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144VA026
General Counsel Legal Automation Workload System (GCLAWS)-VA
SYSTEM LOCATION:
The system of records is located in the Office of the General
Counsel, Professional Staff Group VI (026), U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA), 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420 and in the
22 Regional Counsel offices (Regions and addresses are listed at 38
Code of Federal Regulations Sec. 14.501(f)). Records for all Regions
and Washington, DC are stored on a secured server computer at the VA
Capitol Regional Data Center in Falling Waters, West Virginia.
CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:
Veterans and their beneficiaries, current and former employees,
current contractors employed by Department of Veterans Affairs, medical
service providers, veterans' claims representatives, and veterans'
service organizations.
CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
Records include the name of an individual or business entity, and
may contain Social Security Number, partial address (city, state, and
zip code), date of birth, veterans' claim number, financial records,
and/or medical records.
AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:
38 U.S.C. Section 501; and Title 38, United States Code, Section 311.
PURPOSE(S):
Case management, correspondence control, and statistical analysis.
This system of records contains case tracking for time and OGC
personnel, and may contain embedded documents which may be data
privileged under the attorney-client relationship. The system will be
used to provide statistical and other information in response to
legitimate and reasonable requests.
ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEMS, INCLUDING CATEGORIES
OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:
- VA may disclose any information in this system of records 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.
- VA may disclose any record in this system of records to NARA
(National Archives and Records Administration), the GSA (General
Services Administration), or both, for which either agency says that it
needs the records in order to perform records management activities
under authority of 44 U.S.C.
- VA may disclose information in this system of records to
individuals, organizations, private or public agencies, or other
entities or individuals with whom VA has a contract or agreement to
perform such services as VA may deem practicable for the purposes of
laws administered by VA, in order for the contractor, subcontractor,
public or private agency, or other entity or individual with whom VA
has an agreement or contract to perform the services of the contract or
agreement. This routine use includes disclosures by the individual or
entity performing the service for VA to any secondary entity or
individual to perform an activity that is necessary for individuals, organizations,
private or public agencies, or other entities or individuals with whom
VA has a contract or agreement to provide the service to VA.
- VA may disclose on its own initiative any information in this
system which is relevant to a suspected or reasonably imminent
violation of law, whether civil, criminal or regulatory in nature and
whether arising by general or program statute or by regulation, rule or
order issued pursuant thereto, to a Federal, State, local, tribal, or
foreign agency charged with the responsibility of investigating or
prosecuting such violation, or charged with enforcing or implementing
the statute, regulation, rule or order.
- VA may disclose information in this system of records to the
Department of Justice (DoJ), either on VA's initiative or in response
to DoJ's request for the information, after either VA or DoJ determines
that such information is relevant to DoJ's representation of the United
States or any of its components in legal proceedings before a court or
adjudicative body, provided that, in each case, the agency also
determines prior to disclosure that disclosure of the records to the
Department of Justice is a use of the information contained in the
records that is compatible with the purpose for which VA collected the
records. VA, on its own initiative, may disclose records in this system
of records in legal proceedings before a court or administrative body
after determining that the disclosure of the records to the court or
administrative body is a use of the information contained in the
records that is compatible with the purpose for which VA collected the
records.
- VA may disclose any information in this system of records to
appropriate agencies, entities, and persons under the following
circumstances: When (1) it is suspected or confirmed that the security
or confidentiality of information in the system of records has been
compromised; (2) the Department has determined that as a result of the
suspected or confirmed compromise there is a risk of embarrassment or
harm to the reputations of the record subjects, 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 (whether
maintained by the Department or another agency or entity) that rely
upon the compromised information; and (3) the disclosure is made to
such agencies, entities, and persons reasonably necessary to assist in
connection with the Department's efforts to respond to the suspected or
confirmed compromise and prevent, minimize, or remedy such harm.
- The Department may disclose the information listed in 5 U.S.C.
7114(b)(4) 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.
- The Department may disclose information to officials of the
Merit Systems Protection Board, or 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.
- The Department may disclose information to the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission when requested in connection with investigations
of alleged or possible discriminatory practices, examination of Federal
affirmative employment programs, or other functions of the Commission
as authorized by law or regulation.
- The Department may disclose to the Federal Labor Relations
Authority (including its General Counsel) information related to the
establishment of jurisdiction, the investigation and resolution of
allegations of unfair labor practices, or information in connection
with the resolution of exceptions to arbitration awards when a question
of material fact is raised; to disclose information in matters properly
before the Federal Services Impasses Panel, and to investigate
representation petitions and conduct or supervise representation
elections.
DISCLOSURE TO CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCIES:
None.
POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING,
AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:
STORAGE:
The system of records is stored on a secured server computer
protected in accordance with current, applicable physical, technical
and administrative requirements.
RETRIEVABILITY:
Individually-identified information is retrieved by the name of the
record subject.
SAFEGUARDS:
This list of safeguards furnished in this System of Record is not
an exclusive list of measures that has been, or will be, taken to
protect individually-identifiable information.
OGC will maintain the data in compliance with applicable VA
security policy directives that specify the standards that will be
applied to protect sensitive personal information. Further, only
authorized individuals may have access to the data and only when needed
to perform their duties. They are required to take annual VA mandatory
data privacy and security training.
Access to data storage areas is restricted to authorized VA
employee or contract staff who has been cleared to work by the VA
Office of Security and Law Enforcement. File areas are locked after
normal duty hours. VA facilities are protected from outside access by
the Federal Protective Service and/or other security personnel.
Security complies with applicable Federal Information Processing
Standards (FIPS) issued by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST).
Contractors and their subcontractors who access the data are
required to maintain the same level of security as VA staff.
Access to electronic files is controlled by using an individually
unique password entered in combination with an individually unique user
identification code.
RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:
Records will be maintained and disposed of in accordance with
records disposition authority approved by the Archivist of the United
States.
At the current time, OGC has records disposition authority for
certain categories of these records under Records Control Schedule N1-
15-06-2 which was approved by the Archivist of the United States on
March 7, 2007. The System Manager will initiate action to seek and
obtain additional disposition authority for the disposition of the non-
covered records in accordance with VA Handbook 6300.1, Records
Management Procedures. The non-covered records will not be destroyed
until VA obtains a NARA-approved records disposition authority. Once VA
has obtained NARA-approved records disposition authority, VA OGC will
amend this notice to reflect that authority, and any destruction of
electronic records will occur in accordance with the disposition
authority.
SYSTEM MANAGER(S) AND ADDRESS(ES):
Assistant General Counsel, Professional Staff Group VI (026),
Office of General Counsel, United States Department of Veterans
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420.
NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE:
An individual who wishes to determine whether a record is being
maintained in this system under his or her name or other personal
identifier, or wants to determine the contents of such record, should
submit a written request to the Assistant General Counsel, Professional
Staff Group VI (026), Office of General Counsel, U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420. Such
requests must contain a reasonable description of the records
requested. All inquiries must reasonably identify the information
involved and should include the individual's full name, social security
number, telephone number and return address.
RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:
Individuals seeking information regarding access to and contesting
of VA information maintained by the Office of General Counsel may send
a request by mail to the Assistant General Counsel, Professional Staff
Group VI (026), Office of the General Counsel, Department of Veterans
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20420.
CONTESTING RECORDS PROCEDURES:
(See Notification Procedure above.)
RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:
Individuals, businesses, and organizations that are covered by the
system notice.
EXEMPTIONS CLAIMED FOR THE SYSTEM:
None.
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