Notice2024-01984
Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
Primary source
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Published
February 1, 2024
Issuing agencies
Veterans Affairs Department
Abstract
Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974, notice is hereby given that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is modifying the system of records entitled, "Caregiver Support Program--Caregiver Record Management Application (CARMA)-VA" (197VA10). This system is used to administer, monitor and track services delivered through VA's Caregiver Support Program including documentation of calls to the Caregiver Support Line.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 22 (Thursday, February 1, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 22 (Thursday, February 1, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6568-6571]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-01984]
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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 modified system of records.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Privacy Act of 1974, notice is hereby given
that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is modifying the system of
records entitled, ``Caregiver Support Program--Caregiver Record
Management Application (CARMA)-VA'' (197VA10). This system is used to
administer, monitor and track services delivered through VA's Caregiver
Support Program including documentation of calls to the Caregiver
Support Line.
DATES: Comments on this modified 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
modified 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, (005X6F),
Washington, DC 20420. Comments should indicate that they are submitted
in response to ``Caregiver Support Program-Caregiver Record Management
Application (CARMA)-VA'' (197VA10). Comments received will be available
at <a href="http://www.Regulations.gov">www.Regulations.gov</a> for public viewing, inspection or copies.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephania Griffin, Veterans Health
Administration (VHA) Chief Privacy Officer, Department of Veterans
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, (105HIG) Washington, DC 20420,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#592a2d3c293138373038773e2b303f3f3037192f38773e362f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="74070011041c151a1d155a13061d12121d1a3402155a131b02">[email protected]</span></a>, telephone (704) 245-2492 (Note: This is not a
toll-free number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: VA is modifying this system of records to
identify changes that will more accurately describe the records
maintained in the system. Modifications have been made to the following
titled sections: System Manager; Purposes of the System; Categories of
Records in the System; Record Source Categories; Routine Uses of
Records Maintained in the System; Policies and Practices for
Retrievability of Records; Policies and Practices for Retention and
Disposal of Records; Physical, Procedural, and Administrative
Safeguards; Record Access Procedure; Contesting Record Procedure; and
Notification Procedure. VA is republishing the system notice in its
entirety.
The System Manager is being updated to replace Deputy Chief
Officer, Patient Care Services Office (10P4C), with Colleen M.
Richardson, Psy.D, Executive Director, Caregiver Support Program
(12CSP).
The Purpose of the System is being modified to include the
explanation that this system may also be used for improving health care
operations, such as producing various management and patient follow-up
reports; program monitoring for epidemiological research and other
health care related or program impact studies; statistical analysis,
resource allocation, and planning and process improvement; providing
clinical and administrative support to patient medical care and
services; determining entitlement and eligibility benefits; processing
and adjudicating benefit claims; and general program oversight
activities.
The Categories of Records in the System section has additional
language regarding VA Form 10-305, ``Your Rights to Seek Further Review
of Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC)
Decisions.''
The Record Source Categories section has been expanded to include
the Board of Veterans' Appeals and other VA staff offices.
The section for Routine Uses of Records Maintained in the System
for this VA system of records notice has been amended.
Standardized Routine Uses #16 through #18 have been added to this
system of records notice.
The following standard routine use is added and will be Routine Use
#16, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): To the 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.
The following standard routine use is added and will be Routine Use
#17, Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA): To the 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.
The following standard routine use is added and will be Routine Use
#18, Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB): To the MSPB 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.
Routine Use #19 is added to promulgate the use of information for
VA research which states, Researchers, for Research: To epidemiological
and other research facilities approved by the Under Secretary for
Health for research purposes determined to be necessary and proper,
provided that the names and addresses of Veterans, their dependents and
caregivers will not be disclosed unless those names and addresses are
first provided to VA by the facilities making the request.
[[Page 6569]]
The Policies and Practices for Retrievability of Records section is
being modified to exclude the Social Security number as an identifier
to retrieve records on an individual.
The Policies and Practices for Retention and Disposal of Records is
being modified to state that CARMA records are disposed of in
accordance with the schedule approved by the Archivist of the United
States, VHA Records Control Schedule (RCS) 10-1, Item Number 7900,
Temporary; Destroy 75 years after enrollment.
Physical, Procedural, and Administrative Safeguards has been
amended to include Amazon Web Services as a procedural safeguard for
sensitive information.
The Record Access Procedure, Contesting Record Procedure and
Notification Procedure have been modified to reflect standard language
across VA systems of records.
The Report of Intent to Modify a System of Records Notice and an
advance copy of the system notice have been sent to the appropriate
Congressional committees and to the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(r) (Privacy
Act) and guidelines issued by OMB (65 FR 77677), December 12, 2000.
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. Kurt D.
