Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
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Issuing agencies
Abstract
In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, we are issuing public notice of our intent to modify an existing system of records entitled, Visitor Intake Process--Customer Service Record System (60-0350), last published on December 17, 2007. This notice publishes details of the modified system as set forth below under the caption, SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 214 (Monday, November 7, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 214 (Monday, November 7, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67106-67109]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24174]
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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
[Docket No. SSA-2022-0031]
Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
AGENCY: Social Security Administration (SSA).
ACTION: Notice of a modified system of records.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, we are issuing
public notice of our intent to modify an
[[Page 67107]]
existing system of records entitled, Visitor Intake Process--Customer
Service Record System (60-0350), last published on December 17, 2007.
This notice publishes details of the modified system as set forth below
under the caption, SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
DATES: The system of records notice (SORN) is applicable upon its
publication in today's Federal Register, with the exception of the new
routine uses, which are effective December 7, 2022. We invite public
comment on the routine uses or other aspects of this SORN. In
accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, we are providing the public a
30-day period in which to submit comments. Therefore, please submit any
comments by December 7, 2022.
ADDRESSES: The public, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and
Congress may comment on this publication by writing to the Executive
Director, Office of Privacy and Disclosure, Office of the General
Counsel, SSA, Room G-401 West High Rise, 6401 Security Boulevard,
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401, or through the Federal e-Rulemaking
Portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. Please reference docket number
SSA-2022-0031. All comments we receive will be available for public
inspection at the above address and we will post them to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tristin Dorsey, Government Information
Specialist, Privacy Implementation Division, Office of Privacy and
Disclosure, Office of the General Counsel, SSA, Room G-401 West High
Rise, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401,
telephone: (410) 966-5855, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4e3a3c273d3a2720602a213c3d2b370e3d3d2f60292138"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="cabeb8a3b9bea3a4e4aea5b8b9afb38ab9b9abe4ada5bc">[email protected]</span></a> and Elisa
Vasta, Government Information Specialist, Privacy Implementation
Division, Office of Privacy and Disclosure, Office of the General
Counsel, SSA, Room G-401 West High Rise, 6401 Security Boulevard,
Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401, telephone: (410) 966-5855, email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#10757c7963713e6671636471506363713e777f66"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d0b5bcb9a3b1fea6b1a3a4b190a3a3b1feb7bfa6">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We are modifying the system of records name
from ``Visitor Intake Process--Customer Service Record System'' to
``Appointments, Visitor Information, and Customer Service Record
System'' to accurately reflect the system. We are clarifying the system
location to recognize that we may also maintain records in a cloud-
based environment. We are also modifying the authority for maintenance
of the system to include section 205(a) of the Social Security Act. We
are expanding the purposes for which SSA may use the information in the
system to include establishing, rescheduling, and cancelling
appointments and tracking opt-in and opt-out of electronic messaging
selections.
In addition, we are clarifying the categories of individuals
covered by the system and the categories of records maintained in the
system for easier reading. We are expanding the record source
categories to include individuals who schedule, reschedule, or cancel
appointments and additional existing SSA systems of records. We are
revising routine uses No. 3 and 8 to incorporate gender-inclusive
language, in support of E.O. 13988, Preventing and Combating
Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.
We are also adding three new routine uses to permit disclosures to
appropriate agencies, entities, and persons to assist us in addressing
a suspected or confirmed breach; to third parties when an individual
involved with a request needs assistance to communicate because of a
hearing impairment or a language barrier (e.g., to interpreters,
telecommunications relay system operators); and to contractors,
cooperative agreement awardees, Federal and State agencies, and Federal
congressional support agencies for research and statistical activities.
In the past, we disclosed information from this system of records to
the entities listed above under our efficient administration routine
use. We are establishing this new routine use to distinguish
disclosures that we make specifically for research purposes.
