Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2001 / Notices 3649

potential violation of civil or criminal

law or regulation;

(2) To disclose information to any

source from which additional

information is requested in the course of

processing a claim, to the extent

necessary to identify the individual

whose claim is being adjudicated,

inform the source of the purpose(s) of

the request, and identify the type of

information requested;

(3) To disclose information to a

Federal agency, in response to its

request, in connection with the hiring or

retention of an individual, the issuance

of a security clearance, the conducting

of a security or suitability investigation

of an individual, the classifying of jobs,

the letting of a contract, or the issuance

of a license, grant, or other benefit by

the requesting agency, to the extent that

the information is relevant and

necessary to requesting the agency’s

decision on the matter;

(4) To provide information to a

congressional office in response to an

inquiry made at the request of the

individual to whom the record pertains;

(5) To disclose information which is

necessary and relevant to the

Department of Justice or to a court when

the Government is party to a judicial

proceeding before the court;

(6) To provide information to the

National Archives and Records

Administration for use in records

management inspections conducted

under authority of 44 U.S.C. 2904 and

2908;

(7) To disclose information to officials

of the Merit Systems Protection Board,

the Office of the Special Counsel, the

Federal Labor Relations Authority, the

Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission, or the Office of Personnel

Management when requested in

performance of their authorized duties;

(8) To disclose information to a court,

magistrate, or administrative tribunal in

the course of presenting evidence,

including disclosures to opposing

Counsel or witnesses in the course of

civil discovery, litigation or settlement

negotiations in response to a subpoena

where relevant or potentially relevant to

a proceeding, or in connection with

criminal law proceedings; and

(9) To provide information to officials

of labor organizations recognized under

the Civil Service Reform Act when

relevant and necessary to their duties of

exclusive representation concerning

personnel policies, practices, and

matters affecting work conditions.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING,

RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, AND

DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:

STORAGE:

File folders and electronic media.

RETRIEVABILITY:

By the names of the individuals on

whom they are maintained.

SAFEGUARDS:

Lockable metal filing cabinets to

which only authorized personnel have

access. Automated databases are

password protected.

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:

Disposed of after closing of the case

in accordance with General Records

Schedule 1, Civilian Personnel Records,

Category 7d.

SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS:

Director, Office of Personnel Policy,

Room 6018-Metropolitan Square,

Department of the Treasury,

Washington, DC 20220.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:

It is required that individuals

submitting claims be provided a copy of

the record under the claims process.

They may, however, contact the agency

personnel or designated office where the

action was processed, regarding the

existence of such records on them. They

must furnish the following information

for their records to be located and

identified: (1) Name, (2) date of birth, (3)

approximate date of closing of the case

and kind of action taken, (4)

organizational component involved.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:

It is required that individuals

submitting claims be provided a copy of

the record under the claims process.

However, after the action has been

closed, an individual may request

access to the official copy of the claim

file by contacting the system manager.

Individuals must provide the following

information for their records to be

located and identified: (1) Name, (2)

date of birth, (3) approximate date of

closing of the case and kind of action

taken, (4) organizational component

involved.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:

Review of requests from individuals

seeking amendment of their records

which have been the subject of a

judicial or quasi-judicial action will be

limited in scope. Review of amendment

requests of these records will be

restricted to determining if the record

accurately documents the action of the

agency ruling on the case, and will not

include a review of the merits of the

action, determination, or finding.

Individuals wishing to request

amendment to their records to correct

factual errors should contact the system

manager. Individuals must furnish the

following information for their records

to be located and identified: (1) Name,

(2) date of birth, (3) approximate date of

closing of the case and kind of action

taken, (4) organizational component

involved.

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:

Information in this system of records

is provided: (1) By the individual on

whom the record is maintained, (2) by

testimony of witnesses, (3) by agency

officials, (4) from related

correspondence from organizations or

persons.

EXEMPTIONS CLAIMED FOR THE SYSTEM:

None.

[FR Doc. 01–1011 Filed 1–12–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4810–25–P

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

AFFAIRS

Means Test Thresholds

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: As required by law, the

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is

hereby giving notice of cost-of-living

adjustments (COLA) for means test

income limitations. These adjustments

are based on the rise in the Consumer

Price Index (CPI) during the one-year

period ending September 30, 2000.

DATES: These rates are effective January

1, 2001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Roscoe Butler, Chief Policy and

Operations, Health Administration

Service, (10C3), Veterans Health

Administration, VA, 810 Vermont

Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420,

(202) 273–8302. (This is not a toll-free

number.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title 38

United States Code 1722(c), requires

that on January 1 of each year, the

Secretary increase the means test

threshold amounts by the same

percentage the maximum rates of

pension benefits were increased under

38 U.S.C. 5312(a) during the preceding

calendar year. Under the provisions of

38 U.S.C 5312 and section 306 of Public

Law 95–588, VA is required to increase

the benefit rates and income limitations

in the pension and parents’ indemnity

compensation (DIC) program by the

same percentage, and effective the same

date, as increases in the benefit amount

3650 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 16, 2001 / Notices

payable under Title II of the Social

Security Act.

On October 24, 2000, for the period

beginning December 1, 2000, the Social

Security Administration announced at

65 FR 63663 of the Federal Register, a

3.5 percent cost-of-living increase in

Social Security Benefits under Title II of

the Social Security Act. The Veteran

Benefits Administration has indicated

Pension benefits will be increased by a

3.5 percent cost-of-living increase

effective December 1, 2000. Therefore,

applying the same percentage and

rounding up in accordance with 38 CFR

3.29, the following income limitations

for the Means Test Thresholds will be

effective January 1, 2001.

