81 FR 94380 - Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Agreement

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 247 (December 23, 2016)

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 522a), as amended, OCSE is publishing a notice of a computer matching program between OCSE and state agencies administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 247 (Friday, December 23, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 94380-94381]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30894]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families


Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Agreement

AGENCY: Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), ACF, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 522a), as 
amended, OCSE is publishing a notice of a computer matching program 
between OCSE and state agencies administering the Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

DATES: On December 13, 2016, HHS sent a report of the Computer Matching 
Program to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
of the Senate, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the 
House of Representatives, and the Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), as required by 5 
U.S.C. 552a(r) of the Privacy Act. HHS invites interested parties to 
review and submit written data, comments, or arguments to the agency 
about the matching program until January 23, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may submit written comments on this 
notice to Linda Boyer, Director, Division of Federal Systems, Office of 
Child Support Enforcement, Administration for Children and Families, 
Mary E. Switzer Building, 330 C Street SW., 5th Floor, Washington, DC 
20201. Comments received will be available for public inspection at 
this address from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Boyer, Director, Division of 
Federal Systems, Office of Child Support Enforcement, Administration 
for Children and Families, Mary E. Switzer Building, 330 C Street SW., 
5th Floor, Washington, DC 20201, 202-401-5410.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as 
amended, provides for certain protections for individuals applying for 
and receiving federal benefits. The law governs the use of computer 
matching by federal agencies when records in a system of records are 
matched with other federal, state, or local government records. The 
Privacy Act requires agencies involved in computer matching programs 
to:
    1. Negotiate written agreements with the other agency or agencies 
participating in the matching programs.
    2. Provide notification to applicants and beneficiaries that their 
records are subject to matching.
    3. Verify information produced by such matching program before 
reducing, making a final denial of, suspending, or terminating an 
individual's benefits or payments.
    4. Publish notice of the computer matching program in the Federal 
Register.
    5. Furnish reports about the matching program to Congress and the 
OMB.
    6. Obtain the approval of the matching agreement by the Data 
Integrity Board of any federal agency participating in a matching 
program.
    This matching program meets these requirements.

    Dated: December 13, 2016.
Donna Bonar,
Deputy Commissioner, Office of Child Support Enforcement.

Notice of New Computer Matching Program

A. Participating Agencies

    The participating agencies are the Office of Child Support 
Enforcement (OCSE), which is the ``source agency,'' and state agencies 
administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), 
which are the ``non-federal agencies.''

B. Purpose of the Matching Program

    The purpose of the matching program is to provide new hire, 
quarterly wage, and unemployment insurance information from OCSE's 
National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) to state agencies administering 
SNAP to assist in establishing or verifying the eligibility for 
assistance, reducing payment errors, and maintaining program integrity, 
including determining whether duplicate participation exists or if the 
client

[[Page 94381]]

resides in another state. The state agencies administering SNAP may 
also use the NDNH information for the secondary purpose of updating the 
recipients' reported participation in work activities and updating 
recipients' and their employers' contact information maintained by the 
state agencies.

C. Authority for Conducting the Match

    The authority for conducting the matching program is contained in 
section 453(j)(10) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 653(j)(10)). 
The Agriculture Act of 2014, Public Law 113-079, amended section 11(e) 
of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020(e)(24)) by adding 
the requirement

that the State agency shall request wage data directly from the 
National Directory of New Hires established under section 453(i) of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 653(i)) relevant to determining 
eligibility to receive supplemental nutrition assistance program 
benefits and determining the correct amount of those benefits at the 
time of certification;

D. Categories of Individuals Involved and Identification of Records 
Used in the Matching Program

    The categories of individuals involved in the matching program are 
adult members of households that receive or have applied for SNAP 
benefits. The system of records maintained by OCSE from which records 
will be disclosed for the purpose of this matching program is the 
``OCSE National Directory of New Hires'' (NDNH), No. 09-80-0381, last 
published in the Federal Register at 80 FR 17906 on April 2, 2015. The 
NDNH contains new hire, quarterly wage, and unemployment insurance 
information. The disclosure of NDNH information by OCSE to the state 
agencies administering SNAP is a ``routine use'' under this system of 
records. Records resulting from the matching program and that are 
disclosed to state agencies administering SNAP include names, Social 
Security numbers, home addresses, and employment information.

E. Inclusive Dates of the Matching Program

    The computer matching agreement will be effective and matching 
activity may commence the later of the following:
    (1) 30 days after this notice is published in the Federal Register 
or (2) 40 days after OCSE sends a report of the matching program to the 
Congressional committees of jurisdiction under 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2)(A), 
and to OMB, unless OMB disapproves the agreement within the 40-day 
review period or grants a waiver of 10 days of the 40-day review 
period. The matching agreement will remain in effect for 18 months from 
its effective date, unless one of the parties to the agreement advises 
the other by written request to terminate or modify the agreement. The 
agreement is subject to renewal by the HHS Data Integrity Board for 12 
additional months if the matching program will be conducted without any 
change and OCSE and the state agency certify to the Data Integrity 
Board in writing that the program has been conducted in compliance with 
the agreement.

[FR Doc. 2016-30894 Filed 12-22-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4184-42-P