Notice2021-24368
Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 8, 2021
Issuing agencies
Veterans Affairs Department
Abstract
VA is amending the current system of record (SOR) (173VA005OP2) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Mobile Application Environment (MAE) by renaming it VA Enterprise Cloud-- Mobile Application Platform (VAEC-MAP). The VA MAE has been replaced by VAEC-MAP. VA changed Information Technology providers from Terremark to Amazon Web Services (AWS). In addition, the system location has changed. We are restating the routine uses in full and revising the language to make routine uses align with recent Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidelines and making minor editorial changes to more clearly articulate uses and to align with standardized VA routine use language. VA is republishing the system notice in its entirety. VAEC- MAP is a cloud hosted system that provides the infrastructure and hosting platform for Mobile Shared Services (i.e., common services used for Mobile applications) and web components of applications used on Mobile devices. Mobile applications connect to VA enterprise services using the VAEC MAP Mobile Shared Services. Mobile applications such as Video Visits Service (VVS), Veteran Affairs Online Scheduling (VAOS), Patient Viewer (PV), and Veteran Affairs Video Connect (VVC) leverage this platform, pipeline, and hosting environment to provide a coordinated scheduling and notification capability to Staff and Veterans among other resources. VAEC-MAP uses the VAEC AWS cloud environment to provide an automated platform and pipeline for the development and hosting of production VA mobile applications. VAEC Common shared services, such as BigFix, Nessus, Splunk, and AD, are leveraged to provide security control implementation and system security visibility to the VA teams responsible for ensuring the security of VA systems. Administrative users of the VAEC-MAP environment must authenticate to the VA (Citrix Access Gateway or RESCUE) via Personal Identification Verification before using access keys and Identity and Access Management multi-factor authentication to gain access into the environment. System Administrators access the VA network using VA managed Government Furnished Equipment through Virtual Private Network connections to the VA Local Area Network and are authenticated using an Active Directory system managed by VA Network Security Operations Center. Encrypted communications protocols and ports are employed to protect information flowing across the VA network. All system access is managed via Role Based Access Control deployed separately within the environment and adheres to the Least Privilege Principal for all user accounts regardless of role. VAEC-MAP user account management adheres to VA policy or exceeds VA Policy where applicable.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 213 (Monday, November 8, 2021)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 213 (Monday, November 8, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61852-61855]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24368]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS
Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
AGENCY: Department of Veteran Affairs, Office of General Counsel.
ACTION: Notice of a modified system of records.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: VA is amending the current system of record (SOR)
(173VA005OP2) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Mobile
Application Environment (MAE) by renaming it VA Enterprise Cloud--
Mobile Application Platform (VAEC-MAP). The VA MAE has been replaced by
VAEC-MAP. VA changed Information Technology providers from Terremark to
Amazon Web Services (AWS). In addition, the system location has
changed. We are restating the routine uses in full and revising the
language to make routine uses align with recent Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) guidelines and making minor editorial changes to more
clearly articulate uses and to align with standardized VA routine use
language. VA is republishing the system notice in its entirety. VAEC-
MAP is a cloud hosted system that provides the infrastructure and
hosting platform for Mobile Shared Services (i.e., common services used
for Mobile applications) and web components of applications used on
Mobile devices. Mobile applications connect to VA enterprise services
using the VAEC MAP Mobile Shared Services. Mobile applications such as
Video Visits Service (VVS), Veteran Affairs Online Scheduling (VAOS),
Patient Viewer (PV), and Veteran Affairs Video Connect (VVC) leverage
this platform, pipeline, and hosting environment to provide a
coordinated scheduling and notification capability to Staff and
Veterans among other resources. VAEC-MAP uses the VAEC AWS cloud
environment to provide an automated platform and pipeline for the
development and hosting of production VA mobile applications. VAEC
Common shared services, such as BigFix, Nessus, Splunk, and AD, are
leveraged to provide security control implementation and system
security visibility to the VA teams responsible for ensuring the
security of VA systems. Administrative users of the VAEC-MAP
environment must authenticate to the VA (Citrix Access Gateway or
RESCUE) via Personal Identification Verification before using access
keys and Identity and Access Management multi-factor authentication to
gain access into the environment. System Administrators access the VA
network using VA managed Government Furnished Equipment through Virtual
Private Network connections to the VA Local Area Network and are
authenticated using an Active Directory system managed by VA Network
Security Operations Center. Encrypted communications protocols and
ports are employed to protect information flowing across the VA
network. All system access is managed via Role Based Access Control
deployed separately within the environment and adheres to the Least
Privilege Principal for all user accounts regardless of role. VAEC-MAP
user account management adheres to VA policy or exceeds VA Policy where
applicable.
