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###### Department of Education

          - [Docket ID ED-2017-FSA-0047]

# AGENCY:

Department of Education.

# ACTION:

Notice of a new matching program.

# SUMMARY:

This is a Notice of a new matching program between the Department of Education (ED) and the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). This is a new matching notice upon expiration of the previously published 18-month Computer Matching agreement August 1, 2017. It was originally established on February 1, 2010.

# DATES:

Submit your comments on the proposed matching program or before August 27, 2018.

The matching program will go into effect at the later of the following two dates: (1) The date of the last signatory to this CMA as set forth in Article XIX, below, or (2) 30 days after the publication of this notice on July 27, 2018, unless the matching notice needs to be changed as a result of public comment. The Department will publish any changes resulting from public comment.

The matching program will continue for 18 months after the applicable date and may be extended for an additional 12 months, if the respective agency Data Integrity Boards (DIBS) determine that the conditions specified in 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2)(D) have been met. The life of this CMA is estimated to cover the 18-month period from August 28, 2018 through February 27, 2020.

# ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. We will not accept comments submitted by fax or by email or those submitted after the comment period. To ensure that we do not receive duplicate copies, please submit your comments only once. In addition, please include the Docket ID at the top of your comments.
      -  Federal eRulemaking Portal:                          Go to                          www.regulations.gov                          to submit your comments electronically. Information on using                          Regulations.gov , including instructions for accessing agency documents, submitting comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site under the “help” tab.                    
      -  Postal Mail, Commercial Delivery, or Hand Delivery:                          If you mail or deliver your comments, address them to Marya Dennis, Management and Program Analyst, U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, Union Center Plaza, 830 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-5345.                    

*Privacy Note:*                         ED's policy is to make all comments received from members of the public available for public viewing in their entirety on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at                         *www.regulations.gov.*                         Therefore, commenters should be careful to include in their comments only information that they wish to make publicly available.                    

*Assistance to Individuals with Disabilities in Reviewing the Rulemaking Record:*                         On request we will provide an appropriate accommodation or auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability who needs assistance to review the comments or other documents in the public rulemaking record for this notice. If you want to schedule an appointment for this type of accommodation or auxiliary aid, please contact the person listed under                         **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT**                        .                    

# FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ms. Marya Dennis, Management and Program Analyst, U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, Union Center Plaza, 830 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-5345. Telephone: (202) 377-3385.

If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339.

# SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

We provide this notice in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a (commonly known as the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended); Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Final Guidance Interpreting the Provisions of Public Law 100-503, the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988, 54 FR 25818 (June 19, 1989); and OMB Circular A-108, 81 FR 94424 (December 23, 2016).

Under sections 420R and 473(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 1070h and 20 U.S.C. 1087mm(b)), the Secretary of Defense must provide the Secretary of Education with information to identify the children of military personnel who have died as a result of their military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, to determine if the child is eligible for increased amounts of title IV, HEA program assistance. DoD and ED have determined that matching records contained in the DoD DMDC system and the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) against ED's Federal Student Aid Application File (18-11-01) is the only practical method that the agencies can use to meet the statutory requirements of the HEA.

                    The prior Computer Matching Agreement (CMA) was published in the                     **Federal Register**                     on June 30, 2017 (82 FR 29856). ED and DoD are now re-                          ( print page 35627)                        establishing the CMA through this notice.                

## Participating Agencies

ED and DoD.

## Authority for Conducting the Matching Program

Sections 420R and 473(b) of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1070h and 20 U.S.C. 1087mm(b)) and 5 U.S.C. 552a.

## Purpose(s)

This matching program identifies children whose parent or guardian was a member of the Armed Forces of the United States and died as a result of performing military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001. These children (referred to as qualifying students) may be eligible for a greater amount of title IV, HEA program assistance. A qualifying student must have been age 24 or younger at the time of the parent's or guardian's death, or, if older than 24, enrolled part-time or full-time in an institution of higher education at the time of the parent's or guardian's death. Beginning July 1, 2010, students who are otherwise qualified children of deceased U.S. military who meet the requirements of section 420R of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1070h) may also be eligible for higher amounts of title IV, HEA program assistance.

## Categories of Individuals

The individuals whose records are included in this matching program are dependents of service personnel who died as a result of performing their military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, which records are located in the DoD DMDC and DEERS systems, and all students who complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

## Categories of Records

DoD uses the following data elements in this matching program: Dependent's Name, Date of Birth and SSN—extracted from DEERS; and Parent or Guardian's Date of Death—extracted from DMDC Data Base.

ED uses the SSN, date of birth, and the first two letters of an applicant's last name to match applicant records.

## System(s) of Records

*ED system of records:*                     Federal Student Aid Application File (18-11-01) (76 FR 46774, August 3, 2011).                

*DoD system of records:*                     DMDC 01, Defense Manpower Data Center Data Base (76 FR 72391) (November 23, 2011), and DMDC 02 DoD Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting Systems (DEERS) (81 FR 49210) (July 27, 2016).                

*Accessible Format:*                     Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an accessible format (such as, braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to the contact person listed under                     **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT**                    .                

*Electronic Access to This Document:*                     The official version of this document is the document published in the                     **Federal Register**                    . Free internet access to the official edition of the                     **Federal Register**                     and the Code of Federal Regulations is available through the Federal Digital System at:                     *www.gpo.gov/​fdsys.*                     At this site you can view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the                     **Federal Register**                    , in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the site.                

                    You may also access documents of the Department published in the                     **Federal Register**                     by using the article search feature at:                     *www.federalregister.gov.*                     Specifically, through the advanced search feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published by the Department.                

James F. Manning,

Acting Chief Operating Officer, Federal Student Aid.

[FR Doc. 2018-16092 Filed 7-26-18; 8:45 am]

 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P