[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 158 (Tuesday, August 18, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41735-41737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-19800]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5291-N-03]


Privacy Act; Notification of Intent to Establish a New Privacy 
Act System of Records; Disaster Information System (DIS)

AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information Officer, HUD.

ACTION: Notification of a New Privacy Act System of Records.

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SUMMARY: HUD proposes to establish a new record system to add to its 
inventory of systems of records subject to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 
U.S.C. 552a), as amended. The proposed new system of records is 
Disaster Information System (DIS). DIS will contain information on 
families who apply for and are determined by FEMA to be eligible to 
receive disaster housing assistance after a presidentially declared 
disaster. This record system will support the Disaster Housing 
Assistance Program (DHAP), which is a temporary rental housing 
assistance program established by an Interagency Agreement (IAA) 
between HUD and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal 
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). DHAP will provide rent subsidies 
for HUD assisted individuals and families displaced by a presidentially 
declared disaster.

DATES: Effective Date: This action shall be effective without further 
notice on September 17, 2009 unless comments are received that would 
result in a contrary determination.
    Comments Due Date: September 17, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this notice to the Rules Docket Clerk, Office of General Counsel, 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW., 
Washington, Room 10276, DC 20410. Communications should refer to the 
above docket number and title. A copy of each communication submitted 
will be available for public inspection and copying between 8 a.m. and 
5 p.m. weekdays at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For Privacy Act Inquiries: Office of 
the Chief Information Officer, contact Donna Robinson-Staton, 
Departmental Privacy Act Officer, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW., Room 2256, Washington, DC 20410, 
Telephone Number (202) 402-8073. For program information: Jerry 
Armstrong, IT Division Director for Public and Indian Housing 
Information Management, Potomac Center, 550 Twelfth Street, SW., First 
Floor, Washington, DC 20410, Telephone Number, (202) 475-8742 or Dudley 
Ives, DIS Information Technology Manager, Potomac Center, 550 Twelfth 
Street, First Floor, SW., Washington, DC 20410, Telephone Number, (202) 
475-8603. (These are not toll-free numbers.) A telecommunication device 
for hearing- and speech-impaired individuals (TTY) is available at 1-
800-877-8339 (Federal Information Relay Service).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 
U.S.C. 552a), as amended, this notice is HUD's notification of its 
intent to establish a new system of records for its DIS. Title 5 U.S.C. 
552a(e)(4) and (11) provide that the public be afforded a 30-day period 
in which to comment on the system of

[[Page 41736]]

records, and require published notice of the existence and character of 
the system of records. The system report was submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB), the Senate Committee on Governmental 
Affairs, and the House Committee on Government Reform pursuant to 
paragraph 4c of Appendix 1 to OMB Circular No. A-130, ``Federal Agency 
Responsibilities for Maintaining Records About Individuals,'' July 25, 
1994; 59 FR 37914.

    Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552a, 88 Stat. 1896; 42 U.S.C. 3535(d).

    Dated: August 11, 2009.
Jerry E. Williams,
Chief Information Officer.
HUD/PIH-07

SYSTEM NAME:
    Disaster Information System (DIS).

SYSTEM LOCATION:
    DIS system servers are located in Charleston, WV; and access is 
enabled via a web application interface. The servers are maintained by 
HUD Information Technology Services (HITS) contractor, and HUD's 
information technology partners: Electronic Data Services (EDS) and 
Lockheed Martin.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
    Families determined to be eligible for the disaster housing 
assistance program, which is administered by the Department of Housing 
and Urban Development and Public Housing Authorities.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    Records consist of family composition details, income, and rent 
data obtained from FEMA and PHAs. More specifically, the system of 
records contains information such as names and social security numbers 
for individuals and family members; alien registration information; 
address and tenant unit numbers; financial data such as income, 
adjustments to income, tenant family composition characteristics such 
as family size, sex of family members, information about the family 
that would qualify them for certain adjustments or for admission to a 
project limited to a special population (e.g., elderly, handicapped, or 
disabled); relationships of members of the household to the head of 
household (e.g., spouse, child); preferences applicable to the family 
at admission; income status at admission; race and ethnicity of 
household members; unit characteristics such as number of bedrooms; 
geographic data obtained by the PHA.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
    The Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 (42 U.S.C. 3543) 
and the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5133).