DATES: Comments on this revision of a system of records must be
received no later than 30 days after date of publication in the Federal
Register. If no public comment is received during the period allowed
for comment or unless otherwise published in the Federal Register by
VA, these revisions will become effective a minimum of 30 days after
date of publication in the Federal Register. If VA receives public
comments, VA shall review the comments to determine whether any changes
to the notice are necessary.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted through <a href="http://www.Regulations.gov">www.Regulations.gov</a> or
mailed to VA Privacy Service, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, (005R1A),
Washington, DC 20420. Comments should indicate that they are submitted
in response to the VA Mobile Application Environment (MAE)-VA
(173VA005OP2). Comments received will be available at <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>
for public viewing, inspection or copies.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For submitting general questions and
requests about this revised system please direct correspondence to Mark
Ennis (System Owner) [Veteran Affairs 102 2nd Avenue South, Suite 300,
St. Petersburg, FL 33701], or at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c38ea2b1a8ed86adadaab083b5a2eda4acb5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f6bb97849dd8b398989f85b68097d8919980">[email protected]</span></a>, and 727-212-0827
(This is not a toll-free number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: VA is amending the current system of record
(SOR) (173VA005OP2) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Mobile
Application Environment (MAE) by renaming it VA Enterprise Cloud--
Mobile Application Platform (VAEC-MAP) and updating the system
location.
Signing Authority
The Senior Agency Official for Privacy, or designee, approved this
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dominic A.
Cussatt, Acting Assistant Secretary of Information and Technology and
Chief Information Officer, approved this document on May 26, 2021 for
publication.
[[Page 61853]]
Dated: November 3, 2021.
Amy L. Rose,
Program Analyst, VA Privacy Service, Office of Information Security,
Office of Information and Technology, Department of Veterans Affairs.
SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:
``VA Enterprise Cloud--Mobile Application Platform (Cloud)
Assessing (VAEC-MAP) (173VA005OP2).
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU).
SYSTEM LOCATION:
The office responsible for the system is the Department of Veteran
Affairs, Office of General Counsel, 810 Vermont Ave. NW, Washington, DC
20420 and Amazon Web Services (AWS)--Seattle, WA.
SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
Mark Ennis (System Owner) Veteran Affairs 102 2nd Avenue South,
Suite 300, St. Petersburg, FL 33701, or at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f1bc90839adfb49f9f9882b18790df969e87"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6e230f1c05402b0000071d2e180f40090118">[email protected]</span></a>, and 727-
212-0827 (This is not a toll-free number).
AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
Title 38, United States Code, Section 501.
PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
The records and information will be used to provide a repository
for the clinical and administrative information that is collected,
retrieved, or displayed from within a VA mobile or Web application. The
purpose of use will include, but not be limited to, health care
treatment information, disability adjudication, and benefits to the
Veteran both within the VA Medical Center and in sharing with partners
who are participating through the eHealth Exchange in VA's Mobile
pilots and subsequent public and enterprise rollout of new
applications. Data may also be used at an aggregate, non-personally
identifiable level to track and evaluate local or national health and
benefits initiatives and preventative-care measures, such as detecting
outbreaks of flu or other diseases, detection of antibiotic resistance
bacteria, etc. These data may be used for such purposes as scheduling
patient treatment services, including nursing care, clinic
appointments, surveys, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures. These
data may also be used for the purpose of health care operations, such
as producing various management and patient follow up reports;
responding to patient and other inquiries; for epidemiological research
and other health care-related studies; statistical analysis, resource
allocation and planning; providing clinical and administrative support
to patient medical care; determining entitlement and eligibility for VA
benefits; processing and adjudicating benefit claims by Veterans
Benefits Administration Regional Office staff; for audits, reviews, and
investigations conducted by staff of VA Central Office and VA's OIG;
sharing of health information between and among VHA, DoD, IHS, and
other Government and private industry health care organizations; law
enforcement investigations; quality assurance audits, reviews, and
investigations; personnel management and evaluation; employee ratings
and performance evaluations; and employee disciplinary or other adverse
action, including discharge; advising health care professional
licensing or monitoring bodies or similar entities of activities of VA
and former VA health care personnel.
