SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION NOTICE OF SYSTEM OF RECORDS REQUIRED BY THE
PRIVACY ACT OF 1974
System number:
60-0224
System name:
SSA-Initiated Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement (SIPEBES), Social
Security Administration, Office of Systems Requirements.
Security classification:
None.
System location:
Social Security Administration
Office of Systems
6401 Security Boulevard
Baltimore , Maryland 21235
Categories of individuals covered by the system:
Any person:
• Who lives in a state territory of the
• 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:
• SSN;
• Date of birth;
• Sex;
• Disposition code (to indicate earnings discrepancy or
refusal);
• Date of SIPEBES issuance;
• Whether the PEBES was issued at the individual's
request or SSA's initiative;
• Primary language (English or Spanish);
• Address source (IRS, the individual, or other);
• IRARN-CD (a code reserved for future use);
• PROC-CD (a code reserved for future use).
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), as amended.
Purpose(s):
This system is used for the following purposes:
• To establish and retrieve specific records for PEBES
processing.
• To identify whether or when a person has previously
received an SIPEBES;
• 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.
Information may be disclosed 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 United States or any agency thereof when 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, or
the other party before the tribunal is relevant and necessary to the litigation,
provided, however, that in each case SSA determines that such disclosure is
compatible with the purposes for which the records were collected.
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 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.
Information may be disclosed to the IRS, for auditing SSA's compliance with the
safeguard provisions of the IRC of 1986, as amended.
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, 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 SSN.
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.
Contractors will safeguard information disclosed to them consistent with the
requirements of the Privacy Act.
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 , Maryland 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 Numident File of the SSA system
of records entitled "Master File of Social Security Number (SSN) Holders,
SSA/OSR (60-0058);" and from the IRS.
Systems exempted from certain provisions of the Act:
None.