13VA047
Individuals Submitting Invoices-Vouchers For Payment-VA
System location:
VA Data Processing Center, Austin, Texas and the
fiscal offices of Central Office and other field stations where the
fiscal transactions are processed.
Categories of individuals covered by the system:
Contractors, vendors, non-salaried employees, consultants, attendings, fee basis
physicians and dentists, and patients.
Categories of records in the system:
Vendor identification listings, invoices and payment records.
Authority for maintenance of the system:
Budget and Accounting Act of 1950 and General Accounting Office Title 8, Chapter 3.
Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including
categories of users and the purposes of such uses:
To the extent that records contained in the system include
information protected by 38 U.S.C. 4132, i.e., medical treatment
information related to drug abuse, alcoholism or alcohol abuse,
sickle cell anemia or infection with the human immunodeficiency
virus, that information cannot be disclosed under a Routine Use
unless there is also specific statutory authority permitting
disclosure.
- Transfer payment information necessary to complete payment of
claims and to furnish income data Form 1099 to the Treasury
Department in order to effect payment of claims to vendors and to
furnish income information.
- In the event that a system of records maintained by this
agency to carry out its functions 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 regulation, rule or order issued pursuant thereto, the relevant
records in the system of records may be referred, as a routine use,
to the appropriate agency, whether Federal, State, local or foreign,
charged with the responsibility of investigating or prosecuting such
violation or charged with enforcing or implementing the statute, or
rule, regulation or order issued pursuant thereto.
- A record from this system of records may be disclosed as a
'routine use' to a Federal, State or local agency or to a non-
governmental organization maintaining civil, criminal or other
relevant information, such as current licenses, registration or
certification, if necessary to obtain information relevant to an
agency decision concerning the hiring or retention of an employee,
the use of an individual as a consultant, attending or to provide fee
basis health care, the issuance of a security clearance, the letting
of a contract, or the issuance of a license, grant or other benefits.
These records may also be disclosed as part of an ongoing computer
matching program to accomplish these purposes.
- A record from this system of records may be disclosed to a
Federal, State or local agency, in response to its request, in
connection with the hiring or retention of an employee, the issuance
of a security clearance, the reporting of an investigation of an
employee, the letting of a contract, or the issuance of a license,
grant, or other benefit by the requesting agency, to the extent that
the information is relevant and necessary to the requesting agency's
decision on the matter.
- Relevant information from this system of records, including
the nature and amount of financial obligation, may be disclosed as a
routine use, in order to assist the Veterans Administration in the
collection of unpaid financial obligations owed the VA, to a debtor's
employing agency or commanding officer so that the debtor-employee
may be counseled by his or her Federal employer or commanding
officer. This purpose is consistent with 5 U.S.C. 5514, 4 CFR 102.5,
and section 206 of Executive Order 11222 of May 8, 1965 (30 FR 6469).
- Relevant information from this system of records, including
available identifying data regarding the debtor, such as name of
debtor, last known address of debtor, name of debtor's spouse, social
security account number of debtor, VA insurance number, VA loan
number, VA claim number, place of birth and date of birth of debtor,
name and address of debtor's employer or firm and dates of
employment, may be disclosed to other Federal agencies, State probate
courts, State drivers license bureaus, and State automobile title and
license bureaus as a routine use in order to obtain current address,
locator and credit report assistance in he collection of unpaid
financial obligations owed the U.S. This purpose is consistent with
the Federal Claims Collection Act of 1966 (Pub.L. 89-508, 31 U.S.C.
951-953) and 4 CFR parts 101-105.
- Disclosure may be made to a congressional office from the
record of an individual in response to an inquiry from the
congressional office made at the request of that individual.
- Disclosure may be made to NARA (National Archives and Records
Administration) GSA (General Services Administration) in records
management inspections conducted under authority of 44 U.S.C. 2904
and 2906.
- Records from this system of records may be disclosed to a
Federal Agency or to a State or local government licensing board and/
or to the Federation of State Medical Boards or a similar
nongovernment entity which maintains records concerning individuals'
employment histories or concerning the issuance, retention or
revocation of licenses, certifications, or registration necessary to
practice an occupation, profession or specialty , in order for the
Agency to obtain information relevant to an Agency decision
concerning the hiring, retention or termination of an employee or to
inform a Federal Agency or licensing boards or the appropriate
nongovernment entities about the health care practices of a
terminated, resigned or retired health care employee whose
professional health care activity so significantly failed to conform
to generally accepted standards of professional medical practice as
to raise reasonable concern for the health and safety of patients in
the private sector or from another Federal Agency. These records may
also be disclosed as part of an ongoing computer matching program to
accomplish these purposes.
