Notice2025-20201
Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records
Primary source
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Published
November 18, 2025
Effective
December 18, 2025
Issuing agencies
Social Security Administration
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, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act Record Request and Appeal System (60-0340), last published on July 13, 2016. 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 90 Issue 220 (Tuesday, November 18, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 220 (Tuesday, November 18, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51803-51805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-20201]
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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
[Docket No. SSA-2024-0015]
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 existing system of records
entitled, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act Record
Request and Appeal System (60-0340), last published on July 13, 2016.
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 18, 2025.
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 18, 2025.
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="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Please reference docket number
SSA-2024-0015. All comments we receive will be available for public
inspection at the above address and we will post them to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://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#743b33375a3b24305a273b263a340707155a131b02"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0d424a4e23425d49235e425f434d7e7e6c236a627b">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We are clarifying the system location to
recognize that we may also maintain records in a cloud-based
environment. We are updating the authorities for the maintenance of the
system to remove references to SSA regulations. We are clarifying the
purpose of the system for easier reading. We are revising routine use
Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 9 for easier reading. We are adding a new routine use
that will permit disclosures 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).
In addition, we are modifying the policies and practices for the
storage of records to clarify that SSA will maintain electronic records
only. We are updating the records retention and disposal schedules. We
are modifying the administrative, technical, and physical safeguards
for easier reading. We are modifying the record access procedures to
remove references to telephone, for consistency with agency access
procedures.
Lastly, we are 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:
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act Record Request
and Appeal System, 60-0340.
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:
Unclassified.
SYSTEM LOCATION:
Social Security Administration, Office of Law and Policy, Office of
the General Counsel, Office of Privacy and Disclosure, 6401 Security
Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401.
Social Security Administration, Office of Operations, Office of
Central Operations, Division of Earnings and Business Services, 6100
Wabash Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21290-3022.
Regional offices in receipt of original request (See Appendix C at
<a href="https://www.ssa.gov/privacy/sorn/app_c.htm">https://www.ssa.gov/privacy/sorn/app_c.htm</a> for address information).
Information is also located in additional locations in connection
with cloud-based services for business continuity purposes.
SYSTEM MANAGER(S):
Social Security Administration, Freedom of Information Officer,
Office of Law and Policy, Office of the General Counsel, Office of
Privacy and Disclosure, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-
6401, (410) 966-5855.
AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
Section 1106 of the Social Security Act, as amended (42 U.S.C.
1306); Freedom of Information Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552); Privacy
Act of 1974, as amended (5 U.S.C. 552a); and Records Management by
Federal Agencies, as amended (44 U.S.C. 3101).
PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:
We will use the information in this system to process requests and
administrative appeals under the FOIA and the Privacy Act; support
agency participation in litigation arising from requests and appeals;
assign, process, and track workloads; and provide management
information reports.
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
This system maintains information about individuals who submit FOIA
or Privacy Act requests, including but not limited to Privacy Act
access requests, amendments, and administrative appeals to SSA; FOIA
requests and appeals; individuals whose request for records have been
referred to SSA by other agencies; individuals who submit inquiries to
SSA regarding federal agency compliance with the FOIA; attorneys
representing individuals submitting records requests and appeals;
individuals who are the subject of such requests and appeals; and SSA
personnel assigned to handle such requests and appeals.
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
This system consists of records received, created, or compiled in
response to FOIA and Privacy Act requests or administrative appeals.
This may include original requests and administrative appeals;
responses to such requests and administrative appeals; all related
memoranda, correspondence, notes, and other related or supporting
documentation; and copies of requested records relating to original
requests and administrative appeals. This system also consists of
records related to inquiries submitted to SSA regarding federal agency
compliance with the FOIA, and all records related to resolution of such
inquiries.
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RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
We obtain information in this system of records from individuals
who submit Privacy Act requests or FOIA requests, primarily from the
person to whom the record pertains; third parties, such as legal
guardians, appointed representatives, and representative payees; and
local, State, and Federal agencies.
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
received from that office made on behalf of, and at the request of, the
subject of 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.
3. To the Department of the Treasury, IRS, for the purpose of
auditing SSA's compliance with the safeguard provisions of the IRC of
1986, as amended.
4. 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 the employee's official capacity; or
(c) any SSA employee in the employee's 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 SSA determines
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.
5. To the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under
44 U.S.C. 2904 and 2906.
6. To student volunteers, individuals working under a personal
service 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.
7. To Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies and
private security contractors, as appropriate, when information is
necessary:
(a) to enable them to protect the safety of SSA employees and
customers, the security of the SSA 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 contractors and other Federal agencies, as necessary, for the
purpose of assisting SSA in the efficient administration of our
programs. We will disclose information under this routine use only in
situations in which we may enter into a contractual or similar
agreement to obtain assistance in accomplishing an SSA function
relating to this system of records.
9. 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.
10. To NARA, Office of Government Information Services (OGIS), to
the extent necessary to fulfill its responsibilities in 5 U.S.C. 552(h)
to review administrative agency policies, procedures, and compliance
with the FOIA, and to facilitate OGIS' offering of mediation services
to resolve disputes between persons making FOIA requests and
administrative agencies.
11. To another Federal agency or Federal entity, when SSA
determines 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.
12. 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).
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:
We will maintain records in this system in electronic form.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:
We will retrieve records in this system by the name and Social
Security number (SSN) of the requester or appellant; case number
assigned to the request or appeal; name of attorney representing the
requester or appellant; the name of an individual who is the subject of
such a request or appeal; or subject matter.
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 012, and GRS 4.2.
ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:
We retain electronic files containing personal identifiers in
secure storage areas accessible only by authorized employees, including
our 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
number and password, 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 authorized individuals, including 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, authorized individuals with access
to databases maintaining PII
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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:
81 FR 45352 (July 13, 2016), FOIA and Privacy Act Record Request
and Appeal System.
83 FR 54969 (November 1, 2018), FOIA and Privacy Act Record Request
and Appeal System.
[FR Doc. 2025-20201 Filed 11-17-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on November 18, 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.