Notice2025-13709
Privacy Act of 1974 Matching Program
Primary source
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Published
July 22, 2025
Effective
August 20, 2025
Issuing agencies
Homeland Security Department
Abstract
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) seek to participate in an updated computer matching program governed by a computer matching agreement to share and compare federal records regarding financial/benefits award decisions of individuals, businesses, and/or other entities to (1) connect survivors with SBA for disaster assistance, (2) prevent duplicative aid from being provided in response to the same disaster or emergency and recover aid when the comparison identifies a duplication of benefits, and (3) provide updates on SBA loan status in DHS/FEMA's Individual Assistance System. The current computer matching program between DHS/FEMA and SBA (the agencies) will expire on August 21, 2025. The agencies propose reestablishing the computer matching program, with changes to the purpose for the agreement and to the method of data transport, for an additional 18 months.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 138 (Tuesday, July 22, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 138 (Tuesday, July 22, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34509-34511]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-13709]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
[Docket No. DHS-2025-0019]
Privacy Act of 1974 Matching Program
AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland
Security.
ACTION: Notice of a new matching program; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA)
seek to participate in an updated computer matching program governed by
a computer matching agreement to share and compare federal records
regarding financial/benefits award decisions of individuals,
businesses, and/or other entities to (1) connect survivors with SBA for
disaster assistance, (2) prevent duplicative aid from being provided in
response to the same disaster or emergency and recover aid when the
comparison identifies a duplication of benefits, and (3) provide
updates on SBA loan status in DHS/FEMA's Individual Assistance System.
The current computer matching program between DHS/FEMA and SBA (the
agencies) will expire on August 21, 2025. The agencies propose
reestablishing the computer matching program, with changes to the
purpose for the agreement and to the method of data transport, for an
additional 18 months.
DATES: Written comments and related material must be submitted on or
before August 21, 2025. This reestablished computer matching agreement
is effective on August 20, 2025. If any public comments on this
published matching notice are received, the comments will be reviewed
to determine whether any changes to the matching notice are necessary.
If is determined that significant changes to the matching notice are
necessary, a revised matching notice will be published, and an
additional 30-day public comment and review period will be provided.
The matching program will continue for 18 months from the effective
date and may be extended an additional 12 months if the computer
matching program meets the conditions specified in 5 U.S.C.
552a(o)(2)(D).
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this proposed matching program,
identified by docket number DHS-2025-0019 by the following method:
<bullet> Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and docket number DHS-2025-0019. All comments received will be posted
without change to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>, including any personal
information provided in the comments. Commenters should be careful to
include in their comments only information that commenters wish to make
publicly available.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain additional information about
this computer matching program and agreement between DHS/FEMA and SBA,
please go to the following website: <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/publication/computer-matching-agreements-and-notices">https://www.dhs.gov/publication/computer-matching-agreements-and-notices</a>.
For general questions about this matching program, contact Roman
Jankowski, DHS Chief Privacy Officer, at (202) 343-1717 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9ccceef5eafdffe5dcd4cdb2d8d4cfb2dbd3ca"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="da8aa8b3acbbb9a39a928bf49e9289f49d958c">[email protected]</span></a>. For additional information from DHS/FEMA, contact
Russell Bard, Component Privacy Officer, DHS/FEMA Privacy Division, and
Senior Director (Acting), DHS/FEMA Information Management Division,
Department of Homeland Security, at (202) 766-0582 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#682e2d252945381a011e090b11280e0d0509460c001b460f071e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7630333b375b26041f0017150f3610131b1758121e0558111900">[email protected]</span></a>. For inquiries related to the SBA, contact Nirish
Namilae, SBA Office of Performance and Systems Management at (202) 401-
2012 or <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3c52554e554f5412525d5155505d597c4f5e5d125b534a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="dbb5b2a9b2a8b3f5b5bab6b2b7babe9ba8b9baf5bcb4ad">[email protected]</span></a>. For SBA privacy related inquiries,
contact Michael Post, Chief Privacy Officer, at (202) 205-3645 or
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3974505a51585c551769564a4d794a5b58175e564f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="64290d070c0501084a340b1710241706054a030b12">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42, U.S.C. 5155--Duplication of
Benefits, DHS/FEMA and SBA may not provide duplicative disaster
assistance to individuals, businesses, including private-not-for
profits, or other entities for the same disaster or emergency losses.
The computer matching program aims to enable SBA to utilize DHS/
FEMA registrant data to connect disaster survivors to SBA who have not
yet applied for SBA aid. Additionally, the program will allow DHS/FEMA
and SBA to identify any duplication of benefits between the agencies
and allow SBA to facilitate the recovery of SBA funds or reduction of
the SBA loan in the event of such duplication, and to provide updates
on the SBA loan status in DHS/FEMA's Individual Assistance System.