- Relevant information (excluding medical treatment information
related to drug or alcohol abuse, infection with the human
immunodeficiency virus or sickle cell anemia) may be disclosed to the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the purpose of
identifying improper duplicate payments made by Medicare fiscal
intermediaries where VA authorized and was responsible for payment
for medical services obtained at non-VA health care facilities. The
purpose of the review is for HHS to identify duplicate payments and
initiate recovery of identified overpayments and, where warranted,
initiate fraud investigations, or, to seek reimbursement from VA for
those services which were authorized by VA and for which no payment,
or partial payment, was made by VA. HHS will provide information to
identify the patient to include the patient name, address, Social
Security number, date of birth, and information related to the period
of medical treatment for which payment was made by Medicare to
include the name and address of the hospital, the admission and
discharge dates, the services for which payment was made, and the
dates and amounts of payment. Information disclosed from this system
of records will be limited to that information that is necessary to
confirm or disprove an inappropriate payment by Medicare. These
records may also be disclosed as part of an ongoing computer matching
program to accomplish these purposes.
- Identifying information in this system, including name,
address, social security number and other information as is
reasonably necessary to identify such individual, may be disclosed to
the National Practitioner Data Bank at the time of hiring and/or
clinical privileging/reprivileging of health care practitioners, and
other times as deemed necessary by VA, in order for VA to obtain
information relevant to a Department decision concerning the hiring,
privileging/reprivileging, retention or termination of the applicant
or employee.
- Relevant information from this system of records may be
disclosed to the National Practitioner Data Bank and/or State
Licensing Board in the State(s) in which a practitioner is licensed,
in which the VA facility is located, and/or in which an act or
omission occurred upon which a medical malpractice claim was based
when VA reports information concerning: (1) Any payment for the
benefit of a physician, dentist, or other licensed health care
practitioner which was made as the result of a settlement or judgment
of a claim of medical malpractice if an appropriate determination is
made in accordance with agency policy that payment was related to
substandard care, professional incompetence or professional
misconduct on the part of the individual; (2) a final decision which
relates to possible incompetence or improper professional conduct
that adversely affects the clinical privileges of a physician or
dentist for a period longer than 30 days; or, (3) the acceptance of
the surrender of clinical privileges or any restriction of such
privileges by a physician or dentist either while under investigation
by the health care entity relating to possible incompetence or
improper professional conduct, or in return for not conducting such
an investigation or proceeding. These records may also be disclosed
as part of a computer matching program to accomplish these purposes.
Policies and practices for storing, retrieving, accessing,
retaining, and disposing of records in the system:
Storage:
Paper documents, microfiche, magnetic tape.
Retrievability:
Alphabetically by name and numerically by identification number.
Safeguards:
Access to the records is restricted to VA Finance
employees. These records are protected from outside access by Federal
Protective Service.
Retention and disposal:
Governed by General Accounting Office
Regulations which require retention for records created prior to July
2,1975: 10 years and 3 months after the period of the account;
records created on and after July 2, 1975: 6 years and 3 months after
the period of the account. Records are normally retired to Federal
Record Centers within 1 or 2 years after payment and audit.
System manager(s) and address: Director, Office of Budget and
Finance (Controller)(04), VA Central Office, Washington, DC 20420.
Notification procedure:
Individuals seeking information concerning
the existence of a record pertaining to themselves may submit a
written request to the VA office to which the invoice/voucher was
submitted. All inquiries must reasonably identify the invoice/voucher
involved. Inquiries should include name and return address.
Record access procedures:
Individuals or authorized representatives
seeking information regarding access to and contesting of records may
write, call or visit the VA office to which the invoice/voucher was
submitted.
Contesting record procedures:
(see Record Access Procedures above)
Record source categories:
These payment records are compiled from
documentation from the vendor, contractor, and employee; Dun and
Bradstreet (identifying numbers); and procurement and authorization
documentation generated by the Veterans Administration.
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