81 FR 51177 - Privacy Act Systems of Records; Veterinary Services-Records of Accredited Veterinarians

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 149 (August 3, 2016)

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service proposed to alter an existing system of records in its inventory of record systems subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. The system of records is Veterinary Services--Records of Accredited Veterinarians, USDA-APHIS-2. The system, as proposed, has been adopted; however, we received one comment, which is addressed in this notice.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 149 (Wednesday, August 3, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51177-51178]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-18357]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2012-0103]


Privacy Act Systems of Records; Veterinary Services--Records of 
Accredited Veterinarians

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service proposed to 
alter an existing system of records in its inventory of record systems 
subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. The 
system of records is Veterinary Services--Records of Accredited 
Veterinarians, USDA-APHIS-2. The system, as proposed, has been adopted; 
however, we received one comment, which is addressed in this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Todd Behre, Program Coordinator, 
National Veterinary Accreditation Program, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road 
Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 20737; (518) 281-2157.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 
U.S.C. 552a), requires agencies to publish in the Federal Register 
notice of new or revised systems of records. A system of records is a 
group of any records under the control of any agency, from which 
information is retrieved by the name of an individual or by some 
identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to 
an individual.
    On May 12, 2015, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
(APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published 
in the Federal Register (80 FR 27142-27145, APHIS-2012-0103) \1\ a 
proposal to alter a system of records, entitled Veterinary Services--
Records of Accredited Veterinarians, which maintains information 
pertaining to veterinarians who are or have been accredited, or who 
have applied for accreditation, under the authority of section 10410 of 
the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8309).
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    \1\ To view the notice and the comment we received, go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2012-0103.
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    Accredited veterinarians are veterinarians authorized by APHIS to 
perform certain services to control and prevent the spread of animal 
diseases within the United States and internationally. Duties may 
encompass a wide range of activities relating to companion animals, 
livestock, poultry, horses, and other animals, including issuing 
certificates of veterinary inspection and health certificates for 
animals moving interstate or internationally; participating in animal 
disease surveillance and testing activities (including surveillance for 
emerging and foreign animal diseases); diagnosing diseases in animals; 
developing herd or flock health plans; and performing veterinary tasks 
during animal disease emergencies. Veterinarians who wish to perform 
work for APHIS must become nationally accredited by APHIS and then 
authorized by APHIS to perform accredited duties in one or more 
specific States or territories.
    In order to ensure that a veterinarian's accreditation is in good 
standing and that he or she has received the appropriate level of 
training commensurate with his or her duties, APHIS maintains 
information regarding the veterinarian in the Veterinary Services--
Records of Accredited Veterinarians system. APHIS maintains information 
about accredited veterinarians in the system in accordance with the 
APHIS Records Management Handbook. Data associated with accredited 
veterinarians (including those whose accreditation has lapsed or been 
revoked) will be destroyed when 45 years old. Data will also be 
destroyed when the accredited veterinarian is deceased. The system also 
contains information about veterinarians who are applicants for 
accredited status.
    The system contains records related to the accreditation status of 
veterinarians. The records include name; date of birth; business name; 
home and business mailing addresses, telephone numbers, and email 
address; type of employment; State in which licensed or legally able to 
practice veterinary medicine; veterinary license number; veterinary 
medical college graduated and date of graduation; State(s) in which the 
veterinarian is authorized to perform accredited duties; species of 
animals the veterinarian treats; primary medical discipline; date of 
core orientation to accreditation and State where the veterinarian 
completed the orientation; the veterinarian's accreditation category; 
date of accreditation renewal; APHIS program certifications; APHIS-
approved supplemental training completed; whether business contact 
information may be provided to members of the public; and information 
pertaining to any alleged or adjudicated violations of accreditation 
standards, including disposition of the case. The system also assigns a 
national accreditation number (NAN) to each registered accredited 
veterinarian.
    We solicited comments on the notice for 30 days ending on June 22, 
2015. We received one comment by that date from an organization that 
represents veterinarians. The commenter objected to the use of dates of 
birth in the system. The commenter stated that that the use of the date 
of birth was unnecessary and could present a vulnerability to personal 
identity security.
    We disagree with the commenter that the use of the date of birth is 
unnecessary. To the contrary, the date of birth is a necessary 
identifier. In fact, there are three main reasons for the use of the 
date of birth to maintain records of accredited veterinarians.
    As previously indicated, the system includes records for each 
accredited veterinarian, several of these, when listed together, are 
considered unique identifiers, such as the full name (first and last 
names and middle initial), date of birth, school and year of 
graduation, and the system-generated NAN. In some instances accredited 
veterinarians with the same full name also have the same year and 
school of graduation. In addition, some accredited veterinarians do not 
remember their NAN, which consists of a six-digit number that uses 
leading 0's. Some relay their NAN incorrectly by superimposing numbers, 
not using the leading 0's, etc. In these cases, the date of birth is 
used as the most accurate identifier.
    The date of birth is also used when we find that an accredited 
veterinarian has a duplicate record in the database, which means there 
were two separate NANs created. The date of birth is the single unique 
identifier used to ensure that the two records do in fact belong to the 
same person, in which case, we combine the records under one NAN.
    Lastly, we conduct classroom training sessions at major and local 
veterinary meetings. Attendance at training sessions is required for an 
accredited veterinarian to renew his or her accreditation, and each 
accredited veterinarian must sign in using his or her first name, last 
name, and date of birth as identifiers. We require the date

[[Page 51178]]

of birth in this instance because it serves as a unique identifier if 
there should be an instance of two veterinarians signing in under the 
same first and last names, and as previously stated, we do not require 
the NAN because of problems arising when the veterinarian does not 
remember his or her NAN or records it incorrectly.
    As to the possible vulnerability to personal identity security, as 
described in the system of records notice referred to above, the system 
is physically secured in a locked facility with access only by 
authorized APHIS personnel. Data is stored and backed up using 
protocols established by the Fort Collins, CO, data center. Access to 
the records in the system is limited to those individuals who have a 
need to know the information for the performance of their official 
duties and who have appropriate clearances or permissions. Data 
available to individual users is role-based, which further limits 
access. Users must have USDA eAuthentication credentials and sign in 
using authorized logins and passwords. Employees who save spreadsheets 
containing data from the system are responsible for protecting the 
data. Files on employees' computers are also protected by encryption 
software and login and password requirements. On an annual basis, all 
users are required to undergo information security training and to sign 
rules of behavior. Failure to comply with rules of behavior can result 
in corrective actions, including written reprimands, temporary 
suspension from duty, reassignment, demotion, or termination, 
suspension of system privileges, and possible criminal prosecution.
    Based on our proposal to alter the system of records and the 
reasons given in this document, the system will remain as proposed.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 27th day of July 2016.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-18357 Filed 8-2-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P