Notice2021-26257
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
December 3, 2021
Issuing agencies
Veterans Affairs Department
Abstract
Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974, notice is hereby given that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes to establish a new system of records entitled, ``Federal Case Management Tool'' (FCMT). FCMT is a web-based application that supports VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) with the effective management and tracking of Veteran and Service member beneficiaries at all levels of the continuum of care.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 230 (Friday, December 3, 2021)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 230 (Friday, December 3, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68721-68724]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-26257]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
AGENCY: Veterans Health Administration (VHA), Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA).
ACTION: Notice of a new system of records.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974, notice is hereby given
that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) proposes to establish a
new system of records entitled, ``Federal Case Management Tool''
(FCMT). FCMT is a web-based application that supports VA and the
Department of Defense (DoD) with the effective management and tracking
of Veteran and Service member beneficiaries at all levels of the
continuum of care.
DATES: Comments on this new 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, the new
system of records 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 ``Federal Case Management Tool (FCMT)--VA'' (202VA005Q).
Comments received will be available at <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> for public
viewing, inspection, or copies.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Freda Perry, Project Manager, Federal
Case Management Tool (FCMT), Office of Information & Technology,
Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, (005QF3),
Washington, DC 20420, (202) 802-7882, and <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7234001716135c221700000b403204135c151d04"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1056627574713e4075626269225066713e777f66">[email protected]</span></a>; Paul
Zeien, Director, Education Veterans Readiness and Employment Product
Line--EVREPL (FCMT), Office of Information & Technology, Department of
Veterans Affairs, 5000 S 5th Avenue, Hines, IL 60141, (708) 483-5432
and <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#065667736a285c636f636846706728616970"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6939081c0547330c000c07291f08470e061f">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department is establishing a new system
of records entitled ``Federal Case Management Tool (FCMT),'' as it was
previously connected to the Veterans Tracking Application (VTA)/Federal
Case Management Tool (FCMT) (160VA005Q3) system of records, originally
published in the Federal Register on April 19, 2012, and amended on
Aril 15, 2014. Due to the separation of Federal Case Management Tool
(FCMT) from Veterans Tracking Application (VTA), the VTA/FCMT system of
records was again amended on March 8, 2020, and republished as Veterans
Tracking Application (163CA005Q3), a standalone application that now
falls under the product line ``Eligibility and Enrollment (E&E)'' at
VHA. Accordingly, FCMT is being established as a new system of records
encompassing a standalone application that now falls under ``Education
Veterans Readiness and Employment Product Line (EVREPL)''.
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. Neil C.
Evans, M.D., Chief Officer, Connected Care, Performing the Delegable
Duties of the Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and
Chief Information Officer, approved this document on October 21, 2021
for publication.
Dated: November 30, 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:
Federal Case Management Tool (FCMT)--VA (202VA005Q)
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
Unclassified.
SYSTEM LOCATION:
Systems of records are generally maintained on information systems
owned, operated by, or operated on behalf of the Department. The
primary FCMT system is in the Microsoft Government Community Cloud
(GCC), a government-authorized cloud-service provider, with Microsoft
Global Foundation Services (GFS) Datacenters in Boydton, Virginia; Des
Moines, Iowa; Dallas, Texas; and Phoenix, Arizona. For security
reasons, Microsoft does not disclose the physical location of the data
centers. For more information, please refer to the JAB FedRAMP ATO for
Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
Paul Zeien, Director--Education Veterans Readiness and Employment
Product Line--EVREPL (FCMT), Office of Information & Technology,
Department of Veterans Affairs, 5000 S 5th Avenue, Hines, IL 60141
(708) 483-5432 and <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#75251400195b2f101c101b3503145b121a03"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7e2e1f0b1250241b171b103e081f50191108">[email protected]</span></a>.
AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
The authority for maintaining this system is Title 38 U.S.C. 5106.
PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
The purpose of the FCMT is to track the initial arrival of a
Service member into the VA and DoD health care systems and their
subsequent movement among VA health facilities, as well as monitor
benefits application and administration details. This history includes
all benefit award details to include application dates, award
decisions, dates, and amounts.
The records and information may be used for analysis to produce
various management, workload tracking, and follow-up reports for our
Veterans; to track and evaluate the ordering and delivery of services
and patient care; for the planning, distribution and utilization of
resources; and to allocate clinical and administrative support to
patient medical care.
