System of Record Notice 09-15-0028

System number:  09-15-0028

System name:  Public Health Service Clinical Affiliation Trainee Records, HHS/HRSA/BPHC.

Security classification:  None.

System location:
National Hansen’s Disease Program
1770 Physicians Park Drive
Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70816

Categories of individuals covered by the system:  Students in Public Health Service training programs or serving clinical affiliation in National Hansen’s Disease Program.

Categories of records in the system:  Transcripts of past education, application for training, training program staff and clinical supervisor evaluations and progress reports, course grades and evidence of completion of training requirements.

Authority for maintenance of the system:  Section 320 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended (42 USC 247e), the National Hansen’s Disease Program; and section 327A of the Public Health Service Act, as amended (42 USC 254), Interdepartmental Work.

Purpose(s):  To provide communication between educational and supervisory staff for evaluation of trainees.

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

1. To Educational Program staff of affiliated college/university to provide reports of student trainee’s progress in training;
2. To prospective employers for professional reference;
3. To professional boards or associations to certify the student’s progress in or completion of training as required for professional license, registration certification, etc.
4. To a congressional office from the record of an individual in response to a verified inquiry from the congressional office made at the written request of that individual.
5. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may disclose information from this system of records to the Department of Justice, or to a court or other tribunal, when
   1. HHS, or any component thereof; or
   2. Any HHS employee in his or her official capacity; or
   3. Any HHS employee in his or her individual capacity where the Department of Justice (or HHS, where it is authorized to do so) has agreed to represent the employee; or
   4. The United States or any agency thereof where HHS determines that the litigation is likely to affect HHS or any of its components, is a party to litigation or has an interest in such litigation, and HHS determines that the use of such records by the Department of Justice, the court or other tribunal is relevant and necessary to the litigation and would help in the effective representation of the governmental party, provided, however, that in each case, HHS determines that such disclosure is compatible with the purpose for which the records were collected.
6. To appropriate Federal agencies and Department contractors that have a need to know the information for the purpose of assisting the Department’s efforts to respond to a suspected or confirmed breach of the security or confidentiality of information maintained in this system of records, and the information disclosed is relevant and necessary for that assistance.

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

• Storage:  File folders.
• Retrievability:  By year of training and alphabetically by last name.
• Safeguards:
  • Authorized Users:  Rehabilitation and Educational Services Coordinator, National Hansen’s Disease Program, work and staff supervisors and administrative personnel.
  • Physical Safeguards:  All documents are protected during lunch hours and nonworking hours in locked file cabinets and locked storage areas.
  • 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 DHHS Chapter 45-13 and Chapter PHS.hf: 45-13 of the General Administration Manual.

Retention and disposal:  Retained 5 years, then destroyed per authority of General Records Schedule 1.29.

System manager(s) and address:
Rehabilitation and Educational Services Coordinator, National Hansen’s Disease Program, 1770 Physician’s Park Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70816.

Notification procedure:  The individual should contact the Director, National Hansen’s Disease Program, 1770 Physicians Park Drive, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70816, and provide name, date of birth and approximate dates of training to allow positive identification of the record.

Record access procedures:  Same as notification procedures.  Requesters should also reasonably specify the record contents being sought.

Contesting record procedures:  Contact the facility mentioned at the address specified in the notification procedures above, and reasonably identify the record, specify the information to be contested, and state corrective action sought, with supporting justification.

Record source categories:  Individuals, clinical supervisors, instructors, training program staff and administrative personnel of facility and affiliated college/university.

Systems exempted from certain provisions of the act:  None.