SYSTEM OF RECORDS NOTICES (SORNs)

DoD COMPONENT NOTICES

Office of the Secretary, DoD/Joint Staff

SYSTEM NAME:

Legal Opinion Files (March 29, 2006, 71 FR 15704).

SYSTEM LOCATION:

TRICARE Management Activity, Department of Defense, Office of General Counsel, 16401 East Centretech Parkway, Aurora, CO 80011-9066.

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:

Individuals who have contacted or corresponded with TRICARE Management Activity regarding any matter requiring legal clarification or resolution.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:

Inquiries received from individuals, attorneys, fiscal administrators, hospital contractors, other government agencies, Health Care Advise Nurse records, and congressional offices. Files contain legal opinions, correspondence, memoranda for the record, and similar documents. Medical/dental treatment records, authorizations and pre-authorizations, care and claims inquiry documents, and medical/dental history files may be included in these records, as appropriated to document TRICARE legal determinations.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:

41 CFR 101-11.000; Chapter 55, 10 U.S.C. 613, Chapter 17, 38 U.S.C.; 32 CFR part 199; and E.O. 9397 (SSN).

PURPOSE(S):

TRICARE Management Activity uses these records to address and resolve legal issues and for research, precedent, historical, and record purposes.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS AND THE PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:

In addition to those disclosures generally permitted under 5 U.S.C. 552a(b) of the Privacy Act, these records or information contained therein may specifically be disclosed outside the DoD as a routine use pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(3) as follows:

To the Department of Health and Human Services and/or the Department of Veterans Affairs consistent with their statutory administrative responsibilities under TRICARE/CHAMPUS and CHAMPVA pursuant to chapter 55, 10 U.S.C. and section 613, chapter 17, 38 U.S.C.

Referral to Federal, state, local, or foreign governmental agencies, and to private business entities, including individual providers of care (participating and non-participating), on matters relating to eligibility, claims pricing and payment, fraud, program abuse, utilization review, quality assurance, peer review, program integrity, third-party liability, coordination of benefits, and civil or criminal litigation related to the operation of TRICARE/CHAMPUS.

Disclosure to the Department of Justice and the United States Attorneys in situations where the United States is an interested party.

Disclosure to third-party contacts in situations where the party to be contacted has, or is expected to have, information necessary to establish the validity of evidence or to verify the accuracy of information presented by the individual concerning his or her entitlement, the amount of benefit payments, any review of suspected abuse or fraud, or any concern for program integrity or quality appraisal.

The DoD 'Blanket Routine Uses' set forth at the beginning of OSD's compilation of systems of records notices apply to this system.

NOTE: This system of records contains individually identifiable health information. The DoD Health Information Privacy Regulation (DoD 6025.18-R) issued pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, applies to most such health information. DoD 6025.18-R may place additional procedural requirements on the uses and disclosures of such information beyond those found in the Privacy Act of 1974 or mentioned in this system of records notice.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORING, RETRIEVING, ACCESSING, RETAINING, AND DISPOSING OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:

STORAGE:

Records are maintained on paper, electronic, microfilm, imaging, or optical formats.

RETRIEVABILITY:

Information is retrieved by subject matter with cross-reference by individual name and/or Social Security Number.

Safeguards:

Records are maintained in areas accessible only to authorized personnel who are properly screened, cleared, and trained. Security systems and/or security guards protect buildings where records are maintained.

RETENTION AND DISPOSAL:

Records are permanent. Paper records are retired to the Denver Regional Records Center when ten years old or when no longer needed for current business. Records are transferred to the NARA when thirty years old. Electronic and other non-paper media records are maintained until no longer needed for current business and are then deleted or destroyed.

System Manager(s) and Address:

TRICARE Management Activity, Department of Defense, Office of General Counsel, 16401 East Centretech Parkway, Aurora, CO 80011-9066.

Notification Procedure:

Individuals seeking to determine whether information about themselves is contained in this system should address written inquiries to the TRICARE Management Activity, Department of Defense, ATTN: Privacy Act Officer, 16401 Centretech Parkway, Aurora, CO 80011-9066; or TRICARE Management Activity Privacy Office, Skyline 5, Suite 810, 5111 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3201.

Record Access Procedures:

Individuals seeking access to information about themselves contained in this system should address written inquiries to the TRICARE Management Activity, Department of Defense, ATTN: Privacy Act Officer, 16401 Centretech Parkway, Aurora, CO 80011-9066; or TRICARE Management Activity Privacy Office, Skyline 5, Suite 810, 5111 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3201.

Written requests for information should include the full name of the beneficiary, the full name of the sponsor, and sponsor's Social Security Number, current address and telephone number.

For personal visits to examine records, the individual should be able to provide some acceptable identification such as a driver's license or other form of picture identification.

If it is determined that the release of medical information to the requester could have an adverse effect upon the individual's physical or mental health, the requester should be prepared to provide the name and address of a physician who would be willing to receive the medical record, and at the physician's discretion, inform the individual covered by the system of the contents of that record. In the event the physician does not agree to convey the information contained within the record to the individual, TRICARE Management Activity will take positive measures to ensure the individual is provided the requested information.

Contesting Record Procedures:

The OSD rules for accessing records, for contesting contents and appealing initial agency determinations are published in OSD Administrative Instruction 81; 32 CFR part 311; or may be obtained from the system manager.

Record Source Categories:

Individuals (TRICARE/CHAMPUS and CHAMPVA beneficiaries, sponsors, or others), attorneys, fiscal administrators, hospital contractors, managed care support contractors, providers of care, medical records, other government agencies (Federal, state, local and foreign), and Congressional offices.

Exemptions Claimed for the System:

None.