2013-31166. Privacy Act of 1974; Notice of an Updated System of Records

AGENCY:

General Services Administration.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) reviewed its Privacy Act systems to ensure that they are relevant, necessary, accurate, up-to-date, and covered by the appropriate legal or regulatory authority.

DATES:

Effective date: January 29, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Call or email the GSA Privacy Act Officer: Telephone [phone]; email [e-mail].

ADDRESSES:

GSA Privacy Act Officer (ISP), U.S. General Services Administration, 1800 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20405.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

GSA completed an agency-wide review of its Privacy Act systems of records. As a result of the review, the GSA is publishing an updated Privacy Act system of records notice (SORN). A new routine use was added under the Routine Use Section (Item d) to allow GSA to send reports, data, and information directly to a client agency's contract employees. Nothing in the revised system notice indicates a change in authorities or practices regarding the collection and maintenance of information, and the changes do not affect individuals' rights to access or amend their records in the system of records.

Dated: December 19, 2013.

James L. Atwater,

Director, Policy and Compliance Division, Office of the Chief Information Security Officer.

GSA/PPFM-9

SYSTEM NAME:

Payroll Accounting and Reporting (PAR) System.

SYSTEM LOCATION:

The system is located in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) in Kansas City, Missouri; in commissions, committees, and small agencies serviced by GSA; and in administrative offices throughout GSA.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:

Those covered are present and former employees of GSA and of commissions, committees, and small agencies serviced by GSA; and persons in intern, youth employment, and work/study programs.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:

The PAR system provides complete functionality for an employee's entire service life from initial hire through final payment and submission of retirement records to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The system holds payroll records, and includes information received by operating officials as well as personnel and finance officials administering their program areas, including information regarding nonsupport of dependent children. The system also contains data needed to perform detailed accounting distributions and provide for tasks such as mailing checks and bonds and preparing and mailing tax returns and reports. The record system may contain:

a. Employee's name, Social Security Number, home address, date of birth, sex, work schedule, and type of appointment.

b. Service computation date for assigning leave, occupational series, position, grade, step, salary, award amounts, and accounting distribution.

c. Time, attendance, and leave; Federal, State, and local tax; allotments; savings bonds; and other pay allowances and deductions.

d. Tables of data for editing, reporting, and processing personnel and pay actions, which include nature-of-action code, organization table, and salary table.

e. Information regarding court-ordered payments to support dependent children, including amounts in arrears.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:

5 U.S.C. Part III, Subparts D and E; 26 U.S.C. Chapters 24 and 25; and E.O. 9397, as amended.

PURPOSE:

To maintain an automated information system to support the day-to-day operating needs of the payroll program. The system can provide payroll statistics for all types of Government organizations and allows many uses for each data element entered. The system has a number of outputs. For the payroll office, outputs include. comprehensive payroll reports; accounting distribution of costs; leave data summary reports; each employee's statement of earnings, deductions, and leave every payday; State, city, and local unemployment compensation reports; Federal, State, and local tax reports; Forms W-2, Wage and Tax Statement; and reports of withholding and contributions.

For the Office of Human Resources Services, outputs include data for reports of Federal civilian employment. The system also provides data to GSA staff and administrative offices to use for management purposes.

ROUTINE USES OF THE SYSTEM RECORDS, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS AND THEIR PURPOSE FOR USING THE SYSTEM:

a. To disclose information to a Federal, State, local, or foreign agency responsible for investigating, prosecuting, enforcing, or carrying out a statute, rule, regulation, or order, where the agency becomes aware of a violation or potential violation of civil or criminal law or regulation.

b. To disclose requested information to a court or other authorized agency regarding payment or nonpayment of court-ordered support for a dependent child.

c. To disclose information to Congressional staff in response to a request from the person who is the subject of the record.

d. To disclose information to an expert, consultant, or contractor of the GSA in the performance of a Federal duty to which the information is relevant; to a board, committee, commission, or small agency receiving administrative services from the GSA to which the information relates; or an expert, consultant, or contractor of a board, committee, commission, or small agency receiving administrative services from the GSA to which the information relates in the performance of a Federal duty to which the information is relevant.

e. To disclose information to a Federal, State, or local agency maintaining civil, criminal, enforcement, or other information to obtain information needed to make a decision on hiring or retaining an employee, issuing a security clearance, letting a contract, or issuing a license, grant, or other benefit.

f. To disclose requested information to a Federal agency in connection with hiring or retaining an employee, issuing a security clearance, reporting an employee investigation, or clarifying a job.

g. To disclose information to an appeal, grievance, or formal complaints examiner; equal employment opportunity investigator; arbitrator; union official or other official engaged in investigating or settling a grievance, complaint, or appeal filed by an employee.

h. To disclose information to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for reviewing private relief legislation at any stage of the clearance process.

i. To provide a copy of the U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, to the State, city, or other local jurisdiction that is authorized to tax the employee's compensation. The record is provided by a withholding agreement between the State, city, or other local jurisdiction and the Department of the Treasury under 5 U.S.C. 5516, 5517, and 5520.

j. To disclose information to the Office of the Chief People Officer in reporting civilian employment.

k. To disclose information to agency administrative offices who may restructure the data for management purposes.

l. To appropriate agencies, entities, and persons when (1) the Agency suspects or has confirmed that the security or confidentiality of information in the system of records has been compromised; (2) the Agency has determined that as a result of the suspected or confirmed compromise there is a risk of harm to economic or property interests, identity theft or fraud, or harm to the security or integrity of this system or other systems or programs (whether maintained by the GSA or another agency or entity) that rely upon the compromised information; and (3) the disclosure made to such agencies, entities, and persons is reasonably necessary to assist in connection with the GSA's efforts to respond to the suspected or confirmed compromise and prevent, minimize, or remedy such harm.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:

STORAGE:

Paper records are kept in file folders, within locked power files; microfiches in cabinets; and computer records within a computer and attached equipment. All paper records are secured with the National Payroll Branch (NPB), which is a secured area at the GSA NPB in Kansas City, Missouri.

RETRIEVAL:

Records are filed by name or Social Security Number at each location.

SAFEGUARDS:

Records are stored in locked power files, within the NPB in Kansas City, when not in use by an authorized person. Electronic records are protected by a password system and other appropriate security measures. The NPB is a secured access facility.

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:

The Financial and Payroll Services Division disposes of the records by shredding or burning, as scheduled in the handbook GSA Records Maintenance and Disposition System (CIO P 1820.1).

SYSTEM MANAGER AND ADDRESS:

Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Office of Financial Policy and Operations, U.S. General Services Administration, 1800 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20405.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:

An individual inquiry should be addressed to the system manager.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:

An individual request should be addressed to the system manager. Furnish full name, Social Security Number, address, telephone number, approximate dates and places of employment, and nature of the request.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:

The GSA rules for contesting the content of a record and appealing an initial decision are in 41 CFR 105-64.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:

The sources are the individuals themselves, other employees, supervisors, officials of other agencies, State governments, record systems including GSA/PPFM-8, OPM/GOVT-1, and private firms.