Privacy Act of 1974, As Amended: Proposed New Routine Use

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a(e)(4) and (e)(11)) and our disclosure regulations (20 CFR Part 401), we are issuing public notice of our intent to publish a new routine use applicable to our systems of records entitled: Master Files of Social Security Number (SSN) Holders and SSN Applications, (60-0058) (the Enumeration System) Earnings Recording and Self-Employment Income System, (60- 0059) Master Beneficiary Record (MBR), (60-0090) Prisoner Update Processing System (PUPS), (60-0269) The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-148), as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-152) (collectively, the ACA) requires the use of a single, streamlined application to determine eligibility for an Insurance Affordability Program (IAP), which includes: a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) through an Exchange, Advance Payments of the Premium Tax Credit (APTC), Cost-Sharing Reductions (CSR), Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Basic Health Program (BHP). As a part of the eligibility determination process, individuals may apply for an exemption from the individual responsibility requirement to maintain coverage (certification of exemption). The new routine use will enable SSA to disclose information to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)/Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to confirm the accuracy of attestations made by an individual to determine eligibility and entitlement to an IAP and identify individuals who qualify for certifications of exemption under the ACA. We discuss the routine use in detail in the Supplementary Information section below. We invite public comment on this proposal.