110VA10

Categories of individuals covered by the system:
VA employees who apply for and are denied or granted educational assistance awards under the provisions of the VA. Employee Incentive Scholarship Program (EISP) in a field leading to appointment or retention in a position listed in 38 U.S.C., section 7401.

Categories of records in the system:
Records (or information contained in records) in this system may include personal identification information related to the application material, to award processes, to employment, to obligated service, and to requests for waivers or suspensions of obligated service or financial indebtedness to VA such as (1) name, (2) employing facility number, (3) telephone number(s), (4) Social Security number, (5) award amount, (6) obligated service incurred, and (7) name and address of the educational institution; or any amount if indebtedness (accounts receivable) arising from the scholarship and owed to VA. The application for an EISP award includes the applicant's full name, employing facility number, home and work telephone numbers, Social Security number, job title, current education level, degree sought, description of the academic program covered by the scholarship, the starting and completion dates of the employee's academic program, the name and address of the academic institution, the number of credits in the student's academic program plan and the cost of the education covered by the academic program plan. Records may include memoranda submitted by the employees, calculations for the service obligations, copies of letters and/or memoranda from employees making the requests and in correspondence to employees and appropriate local program officials delineating the decisions on such requests.

Authority for maintenance of the system:
Title 38, U.S.C. Sections 501, 503, 7451, 7452, and 7431-7440.

Purpose(s):
The records and information may be used for determining and documenting individual applicant eligibility for scholarship awards, calculating the service commitments for scholarship recipients, ensuring program financial accountability, monitoring individual applicant educational progress, monitoring the employment status of scholarship recipients during their periods of obligated service, terminating the employee from the program, and evaluating and reporting program results and effectiveness. The information would be used to determine the financial liability of individuals who breach their EISP contracts.

Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including the categories of users and the purposes of such uses:

1. Disclosure of any information in this system that is necessary to verify authenticity and completeness of the application may be made to educational institutions and other relevant organizations or individuals.
2. Disclosure of any information in this system may be made to a Federal agency in order to determine if an applicant has an obligation for service under another Federal program, thus rendering the applicant ineligible for a VA Employee Incentive Scholarship Program Award.
3. Disclosure of an information in this system may be made to the local supervisory officials and program coordinators to ensure that individual data in the system of records is up to date and that award recipients are in compliance with the terms of the scholarship program contract.
4. Any information in this system may be used to evaluate and report program results and effectiveness to appropriate officials including members of Congress on a routine and ad hoc basis.
5. Disclosure of information in this system may be made to a member of Congress or staff person acting for the member when the member or staff person requests the records on behalf of and at the request of that individual.
6. Disclosure of information may be made to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in records management inspections conducted under authority of Title 44, United States Code.
7. Disclosure of information to the FLRA (including its General Counsel) when requested in connection with the investigation and resolution of allegations of unfair labor practices, in connection with matters before the Federal Service Impasses Panel, and to investigate representation petitions and conduct or supervise representation elections.
8. Disclosure may be made to officials of labor organizations recognized under 5 U.S.C. chapter 71 when relevant and necessary to their duties of exclusive representation concerning personnel policies, practices, and matters affecting working conditions.
9. Disclosure may be made to officials of the Merit Systems Protection Board, including the Office of the Special Counsel, when requested in connection with appeals, special studies of the civil service and other merit systems, review of rules and regulations, investigation of alleged or possible prohibited personnel practices, and such other functions, promulgated in 5 U.S.C. 1205 and 1206, or as may be authorized by law.
10. Disclosure may be made to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission when requested in connection with investigations of alleged or possible discrimination practices, examination of Federal affirmative employment programs, compliance with the Uniform Guidelines of Employee Selection Procedures, or other functions vested in the Commission by the President's Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978.

Discclosure to consumer reporting agencies:
Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(2), VA may disclose records from this system to consumer reproting agencies as defined in the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681a(f) or the Federal Claims Collection Act of 1966 (31 U.S.C.3701(a)(3)).

Policies and practices for storing, retrieving, accessing, retaining, and disposing of records in the system:

Storage:
Records are maintained on paper, electronic media and computer printouts.

Retrievability:
Records are retrieved by use of the award number or an equivalent participant account number assigned by HCSDRO, social security number and the name of the individual.

Safeguards:
Access to the basic file in HCSDRO is restricted to authorized VA employees and vendors. Access to the office spaces where electronic media is maintained within HCSDRO is further restricted to specifically authorized employees and is protected by contracted building security services. Records (typically computer printouts) at HCSDRO will be kept in locked files and made available only to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis. During non-working hours the file is locked and the building is protected by contracted building security services. Records stored on electronic media are maintained on a VA-approved and managed, password-protected, secure local area network (LAN) located within HCSDRO office spaces and safeguarded as described above. Records stored on electronic media at Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) Offices, VA healthcare facilities, and the AAC in Austin, Texas are provided equivalent safeguards subject to local policies mandating protection of information subject to federal safeguards.

Retention and disposal:
Records will be maintained and disposed of in accordance with records disposition authority approved by the Archivist of the United States.

System manager(s) and address:
Director, Health Care Staff Development and Retention Office (10A2D), Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, 1555 Poydras Street, Suite 1971, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112.

Notification procedure:
Any individual who wishes to determine whether a record is bring maintained in this system under his or her name or other personal identifier, or wants to determine the contents of such records, should submit a written request or apply in person to the Director, Health Care Staff Development and Retention Office, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, 1555 Poydras Street, Suite 1971, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112.

Record access procedures:
Individuals seeking information regarding access to and contesting of VA records in this system may write, call or visit the Director, Health Care Staff Development and Retention Office (10A2D), Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, 1555 Poydras Street, Suite 1971, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112. The telephone number is (504) 589-5267.

Contesting record procedures:
(See Record Access Procedures above.)

Record source categories:
Information contained in the records is obtained from the individual, references given in application material, educational institutions, VA medical facilities, the VA AAC, other Federal agencies, State agencies and consumer reporting agencies.

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