The computer matching program between DHS/FEMA and SBA will reduce
the number of agency duplication of benefits payments to survivors of
major disaster declarations. DHS/FEMA and SBA are both source and
recipient agencies in this matching program. The agencies will
accomplish the duplication of benefits reduction for a declared
disaster by matching specific DHS/FEMA disaster applicant data with SBA
disaster loan application and decision data as set forth in the
computer matching agreement. Prior to the use of this computer matching
program, SBA loan officers used stand-alone personal computers to
access DHS/FEMA's Individual Assistance
[[Page 34510]]
system, and matched records manually. This reestablished matching
agreement makes two changes to the current program. The prior matching
agreement verified whether applicants applied for an SBA loan, which
was previously a requirement for eligibility. In 2024, DHS/FEMA
finalized a rule that removed this eligibility requirement.\1\
Accordingly, DHS/FEMA will no longer use the matching agreement for
this purpose. Instead, DHS/FEMA will now share data with SBA to connect
survivors registered for DHS/FEMA assistance with SBA for disaster aid.
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\1\ See Individual Assistance Program Equity, 89 FR 3990 (Jan.
22, 2024).
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Additionally, DHS/FEMA will no longer provide automated data
transfers to SBA for the initial registration process. Instead, DHS/
FEMA will manually extract the required data from the Individual
Assistance System, encrypt the data file, and share it with SBA via
Secure File Transfer Protocol.
The matching program remains unchanged regarding the prevention of
benefit duplication for the same disaster or emergency.
Participating Agencies
DHS/FEMA and SBA.
Authority for Conducting the Matching Program
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
(Pub. L. 93-288), as amended at 42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.
The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, 31 U.S.C. 3325(d) and
7701(c)(1). Section 121 of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of
1986, Public Law 99-603, as amended by the Personal Responsibility and
Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, Public Law 104-193, 110
Stat. 2168 (1996), requires DHS to establish a system for the
verification of immigration status of noncitizen applicants for, or
recipients of, certain types of benefits as specified within the
Immigration Reform and Control Act, and to make this system available
to state agencies that administer such benefits.
The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of
1996, Public Law 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009 (1996) grants federal, state,
or local government agencies seeking to verify or ascertain the
citizenship or immigration status of any individual within the
jurisdiction of the agency with the authority to request such
information from DHS/United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) for any purpose authorized by law.
DHS/FEMA provides this notice in accordance with the Privacy Act of
1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended by the Computer Matching and Privacy
Protection Act of 1988 (Pub. L. 100-503) and the Computer Matching and
Privacy Protection Amendments of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-508); Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) Final Guidance Interpreting the Provisions
of Public Law 100-503, the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act
of 1988, 54 FR 25818 (June 19, 1989); and OMB Circular A-108, 81 FR
94424 (December 23, 2016).
Purpose
DHS/FEMA and SBA may not provide duplicative disaster assistance to
individuals, businesses, including private-not-for profits, or other
entities for the same disaster or emergency losses. DHS/FEMA and SBA
will participate in a computer matching program governed by a computer
matching agreement to share and compare federal records related to
financial and benefits award decisions of individuals, businesses, and/
or other entities to connect survivors registered for DHS/FEMA
assistance with SBA for disaster aid, prevent duplicative aid from
being provided in response to the same disaster or emergency, recover
aid when duplication of benefits is identified and to provide updates
on the SBA loan status.
Categories of Individuals
Individuals and households that apply for DHS/FEMA disaster
assistance following a Presidentially declared major disaster or
emergency.
Categories of Records
The three types of match processes, for initial registration,
duplication of benefits, and status updates, are described below,
including the categories of records for each matching process.
1. DHS/FEMA--SBA Automated Import/Export Process for Initial
Registrations:
a. SBA is the recipient (i.e., matching) agency. SBA will match
records from its Disaster Loans Case Files (SBA-20) applications and
information accessed via the Disaster Lending System, to the records
manually extracted and provided by DHS/FEMA from the Individual
Assistance System.
b. DHS/FEMA's Recovery Reporting and Analytics Division, within the
Office of Response and Recovery, will form the registrant data set into
an encrypted data file that will be shared with SBA once per business
day, at minimum. The cumulative registrant data set will consist of
specified DHS/FEMA registrant data fields for all disasters that are
declared on or after March 22, 2024. The encrypted registrant data file
will be shared with SBA using a password-protected format via encrypted
email or via a DHS/FEMA Office of the Chief Information Officer-
approved secure information technology portal, interface, or transfer
tool that appropriately protects personally identifiable information
and sensitive information and adheres to the current DHS personally
identifiable information safeguarding guidelines. These data elements
include but are not limited to the following information: DHS/FEMA
Registration ID number, name, address, Social Security number, and date
of birth; damaged property information; insurance policy data; property
occupant data; vehicle registration data; and flood zone and flood
insurance data.
