System name: Disability Claims in the Health Professions Student Loan Program, HHS/HRSA/BHPr.

Security classification: None.

System location:

• Division of Student Assistance, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, Room 8-34, Rockville, MD 20857.
• Washington National Records Center, 4205 Suitland Road, Suitland, MD. 20409.

Categories of individuals covered by the system: Applicants for cancellation of health professions student loans due to disability. These health professions are included: Medicine, dentistry, osteopathy, optometry, pharmacy, podiatry, veterinary medicine.

Categories of records in the system: Letter requests claiming disability, correspondence, payment determinations and medical records or reports.

Authority for maintenance of the system: Section 722(d) of the Public Health Service Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 292r), Health Professions Student Loan Program provisions. Purpose(s) To determine the eligibility of applicants who request loan cancellation due to total and permanent disability.

Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including categories of users and the purposes of such uses:

1. Disclosure may be made to a congressional office from the records of an individual in response to a verified inquiry from the congressional office made at the written request of that individual.
2. In the event of litigation where the defendant is
   (a) The Department, any component of the Department, or any employee of the Department in his or her official capacity;
   (b) The United States where the Department determines that the claim, if successful, is likely to directly affect the operations of the Department or any of its components; or
   (c) Any Department employee in his or her individual capacity where the Justice Department has agreed to represent such employee, for example in defending a claim against the Public Health Service based upon an individual’s mental or physical condition and alleged to have arisen because of activities of the Public Health Service in connection with such individual, disclosure may be made to the Department of Justice to enable that Department to present an effective defense, provided that such disclosure is compatible with the purpose for which the records were collected.
3. In the event that a system of records maintained by this agency to carry out its functions indicates 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, the relevant records in the system of records may be referred to the appropriate agency, whether Federal, State or local, charged with enforcing or implementing the statute or rule, regulation or order issued pursuant thereto.

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

• Storage:File folders. Medical records and reports are temporarily held during medical evaluation and then returned to and retained by health professions schools upon final determination of claim validity.
• Retrievability: Name of individual.
• Safeguards:
  
  
  1. Authorized users: Access to Borrower’s Files is limited to only those individuals within the Department having a substantiated need for information. These individuals must have available proof of employment.
  2. Physical safeguards: File folders, medical records, report and other forms of personal data are stored in areas where files are locked or rooms locked during off duty hours.
  3. Procedural safeguards: All users of personal information in connection with the performance of their jobs protect information from public view and from unauthorized personnel entering an unsupervised office. Access to records is strictly limited to those staff members trained in accordance with the Privacy Act.
  4. Implementation guidelines: DHHS Chapter 45-13 and supplementary Chapter PHS. hf: 45-13 of the General Administration Manual.

Retention and disposal: Records will be retained for 6 years after phase-out of loan program; 1 year on site and 5 years at the Federal Records Center. Records are disposed of in accordance with the Records Controls Schedule of the Health Resources and Services Administration. Contact the Systems Manager for the disposal standard.

System manager(s) and address:

• Chief, Student and Institutional Support Branch/Division of Student Assistance, Bureau of Health Professions, Health Resources and Services Administration, Room 8-34, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857.

Notification procedure: Requests must be made to the System Manager. An individual who requests notification of, or access to, a medical record shall at the time the request is made, designate in writing a responsible representative who will be willing to review the record and inform the subject individual or its contents at the representative’s discretion.

Requests in person: A subject individual who appears in person at a specific location seeking access or disclosure of records relating to him/her shall provide his/her name, current address, and at least one piece of tangible identification such as driver’s license, passport, voter registration card, or union card. Identification papers with current photographs are preferred but not required. Additional identification may be requested when there is a request for access to records which contain an apparent discrepancy between information contained in the record and that provided by the individual requesting access to the record. No verification of identity shall be required where the record is one which is required to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act.

Request by mail: Requests for information and/or access to records received by mail contain information providing the identity of the writer and a reasonable description of the record desired. Written requests must contain the name and address of the requester, his/her date of birth and at least one piece of information which is also contained in the subject record, and his/her signature for comparison purposes.

Requests by telephone: Since positive identification of the caller cannot be established, telephone requests are not honored.

Record access procedures: Contact the System Manager and give a reasonable description of the record. An individual who requests access of a medical/dental record shall at the time the request is made, designate in writing a responsible representative who will be willing to review the record and inform the subject individual of its contents at the representative’ s discretion.

Contesting record procedures: Contact the System Manager giving a reasonable description of the record, specify the information you want to contest and state the corrective action sought with supporting justification. The right to contest records is limited to information which is incomplete, irrelevant, or untimely (obsolete).

Record source categories: Individual claimants.

Systems exempted from certain provisions of the act: None.