Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

Issuing agencies

Abstract

This Computer Matching Agreement verifies the eligibility of Military Health System (MHS) beneficiaries who are Medicare eligible to receive TRICARE Benefits.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 163 (Tuesday, August 25, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 163 (Tuesday, August 25, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54853-54854]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-17268]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Docket ID: DOD-2026-HA-1816]


Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Defense (DoD).

ACTION: Notice of a new matching program.

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SUMMARY: This Computer Matching Agreement verifies the eligibility of 
Military Health System (MHS) beneficiaries who are Medicare eligible to 
receive TRICARE Benefits.

DATES: Comments will be accepted on or before September 24, 2026. This 
proposed action will be effective the day following the end of the 
comment period unless comments have been received from interested 
members of the public that require modification and republication of 
the notice.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and 
title, by any of the following methods:
    * Federal Rulemaking Portal: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
    * Mail: Department of Defense, Office of the Director of 
Administration and Management, Oversight and Compliance Directorate, 
Regulatory Division, 4800 Mark Center Drive, Attn: Mailbox 24, Suite 
05F16, Alexandria, VA 22350-1700.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket number for this Federal Register document. The general 
policy for comments and other submissions from

[[Page 54854]]

members of the public is to make these submissions available for public 
viewing on the internet at <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> as they are 
received without change, including any personal identifiers or contact 
information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Rahwa Keleta, Chief, Privacy and 
Civil Liberties Division at (703) 571-0070.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DoD, Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) 
will provide the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers 
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) a list of specific data 
elements for all DoD eligible beneficiaries both over and under the age 
of 65. CMS will: (1) match the individuals provided by DMDC against the 
information found in CMS's ``Enrollment Database (EDB)'' system of 
records; (2) validate the identification of the individual against CMS 
beneficiary records based on Social Security Number (SSN) and date of 
birth; (3) provide the individual's Medicare Beneficiary Identifier 
(MBI), Medicare enrollment status, and address in the response file to 
DMDC. After receipt of the response file from CMS, DMDC will update the 
Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) with 
appropriate Medicare information provided in the response file. The 
verified identification of eligible beneficiaries and their current 
Medicare enrollment status is maintained in DEERS for use by the 
Defense Health Agency in the management of its programs.
    Participating Agencies: The Department of Defense, Defense Manpower 
Data Center, and the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers 
for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
    Authority for Conducting the Matching Program: 10 U.S.C. 1086(d).
    Purpose(s): The purpose of this matching program is to verify the 
eligibility of MHS beneficiaries who are Medicare-eligible to receive 
TRICARE benefits.
    Categories of Individuals: The categories of individuals whose 
information is involved in the matching program is all eligible MHS 
beneficiaries both over and under the age of 65 (e.g., dependent family 
members, legal guardians and other protectors and prior military 
members eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs benefits). Data for 
these individuals is matched against Medicare beneficiaries assigned a 
CMS MBI found in CMS's Enrollment Database.
    Categories of Records: The categories of records involved in the 
matching program are SSN, date of birth, sex code, first name, last 
name, and Medicare eligibility and enrollment data. DMDC will provide 
CMS with a finder file for the Under and Over 65 Populations to match 
against information in CMS's EDB. The finder file sent from DMDC will 
contain SSN, date of birth, sex code, and first and last name. CMS will 
provide DMDC with a response file which will contain SSN, date of 
birth, sex code, first name, last name, and Medicare data.
    System of Records: ``Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting 
System (DEERS),'' DMDC 02 DoD, published in full at 87 FR 32384 (May 
31, 2022). ``Military Health Information System (MHIS),'' EDHA 07, 
published at 85 FR 36190 (June 15, 2020). ``Enrollment Database 
(EDB),'' 09-70-0502, published in full at 73 FR 10249 (February 26, 
2008), updated at 78 FR 23938 (April 23, 2013), 81 FR 8204 (February 
18, 2016), and 83 FR 6591 (February 14, 2018).

    Dated: August 20, 2026.
Aaron T. Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2026-17268 Filed 8-24-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6001-FR-P


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