83 FR 60429 - Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 227 (November 26, 2018)

In accordance with subsection (e)(12) of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing notice of a new matching program between CMS and the Peace Corps, ``Verification of Eligibility for Minimum Essential Coverage Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Through a Peace Corps Health Benefit Plan.''

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 227 (Monday, November 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60429-60430]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-25639]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services


Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS)

ACTION: Notice of a New Matching Program.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with subsection (e)(12) of the Privacy Act of 
1974, as amended, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), 
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing notice of a 
new matching program between CMS and the Peace Corps, ``Verification of 
Eligibility for Minimum Essential Coverage Under the Patient Protection 
and Affordable Care Act Through a Peace Corps Health Benefit Plan.''

DATES: The deadline for comments on this notice is December 26, 
2018.The re-established matching program will commence not sooner than 
30 days after publication of this notice, provided no comments are 
received that warrant a change to this notice. The matching program 
will be conducted for an initial term of 18 months (from approximately 
January 2019 to June 2020) and within 3 months of expiration may be 
renewed for one additional year if the parties make no change to the 
matching program and certify that the program has been conducted in 
compliance with the matching agreement.

ADDRESSES: Written comments can be sent to: CMS Privacy Act Officer, 
Division of Security, Privacy Policy & Governance, Information Security 
& Privacy Group, Office of Information Technology, CMS, 7500 Security 
Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21244-1870, Mailstop: N3-15-25, or by email to: 
[email protected]. Comments received will be available for 
review at this location, by appointment, during regular business hours, 
Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about the 
matching program, you may contact Jack Lavelle, Senior Advisor, 
Marketplace Eligibility and Enrollment Group, Center for Consumer 
Information and Insurance Oversight, CMS, 7501 Wisconsin Ave., 
Bethesda, MD 20814, (410) 786-0639, or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Privacy Act of 1974, as amended (5 
U.S.C. 552a) provides 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 
(meaning, federal agency records about individuals retrieved by name or 
other personal identifier) are matched with records of other federal or 
non-federal agencies. The Privacy Act requires agencies involved in a 
matching program to:
    1. Enter into a written agreement, which must be prepared in 
accordance with the Privacy Act, approved by the Data Integrity Board 
of each source and recipient federal agency, provided to Congress and 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and made available to the 
public, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(o), (u)(3)(A), and (u)(4).
    2. Notify the individuals whose information will be used in the 
matching program that the information they provide is subject to 
verification through matching, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(o)(1)(D).
    3. Verify match findings before suspending, terminating, reducing, 
or making a final denial of an individual's benefits or payments or 
taking other adverse action against the individual, as required by 5 
U.S.C. 552a(p).
    4. Report the matching program to Congress and the OMB, in advance 
and annually, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(o) (2)(A)(i), (r), and 
(u)(3)(D).
    5. Publish advance notice of the matching program in the Federal 
Register as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(12). This matching program 
meets these requirements.

[[Page 60430]]

    This matching program meets these requirements.

Barbara Demopulos,
CMS Privacy Advisor, Information Security and Privacy Group, Division 
of Security, Privacy Policy and Governance, Office of Information 
Technology, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Participating Agencies

    Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare 
& Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Peace Corps.

Authority for Conducting the Matching Program

    The statutory authority for the matching program is 42 U.S.C. 
18001, et seq.

Purpose(s)

    The purpose of the matching program is to assist CMS in determining 
individuals' eligibility for financial assistance in paying for private 
health insurance coverage. In this matching program, the Peace Corps 
provides CMS with data identifying all Peace Corps volunteers and the 
dates when each volunteer was eligible for coverage under a Peace Corps 
health benefit plan, which CMS and state administering entities (AEs) 
use to verify whether an individual who is applying for or is enrolled 
in private health insurance coverage under a qualified health plan 
through a federally-facilitated or state-based health insurance 
exchange is eligible for coverage under a Peace Corps health benefit 
plan. CMS makes the data provided by the Peace Corps available to AEs 
through a data services hub to use in determining the applicant's or 
enrollee's eligibility for financial assistance (including an advance 
tax credit and cost sharing reduction, which are types of insurance 
affordability programs) in paying for private health insurance 
coverage. Peace Corps health benefit plans provide minimum essential 
coverage, and eligibility for such plans usually precludes eligibility 
for financial assistance in paying for private coverage. The data 
provided by the Peace Corps under this matching program will be used by 
CMS and AEs to authenticate identity, determine eligibility for 
financial assistance, and determine the amount of the financial 
assistance.

Categories of Individuals

    The categories of individuals whose information is involved in the 
matching program are:
     Active and recently separated Peace Corps volunteers, 
identified in data CMS receives from the Peace Corps; and
     Consumers who apply for or are enrolled in private 
insurance coverage under a qualified health plan through a federally-
facilitated health insurance exchange (and other relevant individuals, 
such as applicants' and enrollees' household members), whose records 
are matched against the data CMS receives from the Peace Corps.

Categories of Records

    The categories of records which will be provided by the Peace Corps 
to CMS in this matching program are identity records and minimum 
essential coverage period records, consisting of these data elements:
    1. Record type.
    2. data record number.
    3. social security number of Peace Corps volunteer.
    4. last name of Peace Corps volunteer.
    5. middle name of Peace Corps volunteer.
    6. first name of Peace Corps volunteer.
    7. gender of Peace Corps volunteer.
    8. date of birth of Peace Corps volunteer.
    9. Peace Corps volunteer coverage begin date.
    10. Peace Corps volunteer actual end date.
    11. Peace Corps volunteer projected coverage end date. CMS will not 
send any data about individual applicants/enrollees to the Peace Corps 
in order to receive this data about Peace Corps volunteers. The Peace 
Corps will send CMS a bulk file each day from Tuesday through Saturday, 
which will contain this data for all active Peace Corps volunteers and 
all Peace Corps volunteers who left service within the prior three 
months.

System(s) of Records

    The records used in this matching program about Peace Corps 
volunteers will be disclosed to CMS from the Peace Corps system of 
records identified below, and will be matched against applicant/
enrollee records in the CMS system of records identified below:

A. System of Records Maintained by CMS

     MCMS Health Insurance Exchanges System (HIX), CMS System 
No. 09-70-0560, last published in full at 78 FR 63211 (Oct. 23, 2013), 
as amended at 83 FR 6591 (Feb. 14, 2018).

B. System of Records Maintained by the Peace Corps

     Peace Corps Manual Section 897, Attachment B, PC-17 
Volunteer Applicant and Service Records System, 75 FR 53000 (Oct. 14, 
2010). Routine use (i), which authorizes disclosure of records ``to 
verify active or former Volunteer service,'' authorizes the Peace 
Corps' disclosures to CMS.

[FR Doc. 2018-25639 Filed 11-23-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4120-03-P