WAIS Document RetrievalFrom the Privacy Act Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:agri_002-15]                         


USDA/OCFO-3

System name: 

       Billings and Collections Systems, USDA/OCFO.
     System location: 
       National Finance Center, OCFO, USDA, New Orleans, Louisiana 
   70160.
     Categories of individuals covered by the system: 
       Individuals who are indebted to the Federal Government and whose 
   debts are serviced by the National Finance Center.
     Categories of records in the system: 
       This automated system established a master file containing the 
   debtor's name, address, Social Security Number or assigned vendor 
   number, amount of indebtedness, amount of current collection, and 
   amount of total billing. Eventually, these records are transferred to 
   a history file for inquiry use. Information regarding debts subject 
   to IRS offset, claims on travel advances, and delinquent debtor names 
   and Social Security Numbers used in computer matches with the 
   Department of Defense and the United States Postal Service are kept 
   separate from the administrative billings and collections data base 
   in a manually updated claims data base.
     Authority for maintenance of the system: 
       31 U.S.C. 3711 through 3719.
   Purpose(s):
       The records in this system are used to issue bills and collect 
   funds due to the Government in compliance with the Debt Collection 
   Act of 1982, Pub. L. 97-365, 96 Stat. 1749, as amended by Pub. L. 98-
   167, 97 Stat. 1104, and the Debt Collection Improvements Act of 1996, 
   Pub. L. 104-134, 110 Stat. 1321.
     Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including 
   categories of users and the purposes of such uses: 
       (1) Referral to the appropriate agency, whether Federal, State, 
   local, or foreign, charged with the responsibility of investigating 
   or prosecuting a violation of law, or of enforcing or implementing a 
   statute, rule, regulation, or order issued pursuant thereto, of any 
   record within this system when information available indicates a 
   violation or potential violation of law, whether civil, criminal, or 
   regulatory in nature, and whether arising by general statute or 
   particular program statute, or by rule, regulation or order issued 
   pursuant thereto.
       (2) Referral to the Department of Justice when (a) the agency, or 
   any component, thereof; or (b) any employee of the agency in his or 
   her official capacity; or (c) any employee of the agency in his or 
   her individual capacity where the Department of Justice has agreed to 
   represent the employee; or (d) the United States, where the agency 
   determines that litigation is likely to affect the agency or any of 
   its components, is a party to the litigation or has an interest in 
   such litigation, and the use of such records by the Department of 
   Justice is deemed by the agency to be relevant and necessary to the 
   litigation, providing, however, that in each case, the agency 
   determines that disclosure of the records to the Department of 
   Justice is a use of the information that is compatible with the 
   purpose for which the records were collected.
       (3) Disclosure in a proceeding before a court or adjudicative 
   body before which the agency is authorized to appear, when (a) the 
   agency, or any component thereof; or (b) any employee of the agency 
   in his or her official capacity; or (c) any employee of the agency in 
   his or her individual capacity where the Department of Justice has 
   agreed to represent the employee; or (d) the United States, where the 
   agency determines that litigation is likely to affect the agency or 
   any of its components, is a party to the litigation or has an 
   interest in such litigation, and the use of such records by the 
   Department of Justice is deemed by the agency to be relevant and 
   necessary to the litigation, providing, however, that in each case, 
   the agency determines that disclosure of the records to the 
   Department of Justice is a use of the information that is compatible 
   with the purpose for which the records were collected.
       (4) Disclosure may be made to a congressional office from the 
   record of an individual in response to an inquiry from the 
   congressional office made on behalf of the individual.
       (5) Information will be forwarded to another Federal agency when 
   a Federal employee accepts employment with another Federal agency.
       (6) Referral of information regarding indebtedness to the Defense 
   Manpower Data Center, Department of Defense, and the United States 
   Postal Service for the purpose of conducting computer matching 
   programs to identify and locate individuals receiving Federal salary 
   or benefit payments and who are delinquent in their payments of debts 
   owed to the U.S. Government in order to collect debts by voluntary 
   repayment, administrative, or salary offset procedures under the 
   provisions of 5 U.S.C. 5514 or through collection agencies under the 
   provisions of 31 U.S.C. 3718.
       (7) Information contained in this system of records may be 
   disclosed to a debt collection agency when USDA determines such 
   referral is appropriate for collecting the debtor's account as 
   provided for in U.S. Government contracts with collection agencies 
   executed pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 3718.
       (8) Where prior collection efforts have failed, the USDA will 
   refer to the Department of the Treasury information from this system 
   of records concerning past-due legally enforceable debts for offset 
   against tax refunds that may become due the debtors for the tax year 
   in which referral is made in accordance with IRS regulation at 26 CFR 
   301.6402-6T, offset of Past-due Legally Enforceable Debt Against 
   Overpayment, and under the authority contained in 31 U.S.C. 3720A.
       (9) Information contained in this system of records may be 
   disclosed to a consumer reporting agency in accordance with 31 U.S.C. 
   3711(f).
       (10) Information contained in this system of records, related to 
   non-tax debts or claims that are delinquent for 180 days, will be 
   sent to the Secretary of the Treasury or to other Federal agencies 
   designated by the Secretary of the Treasury for the purpose of 
   offsetting Federal payments to collect delinquent debts, owed to the 
   Federal Government. Records will be matched by Taxpayer 
   Identification Number (TIN) and name. For an individual, the TIN is 
   the Social Security Number. For a business, the TIN is the Employer 
   Identification Number. The release of this information is in 
   accordance with 31 U.S.C. 3716 and 4 CFR part 102.
     Policies and practices for strong, retrieving, accessing, 
   retaining, and disposing of records in the system:  
     Storage: 
       Records are maintained on magnetic tape files, disk files, and in 
   folders at the National Finance Center.
     Retrievability: 
       Records in the administrative billings and collections data base 
   are retrieved by Social Security Number and by name of individual or 
   equivalent identifying number. Records in the claims data base are 
   retrieved by the claim number, by Social Security Number and name of 
   individual, or by equivalent identifying number.
     Safeguards: 
       Magnetic tape files and disk files are kept in a locked computer 
   room and tape library which can be accessed by authorized personnel 
   only. File folders are maintained in secured areas with access by 
   authorized personnel only. Disk files are password protected to limit 
   access to authorized personnel only. Online access by National 
   Finance Center and other agency personnel is password protected.
     Retention and disposal: 
       Master history magnetic tapes are retained in accordance with a 
   tape library management schedule. Manual records are transferred to 
   the Federal Records Center for storage and disposition in accordance 
   with General Services Administration regulations.
     System manager(s) and address: 
       Director, National Finance Center, OCFO, USDA, PO Box 60000, New 
   Orleans, Louisiana 70160.
     Notification procedure: 
       Any individual may request information regarding this system of 
   records or information as to whether the system contains records 
   pertaining to him/her from the System Manager. A request for 
   information pertaining to an individual should be in writing and 
   should contain: name, address, Social Security Number, and 
   particulars involved (i.e., dates of claims, copies of 
   correspondence, etc.).
     Record access procedures: 
       Any individual may obtain information as to the procedures for 
   gaining access to a record in the system which pertains to him/her by 
   submitting a written request to the System Manager.
     Contesting record procedures: 
       Any individual may obtain information as to the procedures for 
   contesting a record in the system which pertain to him/her by 
   submitting a written request to the System Manager.
     Record source categories: 
       Information in this system comes primarily from USDA employees, 
   former USDA employees, non-USDA employees, agency claimants, and USDA 
   or other investigative personnel.