03-31506. Privacy Act of 1974; Report of Matching Program

AGENCY:

Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION:

Notice.

Notice is hereby given that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) intends to continue a recurring computer matching program matching Office of Personnel Management (OPM) records with VA pension and parents' dependency and indemnity compensation (DIC) records.

The goal of this match is to compare income status as reported to VA with records maintained by OPM.

VA plans to match records of veterans and surviving spouses and children who receive pension, and parents who receive DIC from VA with OPM benefit records maintained by OPM. The match with OPM will provide VA with data from OPM civil service benefit records.

VA will use this information to update the master records of VA beneficiaries receiving income dependent benefits and to adjust VA benefit payments as prescribed by law. Otherwise, information about a VA beneficiary's receipt of OPM benefits is obtained from reporting by the beneficiary. The proposed matching program will enable VA to ensure accurate reporting of income.

Records to be Matched: The VA records involved in the match are the VA system of records, VA Compensation, Pension and Education and Rehabilitation Records—VA (58 VA 21/22) first published at 41 FR 924 (March 3, 1976), and last amended at 66 FR 47727 (September 13, 2001), with other amendments as cited therein. The OPM records involved in the match are from the OPM Civil Service Retirement Pay File identified as OPM Central-1, Civil Service Retirement and Insurance Records, published as 64 FR 54930, October 8, 1999, as amended May 3, 2000 (65 FR 25775). In accordance with title 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2) and (r), copies of the agreement are being sent to both Houses of Congress and to the Office of Management and Budget.

This notice is provided in accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 as amended by Public Law 100-503.

The match will 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 of the parties are submitted to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget, whichever is later, and end not more than 18 months after the agreement is properly implemented by the parties. The involved agencies' Data Integrity Boards (DIBs) may extend this match for 12 months provided the agencies certify to their DIBs, within three months of the ending date of the original match, that the matching program will be conducted without change and that the matching program has been conducted in compliance with the original matching program.

ADDRESSES:

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments, suggestions, or objections regarding the proposal to conduct the matching program to the Director, Regulations Management (00REG1), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Room 1068, Washington, DC 20420. All written comments received will be available for public inspection in the Office of Regulations Management, Room 1063B, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Fridays except holidays. Please call [phone] for an appointment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Paul Trowbridge (212B), [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This information is required by title 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(12), the Privacy Act of 1974. A copy of this notice has been provided to both Houses of Congress and the Office of Management and Budget.

Approved: December 15, 2003.

Anthony J. Principi,

Secretary of Veterans Affairs.