Lastly, we are clarifying in the policies and practices for the
storage of records that SSA will maintain records in electronic form
only. We are modifying the policies and practices for the retrieval of
records to clarify that we will also retrieve records by date of birth
and internal agency processing reference numbers. We are modifying
record access procedures to remove references to telephone, for
consistency with agency access regulations. We are also modifying the
notice throughout to correct miscellaneous stylistic formatting and
typographical errors of the previously published notice, and to ensure
the language reads consistently across multiple systems. We are
republishing the entire notice for ease of reference.
In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552a(r), we have provided a report to
OMB and Congress on this modified system of records.
Matthew Ramsey,
Executive Director, Office of Privacy and Disclosure, Office of the
General Counsel.
SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:
Appointments, Visitor Information, and Customer Service Record
System, 60-0350
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
Unclassified.
SYSTEM LOCATION:
Social Security Administration, Office of Systems, Robert M. Ball
Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401.
Information is also located in additional locations in connection
with cloud-based services and kept at an additional location as backup
for business continuity purposes.
SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
Social Security Administration, Deputy Commissioner for Systems,
6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401, (410) 966-5855.
AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
Sections 205(a), 222, 223, 225, 1611, 1615, 1631, and 1633 of the
Social Security Act, as amended; and the Federal Records Act of 1950,
as amended.
PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
We use the information in this system of records to:
<bullet> Provide management information on interviews;
<bullet> Provide a source for customer service record data
collection for interviews and capture discrete data about the volume
and nature of inquiries to support management decisions in the areas of
process improvement and resource allocation;
<bullet> Assist with filing claims for benefits under titles II
and/or XVI; transacting post-entitlement actions, if currently entitled
to benefits under titles II and/or XVI; and transacting applications
for a Social Security number (SSN) and other actions related to an SSN;
<bullet> Establish, reschedule, or cancel appointments; or other
actions or queries that may require an interview at SSA;
<bullet> Track opt-in and opt-out of electronic messaging
selections; and
<bullet> Provide a means of collecting information, and generating
``High Risk'' alerts, when applicable, concerning individuals we
reasonably believe will attempt to contact one of our facilities and
may pose a security risk, including
[[Page 67108]]
individuals who attempt, threaten, or commit an act of violence or a
violent crime, or have an outstanding arrest warrant. We will use
information collected from the ``High Risk'' alert to advise the intake
employees at any SSA office that the potential security risk may
require them to use extra caution when dealing with the individual who
is before them and/or who has scheduled an appointment. This
information allows us to create a standard approach to ensure the
safety of SSA employees, visitors, security personnel, and facilities.
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
This system maintains information about individuals who visit an
SSA office, including those conducting business with SSA and
individuals that may accompany such visitor; individuals who establish,
reschedule, or cancel an appointment with SSA (e.g., applicants,
claimants, beneficiaries, recipients, third-party assistors, attorneys,
non-attorney representatives, and representative payees); and
individuals we reasonably believe will attempt to contact one of our
facilities to conduct business and may pose a security risk, including
those who attempt, threaten, or commit an act of violence or a violent
crime or have an outstanding arrest warrant.
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
This system maintains records on visitors including, but not
limited to:
<bullet> Visitor information, such as SSN; name; date of birth;
relationship to the applicant or beneficiary; mailing address; email
address; telephone number; the time the visitor entered and left the
office; an assigned group number; and the number of interviews and any
remarks associated with the visit;
<bullet> Appointment information, such as date, time, type, and
source of appointment; appointment unit number (unit establishing
appointment); length of the appointment; internal agency processing
reference numbers (e.g., transaction number or unique identifier); opt-
in and opt-out of electronic messaging selections; and name of office
facilitating the appointment;
<bullet> Notice information, such as close-out notice type (e.g.,
title II 6-month closeout letter, title XVI SSA-L991) and date/time
sent;
<bullet> Confirmations of scheduled, rescheduled, and cancelled
appointments;
<bullet> Interview information, such as each occurrence; subject of
interview; waiting time; preferred language; type of translator; the
number of the interviews pending in the queue; interview disposition
(e.g., completed, deleted, left without service); interview priority;
start and end time; and name of interviewer;
<bullet> ``High Risk'' alert information about individuals we
reasonably believe will attempt to contact one of our facilities and
may pose a security risk, including individuals who attempt, threaten,
or commit an act of violence or a violent crime or have an outstanding
arrest warrant (e.g., name, SSN, date of birth, specific nature of the
threat or act of violence, and the date, time, and location of the
threat or act of violence); and
<bullet> Source of the report from the Automated Incident Reporting
System.
RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
We obtain information in this system from individuals who schedule,
reschedule, or cancel appointments, visit, or participate in interviews
at SSA, which may include applicants, claimants, beneficiaries,
appointed representatives, representative payees, and third parties;
local, State, and Federal agencies; SSA-generated information, such as
computer date/time stamps at various points in the interview process;
and additional existing SSA systems of records such as the Master Files
of SSN Holders and SSN Applications, 60-0058; Claims Folders System,
60-0089; Master Beneficiary Record, 60-0090; Supplemental Security
Income Record and Special Veterans Benefits, 60-0103; Pay, Leave, and
Attendance Records, 60-0238; Personnel Records in Operating Offices,
60-0239; Electronic Disability Claim File, 60-0320; Requests for
Accommodations from Members of the Public (RAMP), 60-0378; and Social
Security Administration Violence Evaluation and Reporting System, 60-
0379.
ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES
OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
We will disclose records pursuant to the following routine uses;
however, we will not disclose any information defined as ``return or
return information'' under 26 U.S.C. 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code
(IRC), unless authorized by a statute, the Internal Revenue Service
(IRS), or IRS regulations.
1. To the Office of the President, in response to an inquiry from
that office made on behalf of, and at the request of, the subject of
the record or a third party acting on the subject's behalf.
2. To a congressional office in response to an inquiry from that
office made on behalf of, and at the request of, the subject of the
record or third party acting on the subject's behalf.
3. To the Department of Justice (DOJ), a court or other tribunal,
or another party before such court or tribunal, when:
(a) SSA, or any component thereof; or
(b) any SSA employee in their official capacity; or:
(c) any SSA employee in their individual capacity where DOJ (or
SSA, where it is authorized to do so) has agreed to represent the
employee; or
(d) the United States or any agency thereof where we determine the
litigation is likely to affect SSA or any of its components, SSA is a
party to the litigation or has an interest in such litigation, and SSA
determines that the use of such records by DOJ, a court or other
tribunal, or another party before the tribunal is relevant and
necessary to the litigation, provided, however, that in each case, we
determine that such disclosure is compatible with the purpose for which
the records were collected.
4. To contractors and other Federal agencies, as necessary, for
assisting SSA in the efficient administration of its programs. We will
disclose information under this routine use only in situations in which
SSA may enter into a contractual or similar agreement with a third
party to assist in accomplishing an agency function relating to this
system of records.
5. To student volunteers, individuals working under a personal
services contract, and other workers who technically do not have the
status of Federal employees, when they are performing work for us, as
authorized by law, and they need access to personally identifiable
information (PII) in our records in order to perform their assigned
agency functions.
6. To the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under
44 U.S.C. 2904 and 2906.
7. To Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies and
private security contractors, as appropriate, information necessary:
(a) to enable them to ensure the safety of our employees and
customers, the security of our workplace, and the operation of our
facilities; or
(b) to assist investigations or prosecutions with respect to
activities that affect such safety and security or activities that
disrupt the operation of our facilities.
8. To the appropriate law enforcement official, SSA may disclose
information regarding a Social Security beneficiary,
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claimant, attorney, non-attorney representative, or representative
payee who is the subject of an outstanding arrest warrant for having
committed, or having attempted to commit, a violent crime for the
purposes of determining whether SSA should include an individual's
information in this system or remove an individual's information from
the system because they no longer meet the criteria (e.g., the
individual is in custody of law enforcement, is no longer a suspect,
has been exonerated, or is deceased).
9. To another Federal agency or Federal entity, when we determine
that information from this system of records is reasonably necessary to
assist the recipient agency or entity in:
(a) responding to a suspected or confirmed breach; or
(b) 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.
