Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program

Pursuant to subsection (o) of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, (5 U.S.C. 552a), the DoD and ED has concluded an agreement to conduct a computer matching program between the agencies. The purpose of the match is to exchange personal data between the agencies for debt collection. The match will yield the identity and location of debtors within the Federal Government so that ED can pursue recoupment of the debt by voluntary payment or by administrative or salary offset procedures. Computer matching appeared to be the most efficient and effective manner to accomplish this task with the least amount of intrusion of personal privacy of the individuals concerned. It was therefore concluded and agreed upon that computer matching would be the best and least obtrusive manner and choice for accomplishing this requirement. A copy of the computer matching agreement between ED and DoD is available upon request to the public. Requests should be submitted to the address caption above or to the Department of Education Federal Employee Salary Offset Coordinator, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, ROB 3 Room 5114, Washington, DC 20202-5320. Set forth below is the notice of the establishment of a computer matching program required by paragraph 6.c. of the Office of Management and Budget Guidelines on computer matching published on June 19, 1989, at 54 FR 25818. The matching agreement, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(r) of the Privacy Act, and an advance copy of this notice was submitted on May 11, 1999, to the House Committee on Government Reform, the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, and the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget pursuant to paragraph 4d of Appendix I to OMB Circular No. A-130, `Federal Agency Responsibilities for Maintaining Records about Individuals,' dated February 8, 1996 (February 20, 1996, 61 FR 6427).

Dated: May 21, 1999.

L. M. Bynum, Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.

COMPUTER MATCHING PROGRAM BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR DEBT COLLECTION

A. Participating agencies: Participants in this computer matching program are the Department of Education (ED) and the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) of the Department of Defense (DoD). The ED is the source agency, i.e., the activity disclosing the records for the purpose of the match. The DMDC is the specific recipient activity or matching agency, i.e., the agency that actually performs the computer matching.

B. Purpose of the match: The purpose of the match is to identify and locate any matched Federal personnel, employed, serving or retired, who owe delinquent debts to the Federal Government under certain programs administered by ED. ED will use this information to initiate independent collection of those debts under the provisions of the Debt Collection Act of 1982, as amended, when voluntary payment is not forthcoming. These collection efforts will include requests by ED of the military service/employing agency in the case of military personnel (either active, reserve or retired) and current non-postal civilian employees, and to the Office of Personnel Management in the case of retired non-postal civilian employees, to apply administrative and/or salary offset procedures until such time as the obligation is paid in full.

C. Authority for conducting the match: The legal authority for conducting the matching program is contained in the Debt Collection Act of 1982 (Pub. L. 97-365), as amended by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 103-134, section 31001); 31 U.S.C. Chapter 37, Subchapter I (General) and Subchapter II (Claims of the United States Government); 31 U.S.C. 3711, Collection and Compromise; 31 U.S.C. 3716, Administrative Offset; 5 U.S.C. 5514, Installment Deduction for Indebtedness (Salary Offset); 10 U.S.C. 135, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller); section 101(1) of Executive Order 12731; 4 CFR 101.1- 105.5, Federal Claims Collection Standards; 5 CFR 550.1101 - 550.1108 Collection by Offset from Indebted Government Employees (OPM); 34 CFR part 30 - Debt Collection and part 312 - Salary Offset for Federal Employees who are Indebted to the United States Under Programs Administered by the Secretary of Education. ED's authorization to collect through salary offset is covered by the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (Pub. L. 89-329).

D. Records to be matched: The systems of records maintained by the respective agencies under the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, 5 U.S.C. 552a, from which records will be disclosed for the purpose of this computer match are as follows: ED will use personal data from record system identified as 18-40- 0024, entitled 'Title IV Program Files,' last published in the Federal Register at 59 FR 17351 on April 12, 1994. DOD will use personal data from the record system identified as S322.11 DMDC, entitled 'Federal Creditor Agency Debt Collection Data Base,' last published in the Federal Register at 61 FR 32779 on June 25, 1996.

E. Description of Computer Matching Program: ED, as the source agency, will provide DMDC with an electronic file which contains the names of delinquent debtors in programs ED administers. Upon receipt of the electronic file of debtor accounts, DMDC will perform a computer match using all nine digits of the SSN of the ED file against a DMDC computer database. The DMDC database, established under an interagency agreement between DoD, OPM, OMB, and the Department of the Treasury, consists of personnel records of non-postal Federal civilian employees and military members both active and retired. The 'hits' or matches will be furnished to ED. ED is responsible for verifying and determining that the data on the DMDC electronic reply file are consistent with ED's source file and for resolving any discrepancies or inconsistencies on an individual basis. ED will also be responsible for making final determinations as to positive identification, amount of indebtedness and recovery efforts as a result of the match.

The electronic file provided by ED will contain data elements on approximately 3.7 million delinquent debtors. The DMDC computer data base contains approximately 4.8 million records of active duty and retired military members including the Reserves and Guard and approximately 3.1 million records of active and retired non-postal Federal civilian employees.

F. Inclusive dates of the matching program: This computer matching program is subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget and Congress. If the mandatory 30 day period for public comment has expired and if no objections are raised by either Congress or the Office of Management and Budget within 40 days of being notified of the proposed match, the computer matching program becomes effective and the respective agencies may begin the exchange of data at a mutually agreeable time on a six month basis. By agreement between ED and DoD, the matching program will be in effect and continue for 18 months with an option to extend for 12 additional months unless one of the parties to the agreement advises the other by written request to terminate or modify the agreement.

G. Address for receipt of public comments or inquiries: Director, Defense Privacy Office, 1941 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 920, Arlington, VA 22202-4502. Telephone (703) 607-2943.

[FR Doc. 99-13443 Filed 5-27-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 5001-10-F