PURPOSE:
    An applicant completes, or a FEMA representative assists in filling 
out, an application that determines an applicant's eligibility for 
disaster housing assistance. FEMA then completes the disaster housing 
application and validation process for determining a family's 
eligibility to receive disaster housing assistance. Under the Disaster 
Housing Assistance Program (DHAP), when an individual or family is 
determined by FEMA to be eligible, the required family and household 
data is then submitted to the HUD DIS. Once received, HUD will initiate 
the process for the Public Housing Agencies (PHA), the entities that 
administer DHAP to provide the housing assistance to the FEMA-
determined eligible families. The following information is required by 
the disaster housing assistance program: (1) Names of all persons who 
will be living in the unit, social security numbers, their sex, date of 
birth, citizenship, and relationship to the family head; (2) FEMA 
disaster and registration number (3) Pre-disaster and current address 
and telephone numbers; (4) Family housing characteristics (e.g., number 
of bedrooms) or disability accommodation requirements; (5) Names, 
addresses, and taxpayer identification number for current landlords; 
and (6) rental payments and utility costs. DIS also allows PHAs to 
electronically submit information to HUD that is related to the 
administration of DHAP, including continued verification of eligibility 
and lease effective and end dates. It collects data for DHAP operations 
and provides capabilities for accurately tracking, monitoring, and 
reporting program activities and processes.
    Additionally, as part of HUD's oversight responsibility, the 
collected data maintained in DIS is used to calculate the amount of 
subsidy authorized and disbursed to PHAs and to monitor the PHAs' 
overall performance and use of DHAP funds.
    DIS is a flexible, scalable, web-enabled application that aids HUD 
and PHA staff to administer the disaster housing assistance program by: 
(a) Increasing the efficiency of delivering housing assistance benefits 
to disaster victims; (b) Detecting and resolving program eligibility 
problems; (c) Evaluating program effectiveness; (d) Improving program 
reporting; and (e) Eliminating the payment of duplicate disaster 
benefits. Records in DIS are subject to use in authorized and approved 
computer matching programs regulated under the Privacy Act of 1974, as 
amended.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES 
OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
    In addition to the uses cited in the section of this document 
titled ``Purposes'', other routine uses may include:
    1. To PHAs to verify the accuracy and completeness of tenant data 
used in verifying continued eligibility and the amount of disaster 
housing assistance. Any information shared back to the PHAs will 
pertain only to that PHA's operations and no other PHA's operations;
    2. To PHAs to identify and resolve discrepancies in tenant data;
    3. To the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency 
Management Agency (FEMA) to identify duplicate rental housing 
assistance applicants and provide DHAP eligible family data updates and 
reports;
    4. To the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. 
Social Security Administration for computer matching to verify the 
accuracy and completeness of the data provided, to verify continued 
eligibility in DHAP, and to aid in the identification of family data 
error, fraud, and abuse in DHAP through HUD's income computer matching 
program;
    5. To the Immigration and Naturalization Service for alien status 
verification;
    6. To HUD or individuals under contract, grant or cooperative 
agreement to HUD to monitor PHA efforts and compliance requirements, 
facilitate technical assistance and for research and evaluation of 
national program outcomes; and
    7. To individuals under contract to HUD or under contract to 
another agency with funds provided by HUD--for the preparation of 
studies and statistical reports directly related to the management of 
DHAP.
    8. To the Office of Policy, Development and Research and future 
researchers selected by HUD to carry out the objectives of HUD's DHAP 
in aggregate form without individual identifiers--name, address, social 
security number-- for the performance of research and statistical 
activities of the DHAP; and
    9. Additional Disclosure for Purposes of Facilitating Responses and 
Remediation Efforts in the Event of a Data Breach. A record from a 
system of

