U.S. flag
        An official website of the United States government
          Here's how you know
        Here's how you knowDot gov**The .gov means it’s official.**
              
              Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.
        Https**The site is secure.**
              
              The **https://** ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.  *You are now leaving the USDA Food and Nutrition Service website and entering a non-government or non-military external link or a third-party site.*

*FNS provides links to other websites with additional information that may be useful or interesting and is consistent with the intended purpose of the content you are viewing on our website. FNS is providing these links for your reference. FNS is not responsible for the content, copyright, and licensing restrictions of the new site.*
  
  
    *Site LogoFood and Nutrition Service
                  U.S. Department of Agriculture*
Menu


    close

        
        
                        
        
  
          Home
      
                        
              Programs
      
                
        
  
          **Programs**
          
                        
              SNAP
      
                        
              Nutrition Education & Food Safety
      
                        
              Meals for Schools and Childcare
      
                        
              Food Distribution & Emergency Assistance
      
                        
              WIC
      
                        
              Summer Nutrition Programs
      
                        
              Assistance for Seniors & Adult Care
      
                        
              Farmers Market Programs
      
                        
              NAP Block Grants for Territories
      
                        
              Data & Research
      
                
        
  
          **Data & Research**
          
                        
              Data Visualizations
      
                        
              Research & Analysis
      
                        
              Program Data
      
                        
              Funding
      
                
        
  
          **Funding**
          
                        
              Grant Opportunities
      
                        
              Grants Management
      
                        
              Doing Business with FNS
      
                        
              Newsroom
      
                
        
  
          **Newsroom**
          
                        
              Press Releases
      
                        
              Blogs
      
                        
              Notice to Stakeholders
      
                        
              Federal Register Notices
      
                        
              Success Stories
      
                        
              Newsletters
      
                        
              USDA Press Releases
      
                        
              USDA Blogs
      
                        
              Contact FNS Press Office
      
                        
              Resources
      
                
        
  
          **Resources**
          
                        
              Factsheets
      
                        
              Federal Register
      
                        
              Infographics
      
                        
              Guidance Documents
      
                        
              Policy Memos
      
                        
              Videos/Webinars
      
                        
              All Resources
      
                        
              Our Agency
      
                
        
  
          **Our Agency**
          
                        
              Acting Under Secretary
      
                        
              Deputy Under Secretary
      
                        
              Administrator
      
                        
              Assistant Administrator
      
                        
              FNS Careers
      
                        
              Contact us
      
                        
              Civil Rights
      
                        
              Equity Action Plan
      
                        
              Partnerships
      
                        
              Freedom of Information Act
      
                        
              State Systems OfficeSearch


          
                      Contact Us
                                
                          
        
                Report Fraud
                                
                          
        
                AskUSDA
                                
                          
        
                USDA.gov Privacy Act of 1974: New System of Records
            Breadcrumb
    HomePublication Date
              Monday, September 18, 2023

                    
          
          
          
          

  Link
              Federal Register link

          

  PDF Link
              Print version

          

  Resource type
          Federal Register Documents
          Notices
          Comment Request

          
          

  Comment Period End Date
              Wednesday, October 18, 2023
    SummaryPursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular No. A–108, notice is given that the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing to add a new system of records, entitled USDA/FNS–13, Mercury (“Mercury”), which is a Consumer Off the Shelf (COTS) workflow system designed to automate the correspondence tracking and management process within FNS. It will be used by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Child Nutrition Program (CNP), the Supplemental Nutrition and Safety Program (SNAS), and Regional Operations and Compliance (ROC).DatesThis notice is effective upon publication, subject to a 30-day notice and comment period in which to comment on the routine uses described below. Comments, if any, must be submitted by Oct. 18, 2023.AddressesYou may submit comments by one of the following methods:*Federal eRulemaking portal*: http://www.regulations.gov provides the ability to type short comments directly into the comment field on this web page or attach a file for lengthier comments. Follow the online instructions at that site for submitting comments.*By Mail:**SNAP*: Laura Griffin, Senior Policy Advisor, SNAP, USDA/Food and Nutrition Service, Braddock Metro Center II, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314.*SNAS*: Clarissa Brown, SNAS Special Assistant, SNAS, USDA/Food and Nutrition Service, Braddock Metro Center II, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314.*CNP*: Shawn Martin, CNP Special Assistant—USDA/Child Nutrition, Food and Nutrition Service, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314.*ROC*: Andrew Furbee, Director, ROC, USDA/Food and Nutrition Service, Braddock Metro Center II, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314.*By Email:**SNAP:**Laura.Griffin@usda.gov**.**SNAS:**Clarissa.Brown@usda.gov**.**CNP:**Shawn.Martin@usda.gov**.**ROC:**Andrew.Furbee@usda.gov**.**Instructions*: All comment submissions received must include the agency name and docket number for this rulemaking. All comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.*Docket*: For access to the docket to read background documents or comments received go to http://www.regulations.gov.BackgroundThe Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) receives hundreds of pieces of correspondence each year from Congress, program partners, and the general public regarding the interpretation of legislation for the delivery of FNS nutrition programs or for general information about access to the nutrition programs. Each piece of correspondence is responded to with information about one or more of the 15 nutrition assistance programs administered by the agency, and each one is tracked to ensure it is answered accurately and timely and that all necessary reviews are complete before it is signed and sent to the correspondent.Mercury is a customized Salesforce solution to automate the intake, review, response writing, review, and approval of these correspondences for program offices within the FNS. The program offices currently supported are the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); Child Nutrition Programs (CN); the Supplemental Nutrition and Safety Program (SNAS), and Retailer Operations & Compliance (ROC).Mercury provides a replacement for a legacy Mercury Correspondence Management application that was built upon SharePoint 2007 and Web Components. The legacy SharePoint platform was decommissioned by FNS shortly after new Mercury went live on April 12, 2021.Privacy ActThe Privacy Act of 1974 (the Privacy Act), 5 USC 552a, embodies fair information principles in a statutory framework governing the means by which the United States Government collects, maintains, uses, and disseminates personally identifiable information. The Privacy Act applies to information that is maintained in a system of records. A system of records is a group of any records under the control of an agency for which information is retrieved by the name of an individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual. In the Privacy Act, an individual is defined to encompass United States citizens and legal permanent residents.The Privacy Act requires each agency to publish in the **Federal Register** a description denoting the type and character of each system of records that the agency maintains, the routine uses that are contained in each system in order to make agency record keeping practices transparent, to notify individuals regarding the uses to which personally identifiable information is put, and to assist individuals to more easily find such files within the agency.In accordance with 5 USC 552a(r), USDA has provided a report of this new system to the Office of Management and Budget and to Congress.Page updated: November 22, 2023 Return to top

      Home
                              
              Programs
                              
              Data & Research
                              
              Funding
                              
              Newsroom
                              
              Resources
                              
              Our AgencyUSDA
                              WhiteHouse.gov
                              FNS PartnerWeb.gov
                              No Fear Act
                              Privacy Policy
                              Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
                              Non-Discrimination Statement
                              Civil Rights
                              Accessibility
                              FOIA
                              Information Quality
                              Peer Review
  Sign up for Updates
      Your Email Address:
  
      *Site LogoFood and Nutrition Service
                  U.S. Department of Agriculture*
Menu
Twitter Facebook Gov Delivery Instagram Flickr YouTube RSS Feeds