Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
| Published date | 14 January 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 2224 |
| Record Number | 2020-00331 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Social Security Administration |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 9 (Tuesday, January 14, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2224-2227]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-00331]
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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
[Docket No. SSA-2019-0058]
Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
AGENCY: Office of Financial Policy and Operations, Office of Budget,
Finance, and Management, Social Security Administration (SSA).
ACTION: Notice of a modified system of records.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act, we are issuing public
notice of our intent to modify an existing system of records entitled,
Financial Transactions of SSA Accounting and Finance Offices (60-0231),
last published on January 11, 2006. This notice publishes details of
the modified system as set forth below under the caption, SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
DATES: The system of records notice (SORN) is applicable upon its
publication in today's Federal Register, with the exception of the new
routine uses, which are effective February 13, 2020. We invite public
comment on the routine uses or other aspects of this SORN. In
accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4) and (e)(11), the public is given a
30-day period in which to submit comments. Therefore, please submit any
comments by February 13, 2020.
ADDRESSES: The public, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and
Congress may comment on this publication by writing to the Executive
Director, Office of Privacy and Disclosure, Office of the General
Counsel, SSA, Room G-401 West High Rise, 6401 Security Boulevard,
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401, or through the Federal e-Rulemaking
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, please reference docket number
SSA-2019-0058. All comments we receive will be available for public
inspection at the above address and we will post them to http://www.regulations.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tristin Dorsey, Government Information
Specialist, Privacy Implementation Division, Office of Privacy and
Disclosure, Office of the General Counsel, SSA, Room G-401 West High
Rise, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401,
telephone: (410) 966-5855, email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We are modifying the system of records name
from ``Financial Transactions of SSA Accounting and Finance Offices,
SSA, Deputy Commissioner for Finance, Assessment and Management, Office
of Financial Policy and Operations'' to ``Social Security Online
Accounting and Reporting System'' to accurately reflect the system. We
are modifying the system manager and location to clarify the name of
the office.
We are clarifying the categories of individuals covered by the
system of records and clarifying how we will store and retrieve
records. We are also expanding the categories of records to include
collection payment information, taxpayer identification numbers, and
email addresses; and expanding the record source categories to include
existing SSA systems of records.
In addition, we are revising the language in routine use No. 1 to
clarify that we may also provide records to the Department of Treasury,
for the purpose of administering licenses for individuals residing in
sanctioned foreign countries. We are revising routine use No. 8 by
specifying additional debt collection reasons, in which we may disclose
information to the Department of Treasury.
We are deleting the following routine uses, of the prior version of
the SORN, as they are no longer applicable:
No. 2--this routine use permitted disclosures to members
of Congress, for the purpose of Federal financial assistance.
No. 5--this routine use permitted disclosures to Federal,
State, and local agencies that maintain civil, criminal, or other
relevant enforcement records or other pertinent records, for the
purpose of obtaining records relevant to an agency decision concerning
the hiring or retention of an employee; the issuance of a security
clearance; the letting of a contract; or the issuance of a license or
other benefit.
No. 6--this routine use permitted disclosures to Federal
agencies, in response to their request, for the purpose of obtaining
records relevant and necessary to an agency decision concerning the
hiring or retention of an employee; the issuance of a security
clearance; the reporting of an investigation of an employee; the
letting of a contract; or the issuance of a license or other benefit by
the requesting agency.
No. 7--this routine use permitted disclosures to Federal
agencies that have the power to subpoena records, e.g., the Internal
Revenue Service or the Civil Rights Commission, in response to a
subpoena for information.
No. 11(a)--this routine use permitted disclosures to the
Department of Treasury, for purposes of determining whether an
individual has a delinquent tax account and determining an individual's
creditworthiness.
We are adding three new routine uses to permit disclosures to the
Office of the President, for the purpose of responding to an inquiry
received; to Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies and
private contractors, for the safety and security of SSA employees,
customers, and facilities; and to the Internal Revenue Service, for
auditing purposes of the safeguard provisions of Internal Revenue Code
of 1986. Lastly, we are modifying the notice throughout to correct
miscellaneous stylistic formatting and typographical errors of the
previously published notice, and to ensure the language reads
consistently across multiple systems. We are republishing the entire
notice for ease of reference.