TABLE 1.—MEANS TEST THRESHOLDS

(1) Veterans with no dependents:

(a) Means Test Co-payment

Exempted Category ........... $23,688

(b) Means Test Co-payment

Required Category ............ 23,689

(2) Veterans with 1 dependent:

(a) Means Test Co-payment

Exempt Category ............... 28,429

(b) Means Test Co-payment

Required Category ............ 28,430

(3) Veterans with 2 dependents:

(a) Means Test Co-payment

Exempt Category . ............ 30,015

(b) Means Test Co-payment

Required Category ............ 30,016

(4) Veterans with 3 dependents:

(a) Means Test Co-payment

Exempt Category ............... 31,601

(b) Means Test Co-payment

Required Category ............ 31,602

(5) Veterans with 4 dependents:

(a) Means Test Co-payment

Exempt Category ............... 33,187

(b) Means Test Co-payment

Required Category ............ 33,188

(6) Veterans with 5 dependents:

(a) Means Test Co-payment

Exempt Category ............... 34,773

(b) Means Test Co-payment

Required Category ............ 34,774

(7) Child Income Exclusion is: 7,450

(8) The Medicare deductible is: 792

(9) Maximum annual Rate of

Pension effective December

1, 2000 are:

(a) The base rate is .............. 9,304

(b) The base rate with one

dependent is ...................... 12,186

(c) Add 1,586 each additional

dependent.

Approved: January 5, 2001.

Hershel W. Gober,

Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

[FR Doc. 01–1180 Filed 1–12–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8320–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

AFFAIRS

Privacy Act of 1974; System of

Records

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.

ACTION: Report of New System of

Records—Consolidated Data

Information System—VA (97VA105).

SUMMARY: The Privacy Act of 1974 (5

U.S.C. 552(e)(4)) requires that all

agencies publish in the Federal Register

a notice of the existence and character

of their system of records. Notice is

hereby given that VA is adding a new

system of records entitled

‘‘Consolidated Data Information

System—VA’’ (97VA105).

DATES: Comments on the establishment

of the new system of records must be

received no later than February 15,

2001. If no public comment is received

during the period allowed for comment

or unless otherwise published in the

Federal Register by VA, the system will

become effective February 15, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be

submitted to Director, Office of

Regulations Management (02D),

Department of Veterans Affairs, 810

Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC

20420. Comments will be available for

public inspection at the above address

in the Office of Regulations

Management, Room 1176, between the

hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.,

Monday through Friday, excluding

Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Veterans Health Administration Privacy

Act Officer (193B2), Department of

Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue,

NW., Washington, DC 20420, (727) 320–

1839.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under

Section 527 of Title 38, U.S.C., and the

Government Performance and Results

Act of 1993, Pub. L. 103–62, VA is

required to measure and evaluate, on an

ongoing basis, the effectiveness of VA

benefit programs and services. In

performing this required function, VA

must collect, collate and analyze full

statistical data regarding participation,

provision of services, categories of

beneficiaries, and planning of

expenditures for all VA programs. For

this reason, VA is establishing a new

system of records, which combines

information from several existing

systems of records with information

from non-VA sources. This combined

database is necessary for VA to

accurately and timely assess the current

health care usage by the patient

population served by VA, to forecast

future demand for VA medical care by

individuals currently eligible for service

by VA medical facilities, and to

understand the numerous implications

of cross-utilization between VA and

non-VA health care systems.

Records from the Patient Medical

Record System (24VA136), the Patient

Fee Basis Medical and Pharmacy

Records (23VA136), Veterans and

Beneficiaries Identification and Records

Location Subsystem (38VA23),

Compensation, Pension, Education and

Rehabilitation Records (58VA21/22),

and Automated Medication Processing

Records (56VA119) will be incorporated

into this new system of records. Specific

request files will be created for use in

submitting requests for veteran-specific

data from the Health Care Financing

Administration (HCFA), the Department

of Defense (DoD), and other non-VA

data sources including state Medicaid

databases. The new database will be

created by including Medicare data

records on utilization and enrollment

for all VA users, enrollees and special

category veterans. Utilization and

enrollment data will also be extracted

from the DoD military personnel system

of records in order to supplement VA’s

database. This system will not be used

by VA to make any determinations as to

individual veteran’s benefits. Because

the exchange of data among VA, HCFA,

DoD, and any other non-VA agencies

will be only for the purpose of

identifying current health care usage

and forecasting future health care usage

by VA beneficiaries, the computer

matching provision of the Privacy Act

does not apply.

VA will maintain the system of

records in electronic form at VA

Management Science Group, Bedford,

Massachusetts, and VA Information

Resource Center, Hines, Illinois. Copies

or parts of these records may be

maintained at VA Automation Center,

Austin, Texas, and VA Allocation

Resource Center, Braintree,

Massachusetts. Multiple sites are

needed because VA data files will be

drawn from multiple locations and

merged data files will be very large. Data

in the system of records will include

names, social security numbers (SSNs),

demographic and health services

utilization data for all VHA users and

special veteran populations; inpatient,

outpatient, physician supplier, nursing

home, hospice, home care, and durable

medical equipment data form HCFA;

and utilization and enrollment data

from DoD. The new database will be

used to produce reports for statistical

analyses on, for example: (1) The

number of Medicare-eligible users who

obtain health care services from VA,