10. To appropriate agencies, entities, and persons when:
(a) SSA suspects or has confirmed that there has been a breach of
the system of records;
(b) SSA has determined that, as a result of the suspected or
confirmed breach, there is a risk of harm to individuals, SSA
(including its information systems, programs, and operations), the
Federal Government, or national security; and
(c) the disclosure made to such agencies, entities, and persons is
reasonably necessary to assist in connection with SSA's efforts to
respond to the suspected or confirmed breach or to prevent, minimize,
or remedy such harm.
11. To third parties when an individual involved with a request
needs assistance to communicate because of a hearing impairment or a
language barrier (e.g., to interpreters, telecommunications relay
system operators).
12. To contractors, cooperative agreement awardees, State agencies,
Federal agencies, and Federal congressional support agencies for
research and statistical activities that are designed to increase
knowledge about present or alternative Social Security programs; are of
importance to the Social Security program or beneficiaries; or are for
an epidemiological project that relates to the Social Security program
or beneficiaries. We will disclose information under this routine use
pursuant only to a written agreement between the organization or agency
and SSA.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
We maintain records in this system in electronic form.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
We will retrieve records by SSN, name, date of birth, and internal
agency processing reference numbers.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
In accordance with NARA rules codified at 36 CFR 1225.16, we
maintain records in accordance with approved NARA General Records
Schedule (GRS) 3.1, item 011 and GRS 6.5, item 010.
ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
We retain electronic files containing personal identifiers in
secure storage areas accessible only by our authorized employees and
contractors who have a need for the information when performing their
official duties. Security measures include, but are not limited to, the
use of codes and profiles, personal identification numbers and
passwords, and personal identification verification cards. We restrict
access to specific correspondence within the system based on assigned
roles and authorized users. We use audit mechanisms to record sensitive
transactions as an additional measure to protect information from
unauthorized disclosure or modification.
We annually provide our employees and contractors with appropriate
security awareness training that includes reminders about the need to
protect PII and the criminal penalties that apply to unauthorized
access to, or disclosure of, PII (5 U.S.C. 552a(i)(1)). Furthermore,
employees and contractors with access to databases maintaining PII must
annually sign a sanctions document that acknowledges their
accountability for inappropriately accessing or disclosing such
information.
RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
Individuals may submit requests for information about whether this
system contains a record about them by submitting a written request to
the system manager at the above address, which includes their name,
SSN, or other information that may be in this system of records that
will identify them. Individuals requesting notification of, or access
to, a record by mail must include: (1) a notarized statement to us to
verify their identity; or (2) must certify in the request that they are
the individual they claim to be and that they understand that the
knowing and willful request for, or acquisition of, a record pertaining
to another individual under false pretenses is a criminal offense.
Individuals requesting notification of, or access to, records in
person must provide their name, SSN, or other information that may be
in this system of records that will identify them, as well as provide
an identity document, preferably with a photograph, such as a driver's
license. Individuals lacking identification documents sufficient to
establish their identity must certify in writing that they are the
individual they claim to be and that they understand that the knowing
and willful request for, or acquisition of, a record pertaining to
another individual under false pretenses is a criminal offense.
These procedures are in accordance with our regulations at 20 CFR
401.40 and 401.45.
CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:
Same as record access procedures. Individuals should also
reasonably identify the record, specify the information they are
contesting, and state the corrective action sought and the reasons for
the correction with supporting justification showing how the record is
incomplete, untimely, inaccurate, or irrelevant. These procedures are
in accordance with our regulations at 20 CFR 401.65(a).
NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:
Same as records access procedures. These procedures are in
accordance with our regulations at 20 CFR 401.40 and 401.45.
EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:
None.
HISTORY:
72 FR 71470, Visitor Intake Process--Customer Service Record
System.
83 FR 54969, Visitor Intake Process--Customer Service Record
System.
[FR Doc. 2022-24174 Filed 11-4-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P
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</html>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.