82 FR 11489 - Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

POSTAL SERVICE

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 35 (February 23, 2017)

The United States Postal Service[supreg] (Postal Service) is proposing to modify a General Privacy Act Systems of Records to support administrative retention and data element collection, as well as a new benefit offered to employees for third-party tax preparation services.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 35 (Thursday, February 23, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11489-11490]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-03474]


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POSTAL SERVICE


Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

AGENCY: Postal ServiceTM.

ACTION: Notice of modification to existing systems of records.

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SUMMARY: The United States Postal Service[supreg] (Postal Service) is 
proposing to modify a General Privacy Act Systems of Records to support 
administrative retention and data element collection, as well as a new 
benefit offered to employees for third-party tax preparation services.

DATES: These revisions will become effective without further notice on 
March 27, 2017 unless comments received on or before that date result 
in a contrary determination.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed or delivered to the Privacy and 
Records Office, United States Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW., 
Room 1P830, Washington, DC 20260-1101. Copies of all written comments 
will be available at this address for public inspection and 
photocopying between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janine Castorina, Chief Privacy and 
Records Management Officer, Privacy and Records Office, 202-268-3069 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is in accordance with the 
Privacy Act requirement that agencies publish their systems of records 
in the Federal Register when there is a revision, change, or addition, 
or when the agency establishes a new system of records. The Postal 
ServiceTM has determined that one General Privacy Act System 
of Records (SOR) should be revised to modify Categories of Records in 
the System, Purpose(s), Routine Uses of Records Maintained in the 
System, Including Categories of Users and the Purposes of Such Uses, 
along with Retention and Disposal.
    The Postal Service is proposing modifications to SOR 100.400 to 
reflect a new benefit to allow employees, who voluntarily elect to be 
able to automatically upload information from their individual W-2 and 
1095-C forms directly to a third-party tax preparation service. 
Employee tax information, such as their Form W-2, Wage and Tax 
Statement and Form 1095-C, Employer-Provided Health Insurance Offer and 
Coverage information, will remain securely safeguarded within USPS 
computer information systems and only uploaded to third-party tax 
preparation services upon voluntary request and consent of the 
individual employee. Uploading this information in a tax preparation 
service is considered an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) best practice. 
This will save employees from having to enter the information manually, 
providing convenience and reducing the risk of potential keying errors. 
Therefore, the SOR is being revised to include an appropriate purpose, 
routine use for the transfer of tax information, and retention of the 
employee tax information. In addition, other updates are included to 
account for separate administrative changes, which include the 
collection of employee's ACE ID for computer access in the Time and 
Attendance System for employees entering payroll information. 
Similarly, Retention and Disposal times are being updated to more 
accurately reflect record retention for monetary awards, ideas 
submitted by employees under the formal ideas program, and for overtime 
administrative records.
    Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(11), interested persons are invited to 
submit written data, views, or arguments on this proposal. A report of 
the proposed modifications has been sent to Congress and to the Office 
of Management and Budget for their evaluations. The Postal Service does 
not expect this amended system of records to have any adverse effect on 
individual privacy rights.
    Accordingly, for the reasons stated, the Postal Service proposes 
changes in the existing system of records as follows:
USPS 100.400

SYSTEM NAME:
    Personnel Compensation and Payroll Records
* * * * *

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
    [Change item 1 to read as follows:]
    1. Employee and family member information: Name(s), Social Security 
Number(s), Employee Identification Number, ACE ID, date(s) of birth, 
postal assignment information, work contact information, home 
address(es) and phone number(s), finance number(s), occupation code; 
occupation title; duty location, and pay location.
* * * * *

PURPOSE:
* * * * *
    [Add 9 to read as follows:]
    9. To generate W-2 and 1095-C information for use with external 
third-party tax preparation services at the request of the individual 
employee.
* * * * *

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS 
AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
* * * * *
    [Add L to read as follows:]
    l. Disclosure of W-2 and 1095-C tax information records to external 
third-party tax preparation services.
* * * * *
    Retention and Disposal
* * * * *
    [Change 3 and 4 to read as follows:]
    3. Records of monetary awards with a status that they have been 
processed, processing failed, cancelled, and reported (Service Award 
Pins, Retirement Service Awards, Posthumous Service Awards) are 
retained 7 years, as payroll records would have been affected/
processed. Records of award submissions with the status approved, 
deleted, and/or draft are retained 31 days, as payroll records would 
not have been affected/processed.
    4. Records of employee submitted ideas are maintained for 2 years 
after being closed.
* * * * *
    [Add 8 and 9 to read as follows:]
    8. Overtime administrative records are retained for 7 years.
    9. Tax preparation records are limited to an employee's previous 
year's wages, tax documentation and health insurance

[[Page 11490]]

coverage as required by the Affordable Care Act.
* * * * *

Stanley F. Mires,
Attorney, Federal Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2017-03474 Filed 2-22-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P