In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(r), we have provided a report to
OMB and Congress on this modified system of records.
Matthew Ramsey,
Executive Director, Office of Privacy and Disclosure, Office of the
General Counsel.
SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER
Social Security Online Accounting and Reporting System, 60-0231
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
Unclassified.
SYSTEM LOCATION:
Social Security Administration, Office of Budget, Finance, and
Management, Office of Financial Policy and Operations, 6401 Security
Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401.
SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
Social Security Administration, Deputy Commissioner of Office of
Budget, Finance, and Management, Office of Financial Policy and
Operations, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401,
[email protected].
AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
Sections 204 and 1631 of the Social Security Act, as amended;
Budget and Accounting Procedures Act of 1950 (Pub. L. 81-784); Debt
Collection Act of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-365); Debt Collection Improvement
Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-134); International Emergency Economic Powers
Act (Pub. L. 95-223); Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (Pub.
L. 113-101); and SSA Regulations (20 CFR parts 404, 416, and 422).
[[Page 2225]]
PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
We will use the information in this system to track payments to
individuals, exclusive of salaries and wages; establish receivable
records for recovery of overpayments and tracking repayment status;
develop reports of non-employee vendors for applicable State and local
taxing officials of taxable income; validate and certify payments; and
internal auditing.
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
This system maintains information about individuals who make
payments to or receive payments from us including, but not limited to,
employees traveling on official business, employees participating in
the vision program, contractors, grantees, consultants, Social Security
beneficiaries or recipients who may have been overpaid; and for
individuals who have received goods or services for which there is a
charge or fee.
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
This system consists of records received, created, or compiled
pertaining to collection and summary level payment information
including, but not limited to, name; Social Security number (SSN);
taxpayer identification number; email address; purpose of payment,
accounting classification, and amount paid; credit card information;
the amount of indebtedness for overpayments and delinquent grants;
repayment status; collection amount; travel vouchers submitted for
reimbursement of travel and other expenditures, while on official
business; the amount of indebtedness for employee overpayments,
exclusive of salaries and wages; and Video Display Terminal (VDT)
vouchers submitted for reimbursement of vision costs.
RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
We obtain information in this system of records from existing SSA
systems of records such as the Master Beneficiary Record, 60-0090, and
Supplemental Security Income Record and Special Veterans Benefits, 60-
0103; and from the individual to whom the record pertains, including
individual travel and VDT vouchers, grants, contract and purchase order
award documents, delinquent grant records, invoices of services
rendered or goods received, and applications for travel or salary
advances.
ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES
OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
We will disclose records pursuant to the following routine uses;
however, we will not disclose any information defined as ``return or
return information'' under 26 U.S.C. 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code
(IRC), unless authorized by a statute, the Internal Revenue Service
(IRS), or IRS regulations.
1. To the Department of the Treasury,
(a) for check preparation;
(b) to provide the Office of Foreign Assets Control relevant and
necessary information concerning SSA payments for investigations of
individuals, groups, companies, or countries on the Specially
Designated National and Blocked Persons List; and
(c) for the purpose of administering licenses for individuals
residing in foreign countries.
2. To a congressional office in response to an inquiry from that
office made on behalf of, and at the request of, the subject of the
record or a third party acting on the subject's behalf.
3. To the Department of Justice (DOJ), in the event that we deem it
desirable, or necessary, in determining whether particular records are
required to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act.
4. To officials of labor organizations recognized under 5 U.S.C.
71, when relevant and necessary to their duties of exclusive
representation concerning personnel policies, practices, and matters
affecting conditions of employment.
