Privacy Act of 1974; Matching Program
Published Date: 7/27/2026
Notice
Summary
In accordance with subsection (e)(12) of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), ACF Tech, is providing notice of a re-established matching program between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and State Public Assistance Agencies (SPAAs) participating in the Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) Program. The matching program provides the SPAAs with VA's compensation and pension data on a periodic basis to use in determining public assistance applicants' and recipients' eligibility for certain public assistance benefits. ACF Tech facilitates the matching program, and the Department of Treasury, Bureau of Fiscal Services, Do Not Pay (DNP) conducts the matches of SPAA and VA data and provides associated support.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 2 mixed.
VA Data Used to Check Medicaid Eligibility
State public assistance agencies will receive Department of Veterans Affairs compensation and pension data to help determine eligibility for Medicaid. The matching program will run for an initial term of 18 months (approximately October 2026 through May 2027) and will start no sooner than 30 days after publication; comments are due by August 21, 2026.
VA Data Used for TANF/SNAP/General Aid
The matching program will provide VA compensation and pension data to State Public Assistance Agencies to determine eligibility for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other general assistance programs. Matches may inform benefit eligibility decisions during the program period (approximately October 2026 through May 2027).
VA Beneficiaries' Records Shared and Matched
VA will provide Do Not Pay (DNP) with a file (approximately quarterly) containing VA pay and pension records, and State agencies will provide files with Social Security Numbers for matching. The match results will include many personal data elements (for example, SSNs, names, birth dates, gross and net award amounts, addresses).
Notification and Verification Protections
The Privacy Act rules governing this matching program require that individuals whose information will be used be notified, and that agencies verify match findings before suspending, terminating, reducing, or finally denying benefits. The Computer Matching Agreement will be made available to the public and annual reports must be provided.
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