SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
NOTICE OF SYSTEM OF RECORDS REQUIRED BY THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974
System number: 60-0045
System name:
Black Lung Payment System, Social
Security Administration, Office of Systems Requirements.
Security classification:
None.
System location:
Social Security Administration Office of Telecommunications and Systems Operations National Computer Center 6201 Security Boulevard Baltimore, Maryland 21235
Categories of individuals
covered by the system:
All Part B Black Lung
(BL) beneficiaries entitled to receive a BL benefit 10/02/97 or earlier, and beneficiaries whose entitlement ended 10/02/97
or earlier because of a termination event as defined in the Black Lung Benefits
Act. Responsibility for the maintenance of the Part B BL program after
10/02/97 has been transferred to the Department of Labor (DOL).
Categories of records in the
system:
This system consists of
two files, a Payment Master Record and a Benefit Master Record.
The Payment Master Record
reflects the SSN and the payment identification code under which BL benefits
are awarded and payment data such as the monthly payment amount; the scheduled
payment amount; offset information; the number of beneficiaries on the account
as well as the number of beneficiaries in the payment; the month of accrual;
the month of debit; credit information; future month of adjustment diary dates;
cross‑reference information; payee name and address information, direct
deposit data and statistical information.
The Benefit Master Record
contains a benefit record for each beneficiary on the account and includes the
SSN; the payment and benefit identification codes; the payment status; the
monthly benefit amount; the beneficiary's name; type of benefit; date of birth;
race; sex; offset information; credit information; date of filing; date of
entitlement; representative payee information, and statistical information.
Authority for maintenance of
the system:
Sections 413 and 415 of
the Black Lung Benefits Act (30 U.S.C. 923 and 925).
Purpose(s):
The data in this system
are used by SSA employees for responding to inquiries from BL beneficiaries
and/or DOL.
Routine uses of records
maintained in the system, including categories of users and the purposes of
such uses:
Disclosure may be made
for routine uses as indicated below. However, disclosure of any
information constituting “returns or return information” within the scope of
the Internal Revenue Code will not be disclosed unless disclosure is authorized
by that statute.
1)
To a
congressional office in response to an inquiry from that office made at the request of the
subject of a record.
2)
To the
Department of Justice (DOJ), a court or other tribunal, or another party before such tribunal when:
a)
SSA, or any
component thereof; or
b)
any SSA employee in his/her official capacity; or
c) any SSA employee in his/her
individual capacity where DOJ (or SSA where itis authorized to do so) has agreed to
represent the employee; or
d) the
3)
To the
Office of the President for the purpose of responding to an individual pursuant to an inquiry from that
individual or from a third party on his/her behalf.
4)
Upon
request, information on the identity and location of aliens may be disclosed to the Department of Justice (DOJ) (Criminal
Division, Office of Special Investigations) for the purpose of
detecting, investigating, and where appropriate, taking legal action against suspected Nazi war criminals in
the
5)
To third
party contacts such as credit-reporting entities and private collection agencies under contract with SSA, and
State motor vehicle agencies for the purpose of
obtaining these entities’ assistance or information that will help SSA recover
BL overpayments of Social Security
benefits.
6)
To the
Department of the Treasury to issue BL checks.
7)
To the
Department of Labor for administering provisions of the Black Lung Benefits Act.
8)
Information
may be disclosed to contractors and other Federal agencies, as necessary, for the purpose of assisting
SSA in the efficient administration of its programs.
We contemplate disclosing 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.
9)
Non-tax
return information which is not restricted from disclosure by Federal law may be disclosed to the General Services
Administration (GSA) and the National Archives
and Records Administration (NARA) for the purpose of conducting records management studies with respect to their
duties and responsibilities under 44 U.S.C. 2904 and 2906, as amended by NARA Act of 1984.
10) Upon request, pursuant
to 38 U.S.C. 3006, information may be disclosed to the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) for the purpose of
determining eligibility for or amount
of VA benefits or verifying other information with respect to VA pension and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
benefit programs.
11) Information may be
disclosed to State workers’ compensation (WC) agencies or private WC carriers (or agents on their
behalf) for the purpose of the efficient administration
of the BL program. We contemplate disclosing information under this routine use only in situations in which SSA
enters into a signed agreement with a State
WC agency or private WC carrier to assist in accomplishing an agency function relating to the BL Payment System.
