Effective 09/08/94 (59 FR 46439)

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION NOTICE OF SYSTEM OF RECORDS REQUIRED BY THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974
60-0037

System name: General Criminal Investigations Files, SSA/OFM.

Security classification:

None.

System location:

Social Security Administration, Office of Finance, Assessment and Management, Protective Security Branch, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235

Categories of individuals covered by the system:

Suspected and reported violators of Federal and State criminal laws on SSA property.

Categories of records in the system:

Investigative efforts to resolve reported crimes and evidence obtained.

Authority for maintenance of the system:

Section 535 of Title 28, U.S.C.

Purpose(s):

Information in this system is used to provide an official record of details of investigative efforts for use in administrative and/or criminal proceedings.

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. To a congressional office in response to an inquiry from that office made at the request of the subject of a record.
  2. To DOJ, a court or other tribunal, or another party before such tribunal when:

    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 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 appropriate Federal, State or local agency charged with the responsibility of investigating or prosecuting a violation or potential violation of law, whether civil, criminal, or regulatory in nature, and whether arising by general statute, or particular program statute, or by regulation, rule or order issued pursuant thereto, if this system of records indicates that a violation may have occurred.
  4. Nontax return information which is not restricted from disclosure by Federal law may be disclosed to GSA and 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.
  5. 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.

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

Storage:

The records are stored in heavy-weight Kraft files.

Retrievability:

Files in this system are indexed and retrieved alphabetically by name and/or by coded title.

Safeguards:

Access to files is limited to Protective Security branch investigators only. The files are maintained in fireproof, locked, steel cabinets. Also, employees periodically are briefed on PA requirements and SSA confidentiality rules, including the criminal sanctions for unauthorized disclosure of or access to personal records. (See Appendix G to this publication for additional information relating to safeguards SSA employs to protect personal information.)

Retention and disposal:

Files in this system are destroyed by shredding 5 years after final action.

System manager(s) and address:

Chief, Protective Security Branch, Office of Finance, Assessment and Management, Social Security Administration, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235

An individual can determine if this system contains a record about him/her by writing to the system manager at the above address. The request should contain his or her full name, date of birth, and work location in SSA.

An individual requesting notification of records in person need not furnish any special documents of identity. Documents he/she would normally carry on his/her person would be sufficient (e.g., credit cards, driver's license, or voter registration card). An individual requesting notification via mail or telephone must furnish a minimum of his/her name, date of birth, and address in order to establish identity, plus any additional information specified in this section. These procedures are in accordance with HHS Regulations 45 CFR Part 5b.

Record access procedures:

Per 5 U.S.C. 552a(k)(2), the records in this system generally are exempt from access by the individual named in the records. However, access will be granted to information which is a matter of public record or documents furnished by the individual. Also, requesters should reasonably specify the record contents they are seeking. These procedures are in accordance with HHS Regulations 45 CFR Part 5b.

Contesting record procedures:

Same as notification procedures. Also, requesters should 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 HHS Regulations 45 CFR Part 5b.

Record source categories:

Information in this system is derived from interviews of persons believed knowledgeable about crimes under investigation who furnish relevant facts which can serve to identify possible violators and secure the conviction of the guilty.

Systems exempted from certain provisions of the Privacy Act:

Exemption of this system to the access provisions is claimed under section (k)(2) of the PA inasmuch as these records are investigatory materials compiled for law enforcement in anticipation of criminal proceeding. (See 40 FR 47413, 08/08/75, Part V).

Privacy Policy