82 FR 29856 - Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 125 (June 30, 2017)

This document provides notice of the re-establishment of a computer matching program between the Department of Education (ED) and the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 125 (Friday, June 30, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29856-29858]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-13772]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

[Docket ID ED-2017-FSA-0047]


Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of the re-establishment of a computer matching program.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This document provides notice of the re-establishment of a 
computer matching program between the Department of Education (ED) and 
the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) of the U.S. Department of 
Defense (DoD).

DATES: We must receive your comments on or before July 31, 2017.
    The re-established matching program will be effective on the latest 
of the following three dates: (A) August 1,

[[Page 29857]]

2017; (B) 30 days from June 30, 2017, as required by 5 U.S.C. 
552a(e)(12) and OMB Circular A-108, assuming that ED receives no public 
comments or receives public comments but makes no changes to this 
notice as a result of the public comments, or 30 days from the date on 
which ED publishes a subsequent matching program notice in the Federal 
Register, assuming that ED receives public comments and revises this 
notice as a result of public comments; or (C) 60 days from the date on 
which ED transmits the report of the matching program, as required by 5 
U.S.C. 552a(r) and OMB Circular A-108, to OMB, the U.S. House Committee 
on Oversight and Government Reform, and the U.S. Senate Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, unless OMB waives any days 
of the 60-day review period for compelling reasons, in which case 60 
days minus the number of days waived by OMB from the date of ED's 
transmittal of the report of the matching program.
    The matching program will continue for 18 months after the 
effective date and may be extended for an additional 12 months 
thereafter, if the conditions specified in 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(2)(D) have 
been met.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments through the Federal eRulemaking Portal 
or via postal mail, commercial delivery, or hand delivery. We will not 
accept comments submitted by fax or by email or those submitted after 
the comment period. To ensure that we do not receive duplicate copies, 
please submit your comments only once. In addition, please include the 
Docket ID at the top of your comments.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov to 
submit your comments electronically. Information on using 
Regulations.gov, including instructions for accessing agency documents, 
submitting comments, and viewing the docket, is available on the site 
under the ``help'' tab.
     Postal Mail, Commercial Delivery, or Hand Delivery: If you 
mail or deliver your comments, address them to Marya Dennis, Management 
and Program Analyst, U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, 
Union Center Plaza, 830 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20002-5345.
    Privacy Note: ED's policy is to make all comments received from 
members of the public available for public viewing in their entirety on 
the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov. Therefore, 
commenters should be careful to include in their comments only 
information that they wish to make publicly available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Marya Dennis, Management and 
Program Analyst, U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, 
Union Center Plaza, 830 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20002-5345. 
Telephone: (202) 377-3385.
    If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf or a text 
telephone, call the Federal Relay Service, toll free, at 1-800-877-
8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We provide this notice in accordance with 5 
U.S.C. 552a (commonly known as the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended); 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Final Guidance Interpreting the 
Provisions of Public Law 100-503, the Computer Matching and Privacy 
Protection Act of 1988, 54 FR 25818 (June 19, 1989); and OMB Circular 
A-108, 81 FR 94424 (December 23, 2016), https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/OMB/circulars/a108/omb_circular_a-108.pdf.
    Under sections 420R and 473(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, 
as amended (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 1070h and 20 U.S.C. 1087mm(b)), the 
Secretary of Defense must provide the Secretary of Education with 
information to identify the children of military personnel who have 
died as a result of their military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after 
September 11, 2001, to determine if the child is eligible for increased 
amounts of title IV, HEA program assistance. DoD and ED have determined 
that matching data contained in the DoD DMDC system and the Defense 
Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) against ED's Federal 
Student Aid Application File (18-11-01) is the only practical method 
that the agencies can use to meet the statutory requirements of the 
HEA.
    The prior Computer Matching Agreement (CMA) was published in the 
Federal Register on January 2, 2015 (80 FR 37). Under the provisions of 
the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988, Public Law 
100-503, the CMA was renewed for an additional 12 months through July 
31, 2017 because: (1) The program was conducted without change; and (2) 
each Data Integrity Board Chairperson certified in writing that the 
program was conducted in compliance with the CMA. ED and DoD are now 
re-establishing the CMA through this notice.
PARTICIPATING AGENCIES:

ED and DoD

AUTHORITY FOR CONDUCTING THE MATCHING PROGRAM:
    Sections 420R and 473(b) of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1070h and 20 U.S.C. 
1087mm(b)) and 5 U.S.C. 552a.

PURPOSES:
    This matching program identifies children whose parent or guardian 
was a member of the Armed Forces of the United States and died as a 
result of performing military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after 
September 11, 2001. These children (referred to as qualifying students) 
may be eligible for a greater amount of title IV, HEA program 
assistance. A qualifying student must have been age 24 or younger at 
the time of the parent's or guardian's death, or, if older than 24, 
enrolled part-time or full-time in an institution of higher education 
at the time of the parent's or guardian's death. Beginning July 1, 
2010, students who are otherwise qualified children of deceased U.S. 
military who meet the requirements of section 420R of the HEA (20 
U.S.C. 1070h) may also be eligible for higher amounts of title IV, HEA 
program assistance.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS:
    The individuals whose records are included in this matching program 
are dependents of service personnel who died as a result of performing 
their military service in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001, 
which records are located in the DoD DMDC and DEERS systems, and all 
students who complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS:
    DoD data include the individual's first and last name, Social 
Security number (SSN), date of birth, and the parent's or guardian's 
date of death for each qualifying dependent record. ED uses the SSN, 
date of birth, and the first two letters of an applicant's last name to 
match with the Federal Student Aid Application File.

SYSTEM(S) OF RECORDS:
    ED system of records: Federal Student Aid Application File (18-11-
01) (76 FR 46774). DoD system of records: DMDC 01, Defense Manpower 
Data Center Data Base (76 FR 72391) (November 23, 2011), and DMDC 02 
DoD Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting Systems (DEERS) (81 FR 
49210) (July 27, 2016).
    Accessible Format: Individuals with disabilities can obtain this 
document in

[[Page 29858]]

an accessible format (such as, braille, large print, audiotape, or 
compact disc) on request to the contact person listed under FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.
    Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this 
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free 
internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the 
Code of Federal Regulations is available through the Federal Digital 
System at: www.thefederalregister.org/fdsys. At this site you can view this document, 
as well as all other documents of this Department published in the 
Federal Register, in text or Portable Document Format (PDF). To use PDF 
you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at the 
site.
    You may also access documents of the Department published in the 
Federal Register by using the article search feature at: 
www.federalregister.gov. Specifically, through the advanced search 
feature at this site, you can limit your search to documents published 
by the Department.

    Dated: June 27, 2017.
Matthew Sessa,
Acting Chief Operating Officer Federal Student Aid.
[FR Doc. 2017-13772 Filed 6-29-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4000-01-P