DelBene, Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and Chief
Information Officer, approved this document on December 18, 2023 for
publication.
Dated: January 29, 2024.
Amy L. Rose,
Government Information Specialist, VA Privacy Service, Office of
Compliance, Risk and Remediation, Office of Information and Technology,
Department of Veterans Affairs.
SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:
``Caregiver Support Program--Caregiver Record Management
Application (CARMA)-VA'' (197VA10)
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
Unclassified.
SYSTEM LOCATION:
The Caregiver Record Management Application (CARMA) system is
hosted in the Salesforce Gov Cloud. The Salesforce's corporate address
is 1 Market Street #300, San Francisco, CA 94105.
SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
Official responsible for policies and procedures: Colleen M.
Richardson, Psy.D, Executive Director, Caregiver Support Program
(12CSP), 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20420,
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0d6e626161686863237f646e656c7f697e62633f4d7b6c236a627b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a6c5c9cacac3c3c888d4cfc5cec7d4c2d5c9c894e6d0c788c1c9d0">[email protected]</span></a>, telephone number (202) 461-1635 (Note: This
is not a toll-free number).
AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, Public
Law 111-163; 38 CFR 71.40; and 31 U.S.C. 3321.
PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
Records in this system of records are used to administer, monitor
and track the services and benefits, sought and delivered through VA's
Caregiver Support Program, including the documentation of telephone
calls to the Caregiver Support Line. The system and data contained
therein is used to fully support the Program of Comprehensive
Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) and allows for data assessment
and comprehensive monitoring. The CARMA workflow management system is
being used for Social Security number matching and other data field
requirements. In addition, information in this system of records is
used to respond to Congressional and/or internal and external
stakeholders on the performance of the VA Caregiver Support Program.
This system may also be used for the purpose of improving health care
operations such as producing various management and patient follow-up
reports; program monitoring for epidemiological research and other
health care related or program impact studies; statistical analysis,
resource allocation, and planning and process improvement; providing
clinical and administrative support to patient medical care and
services; determining entitlement and eligibility benefits; processing
and adjudicating benefit claims; and general program oversight
activities.
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
The records include Veterans and caregivers inquiring about,
applying for, participating in and those who have previously applied
for or participated in the PCAFC or the Program of General Caregiver
Support Services (PGCSS) established by the Caregivers and Veterans
Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, Public Law 111-163, as well as
individuals who contact or are contacted by VA's Caregiver Support
Line, Veterans, their spouses and dependents as provided for in other
provisions of title 38 U.S.C.
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
Records in this system include: the Veteran and caregiver(s) name,
Social Security number, gender, age, date of birth, address, phone
number, and email address; VA eligibility related information, such as
service connection, DD 214, ``Certification of Release or Discharge
from Active Duty'', Line of Duty documentation; PCAFC stipend payment
information; written correspondence; VA Form 10-10CG, ``Application for
Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregiver Program''; requests for
information about PCAFC Decisions (VA Form 10-305, ``Your Rights to
Seek Further Review of Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family
Caregivers (PCAFC) Decisions'') and responses to such requests;
Decision Notice Letters pertaining to eligibility for and participation
in PCAFC and PGCSS; requests for further review and appeal of PCAFC
decisions and related records in support of these claims and decisions,
and correspondence with Caregiver Support Line, including referral
information and VA staff remarks.
RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
Records in this system of records may be provided by the applicant,
applicant's spouse or other family members or accredited
representatives or friends; Veterans, caregivers, and other interested
parties seeking or receiving information, benefits or services about
VA's Caregiver Support Program, including the Caregiver Support Line;
VA employees; and VA systems including but not limited to Veterans
Health Information System and Technology Architecture (VistA), VA
Master Person Index, VHA Corporate Data Warehouse, and Enrollment
System; Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA); the Board of Veterans'
Appeals (BVA); other VA staff offices; and State and Federal agencies.
ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
To the extent that records contained in the system include
information protected by 45 CFR parts 160 and 164, i.e., individually
identifiable health information of VHA or any of its business
associates, and 38 U.S.C. 7332, i.e., medical treatment information
related to drug abuse, alcoholism or alcohol abuse, sickle cell anemia,
or infection with the human immunodeficiency virus, that information
cannot be disclosed under a
[[Page 6570]]
routine use unless there is also specific disclosure authority in both
38 U.S.C. 7332 and 45 CFR parts 160, 161, and 164.
1. Claims Representatives: To accredited service organizations, VA-
approved claim agents, and attorneys acting under a declaration of
representation, so that these individuals can aid claimants in the
preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims under the laws
administered by VA upon the request of the claimant and provided that
the disclosure is limited to information relevant to a claim, such as
the name, address, the basis and nature of a claim, amount of benefit
payment information, medical information, and military service and
active duty separation information.