In addition, the data may be used to assist in workload allocation
for patient treatment services including provider panel management,
nursing care, clinic
[[Page 68722]]
appointments, surgery, prescription processing, diagnostic and
therapeutic procedures; to plan and schedule training activities for
employees; for audits, reviews and investigations conducted by the
network directors office and VA Central Office; for quality assurance
audits, reviews and investigations; for law enforcement investigations;
and for personnel management, evaluation and employee ratings, and
performance evaluations.
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
These records include information on Service Members (SM) and
Veterans as described for the Federal Recovery Coordinator Program
(FRCP), severely injured/visually severely impaired (SI/VSI), Case
Management for Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Veterans Health
Administration (VHA) Liaison, and Chapter 63 Special Outreach programs.
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
The records may include identifying information (e.g., name,
contact information, Social Security number), association to
dependents, cross reference to other names used, military service
participation and status information (branch of service, rank, enter on
duty date, release from active duty date, military occupations, type of
duty), reason and nature of active duty separation (completion of
commitment, disability, hardship, etc.), combat/environmental exposures
(combat pay, combat awards, theater location), combat deployments
(period of deployment, location/country), Guard/Reserve activations
(type of activation), military casualty/disabilities (line of duty
death, physical examination board status, serious/very serious injury
status, recovery plans, DoD rated disabilities), benefit participation,
eligibility and usage, and VA compensation (rating, award amount).
RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
Information in this system of records is provided by VA Department
of Defense Identity Repository (VADIR) for the Department of Defense
and Department of Veterans Affairs.
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 information 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 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.
12. Federal Agencies, for Research
VA may disclose information to a Federal agency for the purpose of
[[Page 68723]]
conducting research and data analysis to perform a statutory purpose of
that Federal agency upon the prior written request of that agency.
13. Federal Agencies, for Computer Matches
VA may disclose information from this system to other federal
agencies for the purpose of conducting computer matches to obtain
information to determine or verify eligibility of veterans receiving VA
benefits or medical care under Title 38, U.S.C.
14. Federal Agencies, Courts, Litigants, for Litigation or
Administrative Proceedings
VA may disclose information to another federal agency, court, or
party in litigation before a court or in an administrative proceeding
conducted by a Federal agency, when the government is a party to the
judicial or administrative proceeding.
15. Governmental Agencies, Health Organizations, for Claimants'
Benefits
VA may disclose information to Federal, state, and local government
agencies and national health organizations as reasonably necessary to
assist in the development of programs that will be beneficial to
claimants, to protect their rights under law, and assure that they are
receiving all benefits to which they are entitled.
16. Health Care Providers, for Referral by VA
VA may disclose information to: (1) A federal agency or health care
provider when VA refers a patient for medical and other health
services, or authorizes a patient to obtain such services and the
information is needed by the federal agency or health care provider to
perform the services; or (2) a federal agency or to health care
provider under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. 513, 7409, 8111, or 8153,
when treatment is rendered by VA under the terms of such contract or
agreement or the issuance of an authorization, and the information is
needed for purposes of medical treatment or follow-up, determination of
eligibility for benefits, or recovery by VA of the costs of the
treatment.
17. Health Care Provider, for Referral to VA
VA may disclose information to a non-VA health care provider when
that health care provider has referred the individual to VA for medical
or other health services.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
Records are transmitted between approved VA and DoD office/systems
and FCMT over secure telecommunications (i.e., SFTP, secure web
services) using approved encryption technologies. Records (or
information contained in records) are maintained in electronic format
in the FCMT database. Information from FCMT is disseminated in three
ways: (1) Approved VA and DoD systems electronically request and
receive data from FCMT over the internal VA and DoD network; (2) data
is provided over the secure telecommunications between FCMT and
approved VA and DoD office/systems for reconciliation of records; (3)
periodic electronic data extracts of subsets of information contained
in FCMT are provided to approved VA and DoD offices/systems over the
internal VA network and DoD network. FCMT is currently on the Microsoft
Government Community Cloud and all backups are located there as well.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
Records are retrieved using name, claim file number, social
security number, date of birth, and other unique identifiers belonging
to the individual to whom the information pertains.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
Records are electronically imaged and established by VA as the
official record, its paper contents (with the exception of documents
that are on hold due to pending litigation, and service treatment
records and other documents that are the property of DoD), are
reclassified as duplicate--non record keeping--copies of the official
record, and will be destroyed in accordance with Records Control
Schedule VB-1, Part 1 Section XIII, Item 13-052.100 as authorized by
NARA. All paper documentation that is not the property of VA (e.g.,
DoD-owned documentation) is currently stored by VA after scanning,
pending a policy determination as to its final disposition. All
documentation being held pursuant to active litigation is held in its
native format during the pendency of the litigation. All FCMT records
are stored on a secure VA server, pending permanent transfer to NARA
where they will be maintained as historical records. Once an electronic
record has been transferred into NARA custody, the record will be fully
purged and deleted from the VA system in accordance with governing
records control schedules using commercial off the shelf (COTS)
software designed for the purpose. Once purged, the record will be
unavailable on the VA system, and will only be accessible through NARA.
