Quality Review of Hearing/Appellate Process, Social Security Administration, Office of Hearings and Appeals
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION NOTICE OF SYSTEM OF RECORDS REQUIRED BY THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974
System number: 60-0213
System name:
Quality Review of Hearing/Appellate Process, Social Security Administration, Office of Hearings and Appeals.
Security classification:
None.
System location:
Social Security Administration
Office of Hearings and Appeals
5107 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041
Categories of individuals covered by the system:
Claimants/applicants for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments; and Administrative Law Judges (ALJ's).
Categories of records in the system:
Records in this system consists of claimant's Social Security Number (SSN), claim type, application and decision date, claimant’s date of birth, type of adjudicator, representative involvement, ALJ and Appeals Council (AC) actions, claimant demographic and diagnostic information, case characteristics, aspects of case handling, decisional defects identifiers which determine to what sample the case belongs.
Authority for maintenance of the system:
Sections 205, 221(c), 702, 1631(d)(1), and 1872 of the Social Security Act (the Act), as amended.
Purpose(s):
Records in this system may be used by SSA's OHA to analyze the programmatic aspects of case processing at the hearings and appeals council levels and in the preparation of studies and reports used to improve those processes.
Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including categories of users and the purposes for such uses:
Disclosure may be made for routine uses as indicated below. However, disclosure of any information constituting “returns or return information” within the scope of the Internal Revenue Code will not be disclosed unless disclosure is authorized by that statute.
1. 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 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 expressly permitted by the IRC.
3. To the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of the Treasury, as necessary, for the purpose of auditing SSA's compliance with safeguard provisions of the IRC of 1986, as amended.
4. 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.
5. Non-tax return information which is not restricted from disclosure 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.
6. To student volunteers and other workers, who technically do not have the status of Federal employees, when they are performing work for SSA as authorized by law, and they need access to personally identifiable information in SSA records in order to perform their assigned Agency functions.
7. We may disclose information to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, entities, and persons when (1) we suspect or confirm that the security or confidentiality of information in this system of records has been compromised; (2) we determine that as a result of the suspected or confirmed compromise there is a risk of harm to economic or property interests, identity theft or fraud, or harm to the security or integrity of this system or other systems or programs of SSA that rely upon the compromised information; and (3) we determine that disclosing the information to such agencies, entities, and persons is necessary to assist in our efforts to respond to the suspected or confirmed compromise and prevent, minimize, or remedy such harm. SSA will use this routine use to respond only to those incidents involving an unintentional release of its records.
Policies and practices for storing, retrieving, accessing, retaining and disposing of records in the system:
Storage:
Records are stored in electronic and/or in paper form.
Retrievability:
Records are retrieved by the claimant’s SSN.
Safeguards:
System security is maintained in accordance with the Systems Security Handbook. SSA employees are able to access data elements only on a need‑to‑know basis. All employees are instructed in SSA confidentiality rules as part of their initial orientation training. (See Appendix G for additional information relating to safeguards SSA employs to protect personal information.)
Retention and disposal:
The Quality Review data base is retained indefinitely. Research and statistical working files are destroyed 2 years after completion of the related project. Record copies of methodology documentation and end product files are retired either after 10 calendar years or 10 years after last necessary use. Paper records are destroyed by shredding; electronic records are erased.
System manager(s) and address:
Associate Commissioner
Office of Hearings and Appeals
Social Security Administration
5107 Leesburg Pike
Falls Church, VA 22041
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).
An individual who requests access to his or her medical records shall be given direct access to those records unless SSA determines that it is likely that direct access would adversely affect the individual. If SSA determines that direct access to the medical record(s) would like adversely affect the individual, he or she must designate a responsible representative who is capable of explaining the contents of the medical record(s) to him or her and who would be willing to provide the entire record(s) to the individual. These procedures are in accordance with SSA Regulations (20 CFR 401.55).
A parent or guardian who requests notification of or access to a minor’s medical record shall at the time he or she makes the request designate a physician or other health professional (other than a family member) who is capable of explaining the contents of the medical record(s) to him or her and who would be willing to provide the entire record(s) to the individual. These procedures are in accordance with SSA Regulations (20 CFR 401.55).
Record access procedures:
Same as notification procedures. Also, requesters should 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:
The main source of data in this system is information in the system of records entitled Claims Folder System (60‑0089). Another source of data is information furnished by claimants/applicants under the Social Security Retirement, Survivors Disability Insurance (RSDI) programs, the SSI program, representatives of such individuals, (where appropriate), Social Security offices, and other Federal, State, and local agencies.
Systems exempted from certain provisions of the Privacy Act:
None.