5. To DOJ, a court or other tribunal, or another party before such
court or tribunal, when
(a) SSA, or any component thereof; or
(b) any SSA employee in his or her official capacity; or
(c) any SSA employee in his or her individual capacity where DOJ
(or SSA where it is authorized to do so) has agreed to represent the
employee; or
(d) the United States or any agency thereof where we determine the
litigation is likely to affect SSA or any of its components, is a party
to the litigation or has an interest in such litigation, and we
determine that the use of such records by DOJ, a court or other
tribunal, or another party before the tribunal, is relevant and
necessary to the litigation, provided, however, that in each case, we
determine that such disclosure is compatible with the purpose for which
the records were collected.
6. To credit reporting agencies, to obtain a credit report about a
potential contractor or grantee in order to determine the potential
contractor's or grantee's creditworthiness.
7. To the Department of the Treasury,
(a) to assist us in recovering the collection of delinquent
administrative debts through Administrative Wage Garnishment (31 U.S.C.
3720D) via the Treasury Crossing Servicing program as authorized by the
Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996;
(b) to recover debts through reduction of tax refund payments
pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 3720A; or
(c) for any other debt collection method authorized under law.
8. To the following entities in order to help collect a debt owed
the United States:
(a) to another Federal agency, so that agency can effect a salary
offset;
(b) to another Federal agency, so that agency can effect an
administrative offset under common law or under 31 U.S.C. 3716
(withholding from money payable to, or held on behalf of, the
individual);
(c) to the Department of Treasury, to request the mailing address
of an individual under the IRC (26 U.S.C. 6103(m)(2)(A)), for the
purpose of locating the individual to collect or compromise a Federal
claim against the individual, in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3711, 3717
and 3718;
(d) to an agent of SSA that is a consumer reporting agency within
the meaning of 15 U.S.C. 1681a(f), the mailing address of an individual
may be disclosed to such agent for the purpose of allowing such agent
to prepare a commercial credit report on the individual for use by SSA
in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3711, 3717 and 3718;
(e) to debt collection agents under 31 U.S.C. 3718 or under common
law to help collect a debt; and
(f) to DOJ for litigation or for further administrative action; in
accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3711(e)(1)(F), disclosure under parts (a)-(c)
and (e) is limited to information necessary to establish the identity
of the person, including name, address and taxpayer identification or
SSN, the amount status and history of the claim, and the agency or
program under which the claim arose.
9. To another Federal agency, that has asked SSA to effect an
administrative offset under common law or under 31 U.S.C. 3716, to help
collect a debt owed the United States; disclosure under this routine
use is limited to the individual's name, address, SSN, and other
information necessary to identify the individual information about the
money payable to, or held for, the individual, and other information
concerning the administrative offset.
10. To IRS and State and local tax authorities, when income and
payments are reported to them concerning employees, contractors, and
when amounts are written-off as legally or
[[Page 2226]]
administratively uncollectible, in whole or in part.
11. To banks enrolled in the Treasury credit card network, to
collect a payment or debt when the individual has given his or her
credit card number for this purpose.
12. To student volunteers, individuals working under a personal
services contract, and other workers who technically do not have the
status of Federal employees, when they are performing work for us, as
authorized by law, and they need access to personally identifiable
information (PII) in our records in order to perform their assigned
agency functions.
13. To the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
under 44 U.S.C. 2904 and 2906.
14. To contractors and other Federal agencies, as necessary, for
the purpose of assisting us in the efficient administration of its
programs. We will disclose information under this routine use only in
situations in which we may enter into a contractual or similar
agreement to obtain assistance in accomplishing an SSA function
relating to this system of records.
15. To appropriate agencies, entities, and persons when:
(a) SSA suspects or has confirmed that there has been a breach of
the system of records;
(b) SSA has determined that as a result of the suspected or
confirmed breach there is a risk of harm to individuals, SSA (including
its information systems, programs, and operations), the Federal
Government, or national security; and
(c) the disclosure made to such agencies, entities, and persons is
reasonably necessary to assist in connection with SSA's efforts to
respond to the suspected or confirmed breach or to prevent, minimize,
or remedy such harm.
