Effective Date: January 11, 2006
(71 F.R. 1823)
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
NOTICE OF SYSTEM OF RECORDS REQUIRED BY THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974
SYSTEM NUMBER: 60-0077
System name:
Congressional
Inquiry File, Social Security Administration, Regional Offices.
Security classification:
None.
System Location:
1. Offices of
the Regional Commissioners, Social Security Administration (SSA) (see the
system manager section below or access http://www.socialsecurity.gov/foia/bluebook/app_c.htm for address
information).
2. Social Security field offices (consult
local telephone directories for addresses and telephone numbers).
3. Teleservice
centers (contact the system manager at the address below or access http://www.socialsecurity.gov/foia/bluebook/app_e.htm for the
addresses of SSA's teleservice
centers).
Categories of individuals covered
by the system:
This system
contains a record of congressional representatives and the individuals about
whom they inquire.
Categories of records in the
system:
Correspondence
to and from congressional representatives.
Authority for maintenance of the
system:
Section
205(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 405).
Purpose(s):
This system is used to control and respond
to correspondence from congressional representatives.
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 defined as ``return or return information'' under 26 U.S.C. 6103 of
the Internal Revenue Code will not be disclosed unless authorized by a statute,
the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), or IRS regulations.
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 the Treasury,
Internal Revenue Service, as necessary, for the purpose of auditing the Social
Security Administration's compliance with the safeguard provisions of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
3. To Department of Justice (DOJ), a court
or other tribunal, or another party before such tribunal when:
(a) The Social Security Administration
(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 it is authorized to do so) has agreed to
represent the employee; or
(d) The United States or any agency thereof
where SSA determines that the litigation is likely to affect the operations of
SSA or any of its components, is a party to 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 such tribunal, is relevant and
necessary to the litigation, provided, however, that in each case, SSA
determines that such disclosure is compatible with the purpose for which the records
were collected.
4. To the General Services Administration
and the National Archives Records Administration (NARA) under 44 U.S.C. 2904
and 2906, as amended by the NARA Act of 1984, information which is not
restricted from disclosure by Federal law for the use of those agencies in
conducting records management studies.
5. To student volunteers, individuals
working under a personal services contract, and other workers who technically
do not have the status of Federal employees, when they are performing work for
the Social Security Administration (SSA), as authorized by law, and they need
access to personally identifiable information in SSA records in order to
perform their assigned Agency functions.
6. To the Secretary of Health and Human Services
or to any State, the Commissioner shall disclose any record or information
requested in writing by the Secretary for the purpose of administering any
program administered by the Secretary, if records or information of such type
were so disclosed under applicable rules, regulations and procedures in effect
before the date of enactment of the Social Security Independence and Program
Improvements Act of 1994.
7. We may disclose information to
appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, entities, and persons when (1)
we suspect or confirm that the security or confidentiality of information in
this system of records has been compromised; (2) we determine that as a result
of the suspected or confirmed compromise there is a risk of harm to economic or
property interests, identity theft or fraud, or harm to the security or
integrity of this system or other systems or programs of SSA that rely upon the
compromised information; and (3) we determine that disclosing the information
to such agencies, entities, and persons is necessary to assist in our efforts
to respond to the suspected or confirmed compromise and prevent, minimize, or
remedy such harm. SSA will use this routine use to respond only to those
incidents involving an unintentional release of its records.
Policies and practices for storing,
retrieving, accessing, retaining, and disposing of records in the system:
Storage:
Records
generally are maintained in paper form in manila type folders. However, records
also may be maintained in magnetic media (e.g., on disc, microcomputer).
Retrievability:
Records are
retrieved alphabetically by the Congressperson's or individual's name.
Safeguards:
These records
usually are available to personnel who have a need for them in the performance
of their official duties. Access http://www.socialsecurity.gov/foia/bluebook/app_g.htm for additional
information relating to SSA data security measures.
Retention and disposal:
These records
are generally retained for 6 months to 3 years.
System manager(s) and address(es):
In the
Assistant
Regional Commissioner
Field Operations
Office of the Regional Commissioner
Room 1100
In the
Executive
Support Staff
Office of the Regional Commissioner
Room 40-100
24 Federal Plaza
In the
Assistant
Regional Commissioner for Processing Center Operations
Office of the Regional Commissioner
In the
Director
Office of Congressional, Governmental
and External Affairs
Office
of the Regional Commissioner
101
In the
Regional
Public Affairs Office
Office
of the Regional Commissioner
105
In the
Executive
Officer
Office of the Regional Commissioner
Room
1420, 1200
In the
Assistant
Regional Commissioner
Programs
Operations and Systems
Office of the Regional Commissioner
Room 436,
In the
Assistant
Regional Commissioner
Management and Budget
Office of the Regional Commissioner
In the
Regional
Public Affairs Officer
Office of the Regional Commissioner
In the
Assistant
Regional Commissioner
Field
Operations
Office
of the Regional Commissioner
M/S
RX-52,
Notification procedures:
An individual
can determine if this system contains a record about him/her by writing to the
system 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.
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 information in 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(c)).
Record access procedures:
Same
as Notification procedures. 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. Also, requesters should reasonably
identify the record, specify the information they are contesting and 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 is obtained from congressional representatives.
Systems exempted from certain
provisions of the Privacy Act:
None.