2. Law Enforcement: 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,
provided that the disclosure is limited to 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. 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.
3. Guardians, Courts, for Incompetent Veterans: To a court,
magistrate, or administrative tribunal in matters of guardianship,
inquests, and commitments; to private attorneys representing Veterans
rated incompetent in conjunction with the issuance of Certificates of
Incompetency; or to probation and parole officers in connection with
court-required duties.
4. Guardians Ad Litem, for Representation: To a fiduciary or
guardian ad litem in relation to his or her representation of a
claimant in any legal proceeding as relevant and necessary to fulfill
the duties of the fiduciary or guardian ad litem.
5. Attorneys, Insurers, Employers: To attorneys, insurance
companies, employers, third parties liable or potentially liable under
health plan contracts, and courts, boards, or commissions as relevant
and necessary to aid VA in the preparation, presentation, and
prosecution of claims authorized by law.
6. DoJ, Litigation, Administrative Proceeding: 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 individual 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.
7. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA): To National
Archives and Records Administration (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.
8. Treasury, for Withholding: To the Department of the Treasury for
the collection of title 38 benefit overpayments, overdue indebtedness,
or costs of services provided to an individual not entitled to such
services, by the withholding of all or a portion of the person's
Federal income tax refund, provided that the disclosure is limited to
information concerning an individual's indebtedness by virtue of a
person's participation in a benefits program administered by VA.
9. Consumer Reporting Agencies: To a consumer reporting agency for
the purpose of locating the individual, obtaining a consumer report to
determine the ability of the individual to repay an indebtedness to the
United States, or assisting in the collection of such indebtedness,
provided that the provisions of 38 U.S.C. 5701(g)(2) and (4) have been
met, provided that the disclosure is limited to information that is
reasonably necessary to identify such individual or concerning that
individual's indebtedness to the United States by virtue of the
person's participation in a benefits program administered by the
Department.
10. Contractors: 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.
11. Congress: 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.
12. Identity Theft Remediation, for Another Federal Agency: To
other Federal agencies may be made to assist such agencies in
preventing and detecting possible fraud or abuse by individuals in
their operations and programs. This routine use permits disclosures by
the Department to report a suspected incident of identity theft and
provide information and/or documentation related to or in support of
the reported incident.
13. Data Breach Response and Remediation, for VA: 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.
14. Federal Agencies, for Computer Matches: 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.
15. Data Breach Response and Remediation, for Another Federal
Agency: To another Federal agency or Federal entity, when VA determines
that 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.
16. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC): To the 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.
17. Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA): To the 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
[[Page 6571]]
investigation of representation petitions and the conduct or
supervision of representation elections.
18. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB): To the MSPB 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.
19. Researchers, for Research: To epidemiological and other
research facilities approved by the Under Secretary for Health for
research purposes determined to be necessary and proper, provided that
the names and addresses of Veterans, their dependents and caregivers
will not be disclosed unless those names and addresses are first
provided to VA by the facilities making the request.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
The CARMA system of records is hosted in the Salesforce Gov Cloud
(GovCloud). The production environment (including application data) is
backed up weekly to VA's Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
Records in this system are retrieved by name, integration control
number (ICN), correspondence tracking number, internal record number,
facility number, or other assigned identifiers of the individuals on
whom they are maintained.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:
Records in this system are retained and disposed of in accordance
with the schedule approved by the Archivist of the United States, VHA
RCS 10-1, Item Number 7900, Temporary; Destroy 75 years after
enrollment.
ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL, SAFEGUARDS:
1. On an annual basis, employees are required to sign a computer
access agreement acknowledging their understanding of confidentiality
requirements. In addition, all employees receive annual privacy
awareness and information security training.
2. Access to electronic records is deactivated when no longer
required for official duties. Recurring monitors are in place to ensure
compliance with nationally and locally established security measures.
3. Strict control measures are enforced to ensure that access to
and disclosure from all records are limited to VA and the contractor's
employees whose official duties warrant access to those files.
4. Access to the records in CARMA is restricted and requires
approval prior to access. Restricted access will be provided to enable
workflow management to administer, monitor and track services delivered
through VA's Caregiver Support Program including, but not limited to,
documentation of calls to the Caregiver Support Line.
5. The records in CARMA are safeguarded by the AWS GovCloud
infrastructure that has been authorized at the high-impact level under
the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program. The secure site-
to-site encrypted network connection is limited to access via the VA
trusted internet connection.
RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURE:
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 or inquire in person at the
nearest VA facility. A request for access to records must contain the
requester's name, address, telephone number, signed by the requester,
and describes 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 or inquire in person at the nearest VA facility. 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:
86 FR 18588 (April 9, 2021).
[FR Doc. 2024-01984 Filed 1-31-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE
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