SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION NOTICE OF SYSTEM OF RECORDS REQUIRED BY THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974

System number: 60-0214

System name:

Personal Identification Number File (PINFile), SSA/DCFAM/OQAPA

Security classification:

None

System location:

 Social Security Administration 
 Office of Systems Operations 
 6401 Security Boulevard 
 Baltimore, MD  21235

Categories of individuals covered by the system:

Social Security Administration (SSA) employees, student volunteers and other non-Federal workers, some employees of the State Disability Determination Services (DDS), some employees of the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) employees and its carriers and intermediaries, certain employees of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and employees of other Federal government agencies who have been granted direct terminal access to SSA's data bases.

Categories of records in the system:

Timekeeper number, name of employee, job title, Social Security number (SSN), personal identification numbers (PIN) and passwords for validation purposes, office code, division, department, facilities available and access profile information.

Authority for maintenance of the system:

Section 205(a) of the Social Security Act (the Act) and 5 U.S.C. § 552a(e)(10).

Purpose(s):

The PINFile is used to limit access to computer-based SSA information resources to specific individuals and to specific transactions.  Its purpose is to minimize the risk of unauthorized access to SSA's files of personal data.

Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including categories of users and the purposes of such uses:  Disclosure may be made for routine uses as indicated below:

1.         Information may be disclosed to a congressional office in response to an inquiry from that office made at the request of the subject of a record.

2.         To the Department of Justice (DOJ), a court or other tribunal, or another party before such tribunal when:

            (a)       SSA, or any component thereof, or

            (b)       any SSA employee in his/her official capacity; or

            (c)        any SSA employee in his/her individual capacity where DOJ (or SSA where it is authorized to do so) has agreed to represent the employee; or

            (d)       the United States or any agency thereof where SSA determines that the litigation is likely to affect the operations of SSA or any of its components, is a party to litigation or has an interest in such litigation, and SSA determines that the use of such records by DOJ, the court or other tribunal, or other party before such court or tribunal is relevant and necessary to the litigation, provided, however, that in each case, SSA determines that such disclosure is compatible with the purpose for which the records were collected. Wage and other information which are subject to the disclosure provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) (26 U.S.C. § 6103) will not be disclosed under this routine use unless disclosure is permitted by the IRC.

3. Information may be disclosed to contractors and other Federal agencies, as necessary, for the purpose of assisting SSA in the efficient administration of its programs.  We contemplate disclosing information under this routine use only in situations in which SSA may enter a contractual or similar agreement with a third party to assist in accomplishing an agency function relating to this system of records.

4. Non-tax return information which is not restricted from disclosure by Federal law may be disclosed to the General Service Administration (GSA) and the National Archive and Records Administration (NARA) for the purpose of conducting records management studies with respect to their duties and responsibilities under 44 U.S.C. § 2904 and § 2906, as amended by NARA Act of 1984.

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

Storage:

SSA maintains records in the PINFile on magnetic disk as part of the data communication system.  The disc file is written to tape daily for backup purposes.

Retrievability:

SSA retrieves records individually from the PINFile by name, SSN, PIN, and, as members of a group, by office code, division, department, facilities and access profile.

Safeguards:

Steps to minimize the unauthorized use of the PINFile include:  (1) limiting access to data on file to SSA regional, local, component and systems security officers, and managers with security responsibilities and (2) monitoring additions, deletions, and changes to the PINFile through daily reports.

Retention and disposal:

Disk files are permanent; the magnetic tape backup file is maintained for 7 operational days and then erased.

System manager(s) and address:

 SSA Systems Security Officer 
 Social Security Administration 
 6401 Security Boulevard 
 Baltimore, MD  21235

Notification procedure:

An individual can determine if this system contains a record about him/her by writing to the systems manager(s) at the above address and providing his/her name, SSN or other information that may be in the system of records that will identify him/her.  An individual requesting notification of records in person should provide the same information, as well as provide an identity document, preferably with a photograph, such as a driver’s license or some other means of identification, such as a voter registration card, credit card, etc.  If an individual does not have any identification documents sufficient to establish his/her identity, the individual must certify in writing that he/she is the person claimed to be and that he/she understands that the knowing and willful request for, or acquisition of, a record pertaining to another individual under false pretenses is a criminal offense.

If notification is requested by telephone, an individual must verify his/her identity by providing identifying information that parallels the record to which notification is being requested.  If it is determined that the identifying information provided by telephone is insufficient, the individual will be required to submit a request in writing or in person.  If an individual is requesting information by telephone on behalf of another individual, the subject individual must be connected with SSA and the requesting individual in the same phone call.  SSA will establish the subject individual’s identity (his/her name, SSN, address, date of birth and place of birth along with one other piece of information such as mother’s maiden name) and ask for his/her consent in providing information to the requesting individual.

If a request for notification is submitted by mail, an individual must include a notarized statement to SSA to verify his/her identity or must certify in the request that he/she is the person claimed to be and that he/she understands that the knowing and willful request for, or acquisition of, a record pertaining to another individual under false pretenses is a criminal offense.  These procedures are in accordance with SSA Regulations (20 CFR § 401.40).

Record access procedures:

Same as notification procedures.  Requesters should also reasonably specify the record contents being sought.  These procedures are in accordance with SSA Regulations (20 CFR 401.40(c)).

Contesting record procedures:

Same as notification procedures.  Requesters should also reasonably identify the record, specify the information they are contesting and state the corrective action sought and the reasons for the correction with supporting justification showing how the record is incomplete, untimely, inaccurate or irrelevant.  These procedures are in accordance with SSA Regulations (20 CFR 401.65(a)).

Record source categories:

SSA obtains information in the PINFile from the individuals, their supervisors, and from SSA time and attendance files.

Systems exempted from certain provisions of the Privacy Act:

None.