DCL-00-112, Computer Matching of Data between Department of Education and the National Directory of New Hires

DCL-00-112 NOV 1, 2000

TO: ALL STATE IV-D DIRECTORS

RE: Computer Matching of Data between Department of Education and the National Directory of New Hires

Dear Colleague:

The purpose of this letter is to inform you about a data match between information furnished by the Department of Education (DoEd) and information in the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH), so that your agency will be prepared to respond to any inquiries it may receive.

The Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY2000, signed by President Clinton on November 29, 1999 amended subsection 453(j) of the Social Security Act to require DoEd and the Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) to conduct the data match for the purpose of obtaining information in the NDNH with respect to individuals who are in default on student loans or owe obligations to refund overpayment of grants awarded by DoEd. OCSE and DoEd have published notices which establish this disclosure as a routine use, as defined in Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. 552a (a)(7), and alert the public about the match.

In November 2000, in compliance with the new law, OCSE will match information provided by DoEd with new hire, quarterly wage, and unemployment insurance information on individuals for whom an SSN has been verified. A similar match will occur every quarter thereafter. OCSE has worked very closely with DoEd to preserve the confidentiality of the NDNH data.

DoEd will use income withholding to collect the defaulted loans and grant overpayments. The enabling legislation, specifies "support collections under section 466 (b) shall be given priority over collection of any defaulted student loan or grant overpayment against the same income". DoEd will not contact your State regarding the matching of its data against the NDNH, nor will the data match affect your State’s transmission or receipt of NDNH data. However, you may wish to inform your staff of this match in the event that they receive inquiries about it. Also, you may want to inform employers that data provided to the NDNH will now be shared with DoEd.

The NDNH has proven to be a productive resource for child support enforcement purposes. The availability of information in the NDNH is crucial to the effort of ensuring support for the nation’s children. OCSE will continue to work with States to ensure that the use of NDNH data matches for other purposes does not impede the effective operation of the NDNH for child support purposes.

Should you have any questions related to this data match, please contact Richard Shullaw at 202-401-4843. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation as we work to improve the lives of our nation’s children.

Sincerely,

David Gray Ross
Commissioner
Office of Child Support Enforcement

cc: Regional Program Managers
ACF Regional Administrators
State SESA Directors