[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 236 (Thursday, December 7, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76676-76677]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-31149]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT


Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program Between the Office 
of Personnel Management and the Social Security Administration

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

ACTION: Notice of a computer matching program between the OPM and the 
Social Security Administration (SSA) for public comment.

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SUMMARY: OPM is publishing notice of its computer matching program with 
SSA to meet the reporting and publication requirements of Public Law 
100-503, the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988. In 
this match, SSA records are used in redetermining and recomputing 
certain annuitants' benefits where computations are based, in part, on 
military service performed after December 1956 under the Civil Service 
Retirement System (CSRS) and for annuitants under the Federal 
Employees' Retirement System (FERS) who have a CSRS component in their 
FERS annuity computation. The purpose of this match is to identify 
these beneficiaries.

DATES: This matching program will become effective in November 2000, or 
40 days after the agreements by the parties participating in the match 
have been submitted to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB), unless either the Congress or OMB objects thereto. Any public 
comment on this matching program must be submitted on or before January 
8, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Any interested party may submit written comments to William 
J. Washington, Acting Assistant Director for Systems, Finance and 
Administration, Retirement and Insurance Service, Office of Personnel 
Management, 1900 E Street NW., Room 4312, Washington, DC 20415.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marc Flaster, (202) 606-2115.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OPM and SSA have concluded an agreement to 
conduct a computer matching program between the two agencies. The 
purpose of the agreement is to establish the conditions under which SSA 
agrees to the disclosure of Social Security benefit and/or tax 
information to OPM. OPM, as specified in 5 U.S.C. 8332(j)(1), has an 
obligation to use post 1956 earnings data in redetermining and 
recomputing annuities for certain CSRS and FERS annuitants. Section 
1106 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1306) requires that SSA 
disclose the needed data to OPM.

Office of Personnel Management.
Janice R. Lachance,
Director.

Report of Computer Matching Agreement Between the Office of 
Personnel Management and the Social Security Administration

A. Participating Agencies

OPM and SSA

B. Purpose of the Matching Program

    Chapters 83 and 84 of title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.), provide 
the basis for computing annuities under the Civil Service Retirement 
System and the Federal Employees' Retirement System respectively, and 
require release of information by SSA in order to administer post 1956 
data exchanges. In this match, SSA records are used in redetermining 
and recomputing certain annuitants' benefits where computations are 
based, in part, on military service performed after December 1956 under 
the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and for annuitants under the 
Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) who have a CSRS component 
in their FERS annuity calculation. The purpose of this match is to 
identify these beneficiaries.

C. Authority for Conducting the Match Program

    Chapters 83 and 84, title 5, United States Code, section 1106 of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1306) and the Internal Revenue Code 
(26 U.S.C. 6103).

D. Categories of Records and Individuals Covered by the Match

    SSA will disclose information from its Master Beneficiary Record 
(MBR) and its Earnings Recording and Self-Employment Income System 
(MEF) and manually extracted post 1956 military wage information from 
SSA's ``1086'' microfilm file when required. SSA has published routine 
uses for these systems of records, last published for the MBR, 60-0090 
(SSA/OSR) on January 6, 1995 at 60 FR 2144 and for the MEF, 60-0059 
(SSA/OSR), on December 5, 1994 at 59 FR 62407.
    OPM's records consist of annuity data from its system of records 
entitled OPM/Central-1, Civil Service Retirement and Insurance Records, 
last published in the Federal Register at 64 FR 54930, October 8, 1999, 
as amended May 3, 2000 (65 FR 25775).

[[Page 76677]]

E. Description of Matching Program

    OPM provides a monthly electronic finder file to SSA containing 
data on those individuals for whom OPM requests post 1956 military 
service benefit information. These elements will be matched against SSA 
records. SSA furnishes OPM by electronic reply file benefit information 
on these individuals, including the amount of the SSA benefit 
attributable to the post 1956 military service (which constitutes the 
CSRS or FERS annuity reduction amount).

F. Privacy Safeguards and Security

    The personal privacy of the individuals whose names are included in 
the tapes is protected by strict adherence to the provisions of the 
Privacy Act of 1974 and OMB's ``Guidance Interpreting the Provisions of 
Public Law 100-503, the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 
1988''. Access to the records used in the data exchange is restricted 
to only those authorized employees and officials who need it to perform 
their official duties. Records matched or created will be stored in an 
area that is physically safe from access by unauthorized personnel 
during duty hours as well as nonduty hours or when not in use. Records 
used in this exchange and any records created by this exchange will be 
processed under the immediate supervision and control of authorized 
personnel in a manner which will protect the confidentiality of the 
records.
    Both OPM and SSA have the right to make onsite inspections or make 
other provisions to ensure that adequate safeguards are being 
maintained by the other agency.

F. Inclusive Dates of the Matching Program

    This computer matching program is subject to review by the Congress 
and OMB. OPM's report to these parties must be received at least 40 
days prior to the initiation of any matching activity. If no objections 
are raised by either Congress or OMB, and the mandatory 30 day public 
notice period for comment for this Federal Register notice expires, 
with no significant receipt of adverse public comments resulting in a 
contrary determination, then this computer matching program becomes 
effective. By agreement between OPM and SSA, the matching program will 
be in effect and continue for 18 months with an option to renew for 12 
additional months under the terms set forth in 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2)(D).

[FR Doc. 00-31149 Filed 12-6-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-01-P