Prior to destruction of any paper source documentation reclassified
as duplicate copies, VA engages in a comprehensive and multi-layered
quality control and validation program to ensure material that has been
electronically imaged is completely and accurately uploaded into the
VBMS eFolder. To guarantee the integrity and completeness of the
record, VA engages in industry-best practices, using state-of-the-art
equipment, random sampling, independent audit, and 100% VA review
throughout the claims adjudication process. Historically, VA's success
rate in ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the electronic record
routinely and consistently exceeds 99%. Furthermore, no paper document
is ever destroyed while any related claim or appeal for VA benefits is
still pending. VA waits 3 years after the final adjudication of any
claim or appeal before destroying the paper duplicate copies that have
been scanned into the FCMT. As noted, the electronic image of the paper
document is retained indefinitely as a permanent record either by VA or
NARA.
Decisions to destroy VR&E paper counseling records are to be made
in accordance with Records Control Schedule (RCS), RCS VB-1, Part I,
Field in Section VII, dated January 31, 2014. Automated storage media
containing temporary working information are retained until a claim is
decided, and then destroyed. All other automated storage media are
retained and disposed of in accordance with disposition authorization
approved by NARA. Education file folders in paper are retained at the
servicing Regional Processing Office. Education paper folders may be
destroyed in accordance with the times set forth in the VBA Records
Management, Records Control Schedule VB-1, Part 1, Section VII, as
authorized by NARA.
ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
1. Physical Security: The primary FCMT system is in the Microsoft
Government Community Cloud (GCC), and the backup disaster recovery
system is located on the Government Community Cloud as well. Access to
data processing centers is generally restricted to center employees,
custodial personnel, Federal Protective Service, and other security
personnel. Access to computer rooms is restricted to authorized
operational personnel through electronic passage technology. All other
persons needing access to computer rooms are escorted.
2. System Security: Access to the VA network is protected by the
usage of ``PIV''. Once on the VA network, separate ID and password
credentials are required to gain access to the FCMT
[[Page 68724]]
server and/or database. Access to the server and/or database is granted
to only a limited number of system administrators and database
administrators. In addition, FCMT has undergone certification and
accreditation. Users of FCMT access the system via AccessVA. Users must
also register through FCMT and obtain a FCMT Account. Within the VTA
system, users are designated a role which determines their access to
specific data. Based on a risk assessment that followed National
Institute of Standards and Technology Vulnerability and Threat
Guidelines, the system is considered stable and operational. FCMT is in
a minor application under the BAM CRM Authority to Operate (ATO). The
system is in the process of requesting a stand-alone Authority to
Operate (ATO) as a major application.
RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
Individuals seeking information on the existence and content of
records in this system pertaining to them should contact the system
manager in writing as indicated above. A request for access to records
must contain the requester's full name, address, telephone number, be
signed by the requester, and describe the records sought in sufficient
detail to enable VA personnel to locate them with a reasonable amount
of effort.
CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
Individuals seeking to contest or amend records in this system
pertaining to them should contact the system manager in writing as
indicated above. A request to contest or amend records must state
clearly and concisely what record is being contested, the reasons for
contesting it, and the proposed amendment to the record.
NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
Generalized notice is provided by the publication of this notice.
For specific notice, see Record Access Procedure, above.
EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:
None.
HISTORY:
None, this is a new SORN.
[FR Doc. 2021-26257 Filed 12-2-21; 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 December 3, 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.