Privacy Act of 1974; Notice of a Computer Matching Program Between the United States Department of Agriculture and the Defense Manpower Data Center of the Department of Defense.

Pursuant to subsection (o) of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, 5 U.S.C. 552a, the DoD and USDA have concluded an agreement to conduct a computer matching program. 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 the debtors within the Federal government so that USDA 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 USDA and DMDC is available upon request to the public. Requests should be submitted to the address caption above or to Ms. Joyce Baumgartner, Debt Collection Coordinator, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 3022, South Building, Washington, DC 20250. Telephone (202) 720-4958. 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 March 10, 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: March 17, 1999.

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

COMPUTER MATCHING PROGRAM BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR DEBT COLLECTION

A. Participating Agencies: Participants in this computer matching program are the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) of the Department of Defense (DoD). The USDA 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 this 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 the USDA. USDA 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 the USDA 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: Debt Collection Act of 1982 (Public Law 97-365), as amended by the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-134, 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); and 7 CFR Part 3, Debt Management (USDA).

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: Record system identified as USDA/FSA-14, entitled 'Applicant/ Borrower,' last published in the Federal Register at 62 FR 5583 on February 6, 1997. Record system identified as USDA/FCIC-1, entitled 'Accounts Receivable,' last published in the Federal Register at 53 FR 4047 on February 11, 1988. Record system identified as USDA/FSA-13, entitled 'Claims Data Base (Automated),' last published in the Federal Register at 62 FR 5581 on February 6, 1997. Record system identified as USDA/OCFO-3, entitled 'Billings and Collections Systems,' last published in the Federal Register at 62 FR 47622 on September 10, 1997. 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, June 25, 1996.

E. Description of Computer Matching Program: USDA, as the source agency, will provide DMDC with an electronic file which contains the names of delinquent debtors in programs the USDA 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 USDA 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 employment records of non-postal Federal civilian employees and military members, both active and retired. The 'hits' or matches will be furnished to USDA. USDA is responsible for verifying and determining that the data on the DMDC electronic reply file are consistent with the USDA's source file and for resolving any discrepancies or inconsistencies on an individual basis. USDA 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 USDA will contain data elements of the debtor's name, SSN, internal account numbers and the total amount owed for each debtor on approximately 136,000 delinquent debtors. The DMDC computer database file contains approximately 4.8 million records of active duty and retired military members, including the Reserve 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 the mutually agreeable time on a annual basis. By agreement between USDA 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. 99-7036 Filed 3-22-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 5000-04-F