SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION NOTICE OF SYSTEM OF RECORDS REQUIRED BY THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974
System number: 60-0225
System name:
SSA-Initiated Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement Address System for Certain Territories, Social Security Administration, Office of Systems Requirements
Security classification:
None.
System location:
Social Security Administration
Office of Systems
6401 Security Boulevard
Baltimore,
Records may also be located at contractor sites. Contact the system manager at the address below for contractor addresses.
Categories of individuals covered by the system:
Any person:
who lives in Guam,
who has reached age 25,
who has had earnings posted to his/her SSN,
who is not receiving benefits under Title II of the Social Security Act, and
for whom SSA can determine the current mailing address.
Categories of records in the system:
This system contains the following information about each individual:
Name;
Sex;
SSN;
A country name code.
Authority for maintenance of the system:
Sections 205(a), 205(c)(2), and 1143 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 405(a), 405(c)(2), and 1320b—13); the Federal Records Act of 1950 (64 Stat. 583).
Purposes:
This system is used for the following purposes:
To establish and retrieve specific records for PEBES processing for individuals living in the specified areas;
To help SSA respond to PEBES inquiries; and
To conduct statistical studies.
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 contractors and other Federal agencies, as necessary, to assist SSA in the efficient administration of its programs.
2) Information may be disclosed to a congressional office in response to an inquiry from the congressional office made at the request of the subject of the record.
3) 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 when DOJ (or SSA, when it is authorized to do so) has agreed to represent the employee; or
d) the
4) To the Office of the President for responding to an individual pursuant to an inquiry received from that individual or from a third party on his or her behalf.
5) Non-tax return information, the disclosure of which is not expressly restricted by Federal law, may be disclosed to the General Services Administration (GSA) and the National Archives 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, and disposing of records in the system:
Storage:
Records will be stored in magnetic media (e.g., magnetic tape and disc).
Retrievability:
Data will be retrieved from the system by SSN, name, and date of issuance of the PEBES.
Safeguards:
Safeguards for automated records have been established in accordance with the Systems Security Handbook. This includes maintaining the magnetic tapes and discs within an enclosure attended by security guards. Anyone entering or leaving this enclosure must have a special badge issued only to authorized personnel.
For computerized records electronically transmitted between Central Office and Field Office locations (including organizations administering SSA programs under contractual agreements), safeguards include a lock/unlock password system, exclusive use of leased telephone lines, a terminal-oriented transaction matrix, and an audit trail. All microfilm and paper files are accessible only by authorized personnel who have a need for the information in performing their official duties.
SSA's terminals are equipped with physical key locks. The terminals are also fitted with adapters to permit the future installation of data encryption devices and devices to permit the identification of terminal users.
Retention and disposal:
All tapes, discs, and microfilm files are updated periodically. Out-of-date magnetic tapes and discs are erased. Out-of-date microfilm is shredded.
SSA retains correspondence for one year when it concerns documents returned to an individual, denials of confidential information, release of confidential information to an authorized third party, and undeliverable material; for four years when it concerns information and evidence pertaining to coverage, wage, and self-employment determinations or when it affects future claims development, especially coverage, wage, and self-employment determinations. Correspondence is destroyed, when appropriate, by shredding. Magnetic media records are maintained indefinitely.
System manager and address:
Director
Division of Earnings Control and Processing
Office of Systems Requirements
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. Also, requesters should reasonably specify the record contents they are seeking. 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 untimely, incomplete, inaccurate or irrelevant. These procedures are in accordance with SSA Regulations (20 CFR 401.65(a)).
Record source categories:
Information in this system
is obtained from the
Systems exempted from certain provisions of the Act:
None.