57VA125
Voluntary Service Records-VA
System location:
Paper and electronic records are maintained at each of the VA
health care facilities. Only electronic records are maintained at the
Austin Automation Center (AAC), Austin, Texas. Active records are
retained at the facility where the individual has volunteered to
assist the administrative and professional personnel and at the AAC.
Basic information for all inactive records is retained at the
facility where the volunteer worked.
Categories of individuals covered by the system:
All volunteers, regularly-scheduled and occasional, including
non-affiliated and members of voluntary service organizations; and
welfare, service, veterans, fraternal, religious, civic, industrial,
labor, and social groups or clubs which voluntarily offer the
services of their organizations and/or individuals to assist with the
provision of care to patients, either directly or indirectly, through
VA Voluntary Service under Title 38, United States Code, section 513.
Categories of records in the system:
Administrative records containing personal information about the
individual making application to become a volunteer in a VA health
care facility, VA regional office, or VA cemetery. These minimum
records include the volunteer's name, address, social security
number, date of birth, telephone number, next-of-kin information,
assignments worked, hours and years of service and last award
received. Information relating to the individual membership in
service organizations, qualifications, restrictions and preferences
of duty and availability to schedule time of service. Medical and
training records pertaining to the volunteer's service will also be
maintained for all active volunteers at the facility where the
volunteer works.
Authority for maintenance of the system:
Title 38, United States Code, section 513.
Purpose(s):
The records and information are used for tracking the number of
Regularly Scheduled (RS) Volunteers, Occasional Volunteers, and
student volunteers; to produce statistical and managerial reports on
the number of hours and visits of all volunteers each month; and to
present volunteers with certificates of appreciation for service.
Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including
categories of users and the purposes of such uses:
- Any information in this system, except the name and address of
a veteran, which is relevant to a suspected violation 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, may be disclosed
to a Federal, State, local 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 issued pursuant thereto.
- The name and address of a veteran, which is relevant to a
suspected violation 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, may be disclosed to a Federal agency charged with
the responsibility of investigating or prosecuting such violation, or
charged with enforcing or implementing the statute, regulation, rule
or order issued pursuant thereto, in response to its official
request.
- The name and address of a veteran, which is relevant to a
suspected violation or reasonably imminent violation of law
concerning public health or safety, whether civil, criminal or
regulatory in nature and whether arising by general or program
statute or by regulation, rule or order issued pursuant thereto, may
be disclosed to any foreign, State or local governmental agency or
instrumentality charged under applicable law with the protection of
the public health or safety if a qualified representative of such
organization, agency or instrumentality has made a written request
that such name and address be provided for a purpose authorized by
law.
- Volunteer records may be used to confirm volunteer service,
duty schedule, and assignments to service organizations, Bureau of
Unemployment, insurance firms, office of personnel of the
individual's full-time employment; to assist in the development of VA
history of the volunteer and his/her assignments; and to confirm
voluntary hours for on-the-job accidents, and for recognition awards.
- 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 the National Archives and Records
Service, General Services Administration, in records management
inspections conducted under authority of Title 44 United States Code.
- Relevant information may be disclosed to the Department of
Justice and United States Attorneys in defense or prosecution of
litigation involving the United States, and to Federal agencies upon
their request in connection with review of administrative tort claims
filed under the Federal Tort Claims Act, 28 U.S.C. 2672.
- Relevant information may be disclosed to individuals,
organizations, private or public agencies, etc., 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 or subcontractor to perform the services of the
contract or agreement. VA occasionally contracts out certain of its
functions when this would contribute to effective and efficient
operations.
Policies and practices for storing, retrieving, accessing,
retaining, and disposing of records in the system:
Storage:
Magnetic tapes of all active volunteers are maintained at the AAC
in Austin, Texas. The AAC only maintains data on active volunteers.
Paper documents for all active volunteers are maintained at the
individual VA facilities where the volunteer has donated time.
Computer files containing such basic information as the volunteer's
name, address, social security number, date of birth, telephone
number, next-of-kin information, assignments worked, hours and years
of service and last award received are retained for all volunteers,
either active or inactive, at the VA facility where the individual
currently volunteers or has volunteered.
Retrievability:
All volunteer records are retrieved by name, social security
number (SSN) or pseudo SSN.
Safeguards:
Physical Security:
- Access to VA working space areas and the AAC is restricted to
VA employees on a ``need to know'' basis. Generally, VA file areas
and computer rooms are locked after normal duty hours and are
protected from outside access by the Federal Protective Service.
- Strict control measures are enforced to ensure that access to
and disclosure from all records including electronic files stored in
the Volunteer Management System in VistA are limited to VAVS
employees whose official duties warrant access to those files. The
system recognizes authorized employees by a series of individually
unique passwords/codes and the employees are limited to only that
information in the file which is needed in the performance of their
official duties.
- Any sensitive information that may be downloaded or printed to
hard copy format is provided the same level of security as the
electronic records. All paper documents and informal notations
containing sensitive data are shredded prior to disposal.
- All new VAVS employees receive initial information security
training, and refresher training is provided to all employees on an
annual basis.
- Access to the AAC is generally restricted to Center employees,
custodial personnel, Federal Protective Service and other security
personnel. Access to computer rooms is restricted to authorized
operational personnel through electronic locking devices. All other
persons gaining access to computer rooms are escorted. Information
stored in the computer may be accessed by authorized VA employees at
remote locations including VA health care facilities, Information
Systems Centers, VA Central Office, and Veterans Integrated Service
Networks. Access is controlled by individually unique passwords/codes
which must be changed periodically by the employee.
Retention and disposal:
The paper and electronic records will be maintained and disposed
of in accordance with the records disposition authority approved by
the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
System manager(s) and address:
Official responsible for policies and procedures: Director,
Voluntary Service Office (10C2), Department of Veterans Affairs, 810
Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20420.
Official maintaining the system:
National Automated Information Systems Coordinator, VA Medical Center, 2907 Pleasant Valley Blvd.,
Altoona, Pennsylvania 16602-4377.
Notification procedure:
Individuals seeking information concerning the existence and
content of their service records must submit a written request or
apply in person to the VA health care facility where their voluntary
service was accomplished. All inquiries must reasonably identify, to
the VA facility, the portion of the volunteer's service record they
want information about and the approximate dates of service, in order
to receive that information. Inquiries should include the volunteer's
name, social security number or pseudo SSN, organization represented,
date of birth, and last address while serving as a volunteer to VA.
Record access procedure:
Volunteers, dependents, survivors or duly authorized
representatives seeking information regarding access to and
contesting of VAVS records may contact the Voluntary Service office
at the VA health care facility where the individual was a volunteer
worker.
Contesting record procedures:
(See Record Access Procedures above.)
Record source categories:
Information in this system of records may be provided by the
volunteer, the family of youth volunteers, civic and service
organizations, and the VA health care facility.
Back to Index
|