 5

CFR 550.1101 550.1108 Collection by Offset from Indebted Government

Employees (OPM) and 31 CFR Part 5, Subparts B and D (Department of

Treasury).

D. Records to be matched: The systems of records maintained by the

respective agencies under the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, from

which records will be disclosed for the purpose of this computer match

are as follows:

1. The Bureau of Public Debt will use personal data from the

following record systems for the match:

A. Treasury/BPD.001, entitled 'Human Resources and Administrative

Records,' last published in the Federal Register at 63 FR 69936,

December 17, 1998.

B. Treasury/BPD.002, entitled 'United States Savings Type

Securities,' last published in the Federal Register at 63 FR 69938,

December 17, 1998.

C. Treasury/BPD.003, entitled 'United States Securities (Other

than Savings Type Securities),' last published in the Federal Register

at 63 FR 69940, December 17, 1998.

D. Treasury/DO.002, entitled 'Treasury Integrated Management

Information System (TIMIS),' last published in the Federal Register at

63 FR 69719, December 17, 1998.

E. Treasury/DO.210, entitled 'Treasury Integrated Financial

Management and Revenue System,' last published in the Federal Register

at 63 FR 69741, December 17, 1998.

F. Treasury/DO.211, entitled 'Telephone Call Detail Records,' last

published in the Federal Register at 63 FR 69743, December 17, 1998.

2. DOD will use personal data from the record system identified as

S322.11 DMDC, entitled 'Federal Creditor Agency Debt Collection

Database,' last published in the Federal Register at 61 FR 32779, June

25, 1996.

E. Description of computer matching program: The Bureau of Public

Debt, as the source agency, will provide DMDC with an electronic file

which contains the names of delinquent debtors in programs the Bureau

administers. Upon receipt of the electronic file of debtor accounts,

DMDC will perform a computer match using all nine digits of the SSN of

the Bureau's file against a DMDC computer database. The DMDC database,

established under an interagency agreement between DOD, OPM, OMB and

the Treasury Department, consists of employment records of non-postal

Federal employees and military members, active and retired. The 'hits'

or matches will be furnished to the Bureau. The Bureau is responsible

for verifying and determining that the data on the DMDC reply tape file

are consistent with the Bureau's source file and for resolving any

discrepancies or inconsistencies on an individual basis. The Bureau

will also be responsible for making final determinations as to positive

identification, amount of indebtedness and recovery efforts as a result

of the match.

The electronic file provided by the Bureau of Public Debt will

contain data elements of the debtor's name, SSN, internal account

numbers and the total amount owed for each debtor on approximately 2000

delinquent debtors. The electronic file provided by DMDC will contain

an individual's name, SSN, military service or employing agency and

current work or home address.

The DMDC computer database file contains approximately 4.8 million

records of active duty and retired military members, including Reserve

and Guard, and approximately 3.5 million records of active and retired

non-postal Federal civilian employees.

F. Inclusive dates of the matching program: This computer matching

program is subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget and

Congress. If the mandatory 30 day period for public comment has expired

and if no objections are raised by either Congress of the Office of

Management and Budget within 40 days of being notified of the proposed

match, the computer matching program becomes effective and the

respective agencies may begin the exchange of data at a mutually

agreeable time on an annual basis. By agreement between the Department

of the Treasury and DoD, the matching program will be in effect and

continue for 18 months with an option to extend for 12 additional

months unless one of the parties to the agreement advises the other by

written request to terminate or modify the agreement.

H. Address for receipt of public comments or inquiries: Director,

Defense Privacy Office, 1941 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 920,

Arlington, VA 22202-4502. Telephone (703) 607-2943.

[FR Doc. 99-1567 Filed 1-22-99; 8:45 am]

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