Privacy Act of 1974; CMS Computer Match No. 2016-15; HHS Computer Match No. 1609

AGENCY:

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

ACTION:

Notice of Computer Matching Program.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, this notice announces the establishment of a Computer Matching Program that CMS plans to conduct with the Peace Corps (PC).

DATES:

Comments are invited on all portions of this notice. Public comments are due within 30 days after publication. The matching program will become effective no sooner than 40 days after the report of the matching program is sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Congress, or 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, whichever is later.

ADDRESSES:

The public should send comments to: CMS Privacy Act Officer, Division of Security, Privacy Policy & Governance, Information Security & Privacy Group, Office of Enterprise Information, CMS, Room N l-24-08, 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21244-1850. Comments received will be available for review at this location, by appointment, during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., Eastern Time zone.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lindsey Murtagh, Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Phone: (301) 492-4106, Email: lindsey.murtagh@cms.hhs.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (Public Law (Pub. L.) 100-503), amended the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) by describing the manner in which computer matching involving Federal agencies could be performed and adding certain protections for individuals applying for and receiving Federal benefits. Section 7201 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-508) further amended the Privacy Act regarding protections for such individuals. The Privacy Act, as amended, regulates the use of computer matching by Federal agencies when records in a system of records are matched with other Federal, state, or local government records. It requires Federal agencies involved in a CMP to:

1. Negotiate written agreements with the other agencies participating in the matching programs;

2. Obtain the Data Integrity Board approval of the match agreements;

3. Furnish detailed reports about matching programs to Congress and OMB;

4. Notify applicants and beneficiaries that the records are subject to matching; and,

5. Verify match findings before reducing, suspending, terminating, or denying an individual's benefits or payments.

This matching program meets the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended.

CMS Computer Match No. 2016-15

HHS Computer Match No.1609

NAME:

Computer Matching Agreement between the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Peace Corps for the “Verification of Eligibility for Minimum Essential Coverage Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Through a Peace Corps Health Benefits Plan.”

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:

Unclassified

PARTICIPATING AGENCIES:

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Peace Corps (PC).

AUTHORITY FOR CONDUCTING MATCHING PROGRAM:

Sections 1411 and 1413 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-148), as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-152) (collectively, the ACA) require the Secretary of HHS to establish a program for applying for and determining eligibility for advance payments of the premium tax credit and cost-sharing reductions and authorize use of secure, electronic interfaces and an on-line system for the verification of eligibility.

The Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (CMPPA) (Pub. L. 100-503), amended the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) and requires the parties participating in a matching program to execute a written agreement specifying the terms and conditions under which the matching will be conducted. CMS has determined that status verification checks to be conducted through the CMS Data Services Hub (Hub) by agencies administering insurance affordability programs using data provided in bulk by PC through a security transfer data protocol to CMS constitute a “computer matching program” as defined in the CMPPA.

PURPOSE(S) OF THE MATCHING PROGRAM:

The purpose of the Computer Matching Agreement is to establish the terms, conditions, safeguards, and procedures under which the Peace Corps will provide records, information, or data to CMS for verifying eligibility for Minimum Essential Coverage through a Peace Corps Health Benefits Plan. The data will be used by CMS in its capacity as a Federally-facilitated Exchange, and agencies administering insurance affordability programs that will receive the results of verifications using PC data obtained through the CMS Data Services Hub.

Data will be matched for the purpose of verifying an Applicant or Enrollee's eligibility for PC Health Benefit Plans that constitute minimum essential coverage as defined in § 5000A(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, 26 U.S.C. 5000A, as amended by § 1501 of the ACA.

DESCRIPTION OF RECORDS TO BE USED IN THE MATCHING PROGRAM:

The Peace Corps maintains the following SORN to support this data matching program: “Peace Corps Manual Section 897, Attachment B, PC-17 Volunteer Applicant and Service Records System.” Routine Use (i) is used “to verify active or former Volunteer service”—supports disclosure to CMS.

CMS maintains the following SORN to support this data to support this data matching program: “Health Insurance Exchanges Program (HIX)”, CMS System No. 09-70-0560, originally published at 78 Fed. Reg. 8538 (Feb. 6, 2013), and last amended at 78 Federal Register, 63211 (October 23, 2013).

INCLUSIVE DATES OF THE MATCH:

The CMP will become effective no sooner than 40 days after the report of the matching program is sent to 0MB, 30 days after a copy of the matching agreement is transmitted to Congress, or 30 days after publication in the Federal Register, whichever is later. The matching program will continue for 18 months from the effective date and may be extended for an additional 12 months thereafter, if certain conditions are met.