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
The records contain information on Veterans, Veteran beneficiaries,
Veteran caregivers, members of the Armed Forces, Reserves and National
Guard, and other VA customers in addition to VA authorized users (e.g.,
VA employees, VA contractors, VA volunteers, and other individuals
permitted to have access to VA IT systems).
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
The records may include information related to data entered through
Web and mobile applications developed and maintained by VA, accessed
and updated by the individuals covered by the system as well as by VA-
authorized users. The records may contain demographics, personal
information (e.g., name, social security numbers, physical address,
phone number, email address), health-related information (e.g., vital
signs, allergies, medications, health related history, health
assessments), benefit-related information, information provided to VA
for the potential provision of services and benefits, military history
and services, preferences for authorizing the sharing of their health
information (e.g., electronic surrogate authorizations, electronic
surrogate revocations). The records may include identifiers such as
VA's integration control number. The information will be primarily
benefits and health-related but may include other information such as
customer entered updates to demographic information.
RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
Information in this system of records is provided by Veterans and
their beneficiaries or caregivers, members of the Armed Services,
Reserves or National Guard; VA employees, other VA-authorized users
(e.g., DoD), and information from VA computer systems and databases
include, but not limited to, Veterans Health Information Systems and
Technology Architecture (VistA)--VA (79VA10P2) and National Patient
Databases--VA (121VA10P2), VAMCs, Federal and non-Federal VLER/eHealth
Exchange partners, and DoD.
ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES
OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
1. Congress
VA may disclose information to a Member of Congress or staff acting
upon the Member's behalf when the Member or staff requests the
information on behalf of, and at the request of, the individual who is
the subject of the record.
2. Data Breach Response and Remediation, for VA
VA may disclose information to appropriate agencies, entities, and
persons when (1) VA suspects or has confirmed that there has been a
breach of the system of records,(2) VA has determined that as a result
of the suspected or confirmed breach there is a risk of harm to
individuals, VA (including its information systems, programs, and
operations), the Federal Government, or national security; and (3) the
disclosure made to such agencies, entities, and persons is reasonably
necessary to assist in connection with VA's efforts to respond to the
suspected or confirmed breach or to prevent, minimize, or remedy such
harm . . .
3. Data Breach Response and Remediation, for Another Federal Agency
VA may disclose information to another Federal agency or Federal
entity, when VA determines that the information from this system of
records is reasonably necessary to assist the recipient agency or
entity in (1) responding to a suspected or confirmed breach or (2)
preventing, minimizing, or remedying the risk of harm to individuals,
the recipient agency or entity (including its information systems,
programs, and operations), the Federal Government, or national
security, resulting from a suspected or confirmed breach.
4. Law Enforcement
VA may disclose information that, either alone or in conjunction
with
[[Page 61854]]
other information, indicates a violation or potential violation of law,
whether civil, criminal, or regulatory in nature, to a Federal, state,
local, territorial, tribal, or foreign law enforcement authority or
other appropriate entity charged with the responsibility of
investigating or prosecuting such violation or charged with enforcing
or implementing such law. The disclosure of the names and addresses of
veterans and their dependents from VA records under this routine use
must also comply with the provisions of 38 U.S.C. 5701.
5. DoJ for Litigation or Administrative Proceeding
VA may disclose information to the Department of Justice (DoJ), or
in a proceeding before a court, adjudicative body, or other
administrative body before which VA is authorized to appear, when:
(a) VA or any component thereof;
(b) Any VA employee in his or her official capacity;
(c) Any VA employee in his or her official capacity where DoJ has
agreed to represent the employee; or
(d) The United States, where VA determines that litigation is
likely to affect the agency or any of its components,
is a party to such proceedings or has an interest in such
proceedings, and VA determines that use of such records is relevant and
necessary to the proceedings.