[[Page 41737]]

records maintained by this Department may be disclosed to appropriate 
agencies, entities, and persons when:
    a. the Department suspects or has confirmed that the security or 
confidentiality of information in a system of records has been 
compromised;
    b. the Department 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 systems or programs (whether maintained by the Department 
or another agency or entity) that rely upon the compromised 
information; and,
    c. the disclosure made to such agencies, entities, and persons is 
reasonably necessary to assist in connection with the Department'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:
    Records are stored manually in family case files in the PHAs and 
electronically in office automation equipment. Records are stored on 
HUD computer servers for access by headquarters and field offices, and 
by the public housing agencies via a web application interface. All of 
the DIS data is stored on HUD's servers. The disk and backup files are 
maintained by HUD's information technology partners--Electronic Data 
Services (EDS) and Lockheed Martin. The original (hard copy) files are 
stored in the originating PHA.
    Irretrievability: Records are retrieved by an individual's SSN.
    Safeguards: These are the measures used to protect the records from 
unauthorized access or disclosure:
    1. The REAC-IT Web Access Secure SubSystem (WASS) provides audit 
logging for all system access via WASS's authentication of all users.
    2. WASS provides authentication methods that meet National 
Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) requirements. Every user 
has a WASS ID and is authenticated via WASS.
    3. The Inventory Management System (IMS) maintains a record of each 
DIS user's logons, logoffs, and logoff exceptions if any.
    4. For each user, IMS system logs the number requests for web pages 
containing privacy data. The number of page view requests is tracked 
per page per session. The first and last timestamp of access for every 
privacy page is also recorded per session.
    5. IMS system archives the user privileges data when a user is 
removed from the system or when the unmasked privacy data viewing 
privileges are modified.
    6. Hard copy records are stored in lock file cabinets in rooms to 
which access is limited to those personnel who service the records.
    7. Background screening, limited authorization and access with 
access limited to authorize personnel.
    8. Prior to user modification and storing, DHAP makes an archive 
copy of the record. As it is a safeguard for retaining the original 
record.

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:
    Electronic records are maintained and destroyed according to the 
HUD Records Disposition Schedule 2225.6. Records are maintained for a 
period of three years.

SYSTEM MANAGERS(s) AND ADDRESSES:
    Jerry Armstrong, IT Division Director for Public and Indian Housing 
Information Management, Potomac Center, 550 Twelfth Street, SW., First 
Floor, Washington, DC 20410, Telephone Number, (202) 475-8742 or Dudley 
Ives, DIS Information Technology Manager, Potomac Center, 550 Twelfth 
Street, First Floor, SW., Washington, DC 20410, Telephone Number, (202) 
475-8603.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
    For information, assistance, or inquiry about the existence of 
records, contact the Privacy Act Officer at the Department of Housing 
and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW., Room 2256, Washington, 
DC 20715. Written requests for access can establish proof of identity 
by a notarized statement or equivalent.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
    Procedures for the amendment or correction of records and for 
applicants wanting to appeal initial agency determination appear in 24 
CFR part 16. The disaster related information reported in DIS 
originates from the FEMA. If a participant of HUD's Disaster Housing 
Assistance Program disputes this information, he or she should contact 
FEMA directly or in writing to dispute erroneous information by fax 
((800) 827-8112) or by mail (Post Office Box 10055, Hyattsville, 
Maryland 20782-7055).

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
    DIS receives data from DHS/FEMA and HUD headquarters and field 
office staff. Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) routinely collect personal 
and income data from participants in and applicants for the Disaster 
Housing Assistance Program.

EXEMPTIONS FROM CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF THE ACT:
    None.
[FR Doc. E9-19800 Filed 8-17-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P