12) To student volunteers and
other workers, who technically do not have the status of Federal employees, when they are performing work for SSA
as authorized by law, and they
need access to personally identifiable information in SSA records in order to perform their assigned Agency functions.
13) Information as to
whether an individual is alive or deceased may be disclosed pursuant to section 1106(d) of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1306(d)), upon request,
for purposes of an epidemiological or similar research project, provided that:
a) SSA determines in consultation with the
Department of Health and Human Services, that the research may
reasonably be expected to contribute to a national
health interest; and
b) the requester agrees to
reimburse SSA for the costs of providing the information;
and
c) the requester agrees to
comply with any safeguards and limitations specified
by SSA regarding re-release or re-disclosure of the information.
Policies and practices for
storing, retrieving, accessing, retaining and disposing of records in the
system:
Storage:
Records are stored in
magnetic media (e.g., magnetic tape), disc, microfiche, and in paper form.
Retrievability:
Records in this system
are retrieved by SSN.
Safeguards:
Safeguards for automated
records have been established in accordance with the Systems Security
Handbook. This includes storing the records in secured areas with armed
security guards. Anyone entering or leaving the areas must have a special
badge issued only to authorized personnel. The records are available to
employees only in the performance of their official duties. Paper records
are maintained in areas with limited access and offices are locked after
business hours.
All employees of SSA are
periodically briefed on PA requirements and SSA confidentiality rules,
including the criminal sanctions for unauthorized disclosure of or access to
personal records. (See Appendix G for additional information relating to
safeguards SSA employs to protect personal information.)
Retention and disposal:
Magnetic tape records
are retained for up to 90 days after which they are erased and returned to
stock. Paper records are destroyed by shredding after use or disposed of
through contractual arrangements with trash collectors. Paper records
needed for documentation of the claims folder are retained indefinitely in SSA
facilities or DOL facilities and in FRCs. All
master records are retained on magnetic disc for on‑line query purposes.
System manager(s) and address:
Director Division of RSDI Postentitlement Systems Office of Systems Requirements Social Security Administration 3-Q-7 Operations Building 6401 Security Boulevard Baltimore, MD 21235
Notification procedure:
An individual can
determine if this system contains a record about him/her by writing to the
systems manager(s) at the above address and providing his/her name, SSN or
other information that may be in the system of records that will identify
him/her. An individual requesting notification of records in person
should provide the same information, as well as provide an identity document,
preferably with a photograph, such as a driver’s license or some other means of
identification, such as a voter registration card, credit card, etc. If
an individual does not have any identification documents sufficient to
establish his/her identity, the individual must certify in writing that he/she
is the person claimed to be and that he/she understands that the knowing and
willful request for, or acquisition of, a record pertaining to another
individual under false pretenses is a criminal offense.
If notification is
requested by telephone, an individual must verify his/her identity by providing
identifying information that parallels the record to which notification is
being requested. If it is determined that the
identifying information provided by telephone is insufficient, the individual
will be required to submit a request in writing or in person. If
an individual is requesting information by telephone on behalf of another
individual, the subject individual must be connected with SSA and the
requesting individual in the same phone call. SSA will establish the
subject individual’s identity (his/her name, SSN, address, date of birth and place
of birth along with one other piece of information such as mother’s
maiden name) and ask for his/her consent in providing information to the
requesting individual.
If a request for
notification is submitted by mail, an individual must include a notarized
statement to SSA to verify his/her identity or must certify in the request that
he/she is the person claimed to be and that he/she
understands 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 SSA Regulations (20 CFR
§ 401.40).
Record access procedures:
Same
as notification procedures above. Also, requesters should reasonably specify the
record contents they are seeking. These procedures are in accordance with SSA
Regulations (20 CFR 401.40(c)).
Contesting record procedures:
Same
as notification procedures above. Also, requesters should 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 SSA Regulations (20 CFR
401.65(a)).
Record source categories:
Information in this
system was prepared from material contained in BL claim folders maintained in
the system of records 60‑0089‑‑Claim Folders System.
Systems exempted from certain
provisions of the Privacy Act:
None.