6. Contractors
VA may disclose information to contractors, grantees, experts,
consultants, students, and others performing or working on a contract,
service, grant, cooperative agreement, or other assignment for VA, when
reasonably necessary to accomplish an agency function related to the
records.
7. OPM
VA may disclose information to the Office of Personnel Management
(OPM) in connection with the application or effect of civil service
laws, rules, regulations, or OPM guidelines in particular situations.
8. EEOC
VA may disclose information to the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) in connection with investigations of alleged or
possible discriminatory practices, examination of Federal affirmative
employment programs, or other functions of the Commission as authorized
by law.
9. FLRA
VA may disclose information to the Federal Labor Relations
Authority (FLRA) in connection with: The investigation and resolution
of allegations of unfair labor practices, the resolution of exceptions
to arbitration awards when a question of material fact is raised;
matters before the Federal Service Impasses Panel; and the
investigation of representation petitions and the conduct or
supervision of representation elections.
10. MSPB
VA may disclose information to the Merit Systems Protection Board
(MSPB) and the Office of the Special Counsel in connection with
appeals, special studies of the civil service and other merit systems,
review of rules and regulations, investigation of alleged or possible
prohibited personnel practices, and such other functions promulgated in
5 U.S.C. 1205 and 1206, or as authorized by law.
11. NARA
VA may disclose information to NARA in records management
inspections conducted under 44 U.S.C. 2904 and 2906, or other functions
authorized by laws and policies governing NARA operations and VA
records management responsibilities.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
Records are stored in the AWS Cloud.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
Records may be retrieved by name, social security number, VA's
integration control number, or other assigned identifiers of the
individuals for whom they are maintained.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
Records from this system that are needed for audit purposes will be
disposed of 6 years after a user's account becomes inactive. Routine
records will be disposed of when the agency determines they are no
longer needed for administrative, legal, audit, or other operational
purposes. These retention and disposal statements are pursuant to NARA
General Records Schedules GRS 20, item 1c and GRS 24, item 6a.
ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
1. Access to and use of national administrative databases,
warehouses, and data marts are limited to those persons whose official
duties require such access, and VA has established security procedures
to ensure that access is appropriately limited. Information security
officers and system data stewards review and authorize data access
requests. VA regulates data access with security software that
authenticates users and requires individually-unique codes and
passwords. VA requires information security training for all staff and
instructs staff on the responsibility each person has for safeguarding
data confidentiality. 2. Physical access to computer rooms housing
national administrative databases, warehouses, and data marts is
restricted to authorized staff and protected by a variety of security
devices. Unauthorized employees, contractors, and other staff are not
allowed in computer rooms. 3. Data transmissions between operational
systems and national administrative databases, warehouses, and data
marts maintained by this system of record are protected by state-of-
the-art telecommunication software and hardware. This may include
firewalls, intrusion detection devices, encryption, and other security
measures necessary to safeguard data as it travels across the VA-Wide
Area Network. 4. In most cases, copies of back-up computer files are
maintained at off-site locations.
RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
Individuals seeking information regarding access to and contesting
of records in this system may write the Director of VA Connected
Health, VHA Office of Informatics and Analytics, Department of Veterans
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420. Inquiries should,
at a minimum, include the person's full name, social security number,
type of information requested or contested, their return address, and
phone number.
CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
Individuals seeking information regarding access to and contesting
of records in this system may write the Director of VA Connected
Health, VHA Office of Informatics and Analytics, Department of Veterans
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420. Inquiries should,
at a minimum, include the person's full name, social security number,
type of information requested or contested, their return address, and
phone number.
NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
Individuals who wish to determine whether this system of records
contains information about them should contact the Director of VA
Connected Health, VHA Office of Informatics and Analytics, Department
of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420 or via
the Web at <a href="http://mobilehealth.va.gov">http://mobilehealth.va.gov</a>. Inquiries should include the
person's full name,
[[Page 61855]]
social security number, and their return address.
EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:
N/A.
HISTORY:
VA Mobile Application Environment (MAE)-VA (173VA005OP2) last full
publication provided in 78 FR 66806 dated November 6, 2013
[FR Doc. 2021-24368 Filed 11-5-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on November 8, 2021.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.