c. SBA will import DHS/FEMA's registrant source file into the
Disaster Loans Case Files (SBA-20) via the Disaster Lending System. SBA
will conduct the match against the Disaster Loans Case Files (SBA-20)
via the Disaster Lending System using the DHS/FEMA Disaster number,
DHS/FEMA Registration Identification number, Product (Home/Business),
and Registration Occupant Social Security number to create a new Pre-
Application. The records SBA receives are of DHS/FEMA applicants who
are referred to SBA for disaster loan assistance. Controls on the DHS/
FEMA export of data are in place to ensure that SBA only receives
unique and valid referral records. SBA will use the DHS/FEMA registrant
data for outreach to those survivors who have not yet applied for SBA
assistance and to prevent duplication of benefits.
d. When SBA matches its records to those provided by DHS/FEMA, two
types of matches are possible: a full match or a partial match. A full
match exists when an SBA record matches a DHS/FEMA record on each of
the following data fields: DHS/FEMA Disaster number, DHS/FEMA
Registration Identification number, Product (Home/Business), Name of
Registrants, and Registration Occupant Social Security number. A
partial match exists when an SBA record matches a DHS/FEMA record on
one or more, but not all data fields listed above. If an exact (full)
match is found among SBA records for the current imported record, the
current record is automatically marked as a duplicate by the system
with appropriate comments inserted to indicate the corresponding record
that matched. If a partial match is found
[[Page 34511]]
during the import process, the record is routed for manual examination,
investigation, and resolution to determine whether it is truly a
duplicate record.
2. DHS/FEMA--SBA Duplication of Benefits Automated Match Process:
a. Both DHS/FEMA and SBA will act as the recipient (i.e., matching)
agency. SBA will extract and provide to DHS/FEMA data from its Disaster
Loans Case Files system of records, accessed via the Disaster Lending
System. DHS/FEMA will match the data SBA provides to records in its
Disaster Recovery Assistance Files system of records, accessed through
the Individual Assistance System, via the DHS/FEMA Registration
Identification number. SBA will issue a data call to DHS/FEMA
requesting that DHS/FEMA return any records for which the Individual
Assistance System found a match. For each match found, DHS/FEMA sends
all applicant information that DHS/FEMA collects during the
registration process to SBA so that SBA may match these records with
its registrant data in the Disaster Lending System. SBA's Disaster
Lending System manual process triggers an automated interface to query
the Individual Assistance System, using the DHS/FEMA Registration
Identification number as the unique identifier.
b. DHS/FEMA will return the following fields for the matching DHS/
FEMA record, if any: DHS/FEMA Disaster number; DHS/Registration
Identification number; applicant and if applicable, co-applicant name;
damaged dwelling address, phone number, Social Security number, damaged
property data, insurance policy information, contact address (if
different from damaged dwelling address), flood zone and flood
insurance data, DHS/FEMA Housing Assistance and Other Needs Assistance
data, program, award level, eligibility, inspection data, verification
of ownership and occupancy, and approval or rejection data. DHS/FEMA
will return no result when the DHS/FEMA Registration Identification
number is not matched.
c. For each matching record received from DHS/FEMA, SBA determines
whether DHS/FEMA assistance duplicates SBA loan assistance. If SBA loan
officers determine that there is a duplication of benefits, the
duplicated amount is deducted from the eligible SBA loan amount.
3. DHS/FEMA--SBA Status Update Automated Match Process:
a. DHS/FEMA will act as the recipient (i.e., matching) agency. DHS/
FEMA will match records from its Disaster Recovery Assistance Files
system of records to the records extracted and provided by SBA from its
Disaster Loans Case Files system of records. The purpose of this
process is to update DHS/FEMA applicant information with the status of
SBA loan determinations. The records provided by SBA will be
automatically imported into DHS/FEMA's Individual Assistance System to
update the status of existing applicant records. Controls on the SBA
export of data are in place to ensure that DHS/FEMA only receives
unique and valid referral records.
b. In response to Presidential Individual Assistance Declarations
with a DHS/FEMA Disaster number, the SBA will provide to DHS/FEMA
information and data, including but not limited to the following:
personal information about SBA applicants, including name, damaged
dwelling address, and Social Security number; application data; loss to
personal property data; loss mitigation data; SBA loan data; and SBA
event data. DHS/FEMA will conduct the match using DHS/FEMA Disaster
number and DHS/FEMA Registration Identification number.
c. Loan data for matched records will be recorded and displayed in
the Individual Assistance System.
Systems of Records
DHS/FEMA--008 Disaster Recovery Assistance Files (89 FR 73104,
September 9, 2024) covers records from DHS/FEMA's Disaster Recovery
Assistance Files system of records. These records are matched against
the records that SBA provides from its SBA-20 Disaster Loans Case
Files, 86 FR 64979 (November 19, 2021) system of records.
SBA-20 Disaster Loans Case Files (86 FR 64979, November 19, 2021).
SBA uses its Disaster Lending System to access records from its
Disaster Loan Case Files system of records and match them to the
records that DHS/FEMA provides from its Disaster Recovery Assistance
Files system of records.
Roman Jankowski,
Chief Privacy Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2025-13709 Filed 7-18-25; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 9110-9L-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on July 22, 2025.
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.