16. To another Federal agency or Federal entity, when we determine
that information from this system of records is reasonably necessary to
assist the recipient agency or entity in:
(a) Responding to a suspected or confirmed breach; or
(b) preventing, minimizing, or remedying the risk of harm to
individuals, the recipient agency or entity (including its information
systems, programs, and operations), the Federal Government, or national
security, resulting from a suspected or confirmed breach.
17. To the Office of the President, in response to an inquiry
received from that office made on behalf of, and at the request of, the
subject of record or a third party acting on the subject's behalf.
18. To Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies and
private security contractors, as appropriate, information necessary:
(a) To enable them to protect the safety of SSA employees and
customers, the security of the SSA workplace and the operation of our
facilities, or
(b) to assist investigations or prosecutions with respect to
activities that affect such safety and security or activities that
disrupt the operation of our facilities.
19. To the IRS, Department of the Treasury, for the purpose of
auditing SSA's compliance with the safeguard provisions of the IRC of
1986, as amended.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
We will maintain records in this system in paper and in electronic
form.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
We will retrieve records in this system by name, SSN, voucher
number, or collection number.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
In accordance with NARA rules codified at 36 CFR 1225.16, we
maintain records in accordance with the approved NARA General Records
Schedule 1.1, Financial Management and Reporting Records (DAA-GRS-2013-
0003-0001 and DAA-GRS-2013-0003-0002).
ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
We retain electronic and paper files containing personal
identifiers in secure storage areas accessible only by our authorized
employees and contractors who have a need for the information when
performing their official duties. Security measures include, but are
not limited to, the use of codes and profiles, personal identification
number and password, and personal identification verification cards. We
restrict access to specific correspondence within the system based on
assigned roles and authorized users. We maintain electronic files with
personal identifiers in secure storage areas. We use audit mechanisms
to record sensitive transactions as an additional measure to protect
information from unauthorized disclosure or modification. We keep paper
records in cabinets within secure areas, with access limited to only
those employees who have an official need for access in order to
perform their duties.
We annually provide our employees and contractors with appropriate
security awareness training that includes reminders about the need to
protect PII and the criminal penalties that apply to unauthorized
access to, or disclosure of, PII (5 U.S.C. 552a(i)(1)). Furthermore,
employees and contractors with access to databases maintaining PII must
annually sign a sanctions document that acknowledges their
accountability for inappropriately accessing or disclosing such
information.
RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
Individuals may submit requests for information about whether this
system contains a record about them by submitting a written request to
the system manager at the above address, which includes their name,
SSN, or other information that may be in this system of records that
will identify them. Individuals requesting notification of, or access
to, a record by mail must include: (1) A notarized statement to us to
verify their identity; or (2) must certify in the request that they are
the individual they claim to be and that they understand that the
knowing and willful request for, or acquisition of, a record pertaining
to another individual under false pretenses is a criminal offense.
Individuals requesting notification of, or access to, records in
person must provide their name, SSN, or other information that may be
in this system of records that will identify them, as well as provide
an identity document, preferably with a photograph, such as a driver's
license. Individuals lacking identification documents sufficient to
establish their identity must certify in writing that they are the
individual they claim to be and that they understand that the knowing
and willful request for, or acquisition of, a record pertaining to
another individual under false pretenses is a criminal offense.
These procedures are in accordance with our regulations at 20 CFR
401.40 and 401.45.
CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
Same as record access procedures. Individuals should also
reasonably identify the record, specify the information they are
contesting, and state the corrective action sought and the reasons for
the correction with supporting justification showing how the record is
incomplete, untimely, inaccurate, or irrelevant. These procedures are
in accordance with our regulations at 20 CFR 401.65(a).
NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
Same as records access procedures. These procedures are in
accordance
[[Page 2227]]
with our regulations at 20 CFR 401.40 and 401.45.
EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:
None.
HISTORY:
71 FR 1847, Financial Transactions of SSA Accounting and Finance
Offices.
72 FR 69723, Financial Transactions of SSA Accounting and Finance
Offices.
[FR Doc. 2020-00331 Filed 1-13-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P
