Privacy Act of 1974; System of Records

DATES:

Comments must be received by November 23, 2026. This modified system of records is effective as of October 23, 2026 unless modified by a subsequent notice incorporating any comments received.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

VA is modifying the following categories: System Location, System Manager, Categories of Individuals Covered by the System, Categories of Records in the System, Record Source Categories, Routine Uses of Records Maintained in the System including Categories of Users and the Purposes of such uses, Policies and Practices for Storage of Records, Policies and Practices for Retrievability of Records, Polices and Practices for Retention and Disposal of Records, and Administrative, Technical, and Physical Safeguards.

The System Location section is being amended to reflect the system of record, LIPAS, and the VBA Data Warehouse (VD2) application.

The System Manager Section is being amended to reflect the addition of the Director of Insurance Product Line, VA Office of Information and Technology, Marlton, New Jersey. The phone number is 267-441-9015.

The Categories of Individuals Covered by the System section is being amended to reflect VA's newest life insurance program, Veterans Affairs Life Insurance (VALife) under section 1922B of title 38 U.S.C.

The Categories of Records in the System section is being amended to reflect:

Applications for insurance are being amended to reflect Department of Defense Identification Number (DoD ID) Number also known as Electronic Data Interchange Personal Identifier (EDI-PI).

Beneficiary and option designation information is being amended to reflect the addition of date of birth and financial institution information such as bank account and routing numbers.

Insurance contract information is being amended to reflect the addition of direct pay through check or electronic billing (eBilling).

Policy information and access history from the VA Insurance website self-service-portal stored in LifePro is being amended to reflect the addition of LifePro and the removal of file numbers.

Information from the VA Insurance website, also called Electronic Insurance (EIN), which provides access to veterans for completion of an application for VALife is being amended to reflect the addition of coverage amount, payment method, and financial institution information such as bank accounts and routing numbers. Additionally, it is being amended to reflect the removal of medical history and Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance (S-DVI), which is no longer open for applications and has been replaced with VALife.

Recordings of incoming calls using software is being amended to reflect Calabrio Inc. rather than NICE Ltd.

The Veterans Experience Office (VEO) is being added to reflect Veterans Signals (VSignals). VA Insurance Service sends data to the VEO. The data is selected and sent to VSignals to survey insurance customers. VSignals can be found in the Survey System of Records Notices (SORN), veterans, Dependents of veterans, and VA beneficiary Survey Records (43VA008).

The Record Source Categories section is being amended to reflect Enformion, which replaced Westlaw, and Ask VA (AVA), which replaced Routing and Information System.

The Routine Uses of Records Maintained in the System section is being amended to reflect the updated Standard Routine Uses for VA Systems of Records. Additionally, Routine Use 26 has been added to reflect Treasury for Withholding.

The Policies and Practices for Storage of Records Section is being amended to reflect LIPAS, which replaced VICTARS; Calabrio Inc., which replaced NICE Ltd.; the addition of the Document Repository and Claims Evidence; and the removal of Insurance Terminal System and local area network (LAN). Additionally, backup VA insurance records stored by the St. Paul Regional Benefit Office and Iron Mountain (Appendix I provides the complete addresses for each location) and inactive records stored on microfilm, microfiche, compact disks, VA Central Office index cards, premium record cards in hardcopy folders, computer lists, and punch cards, which are kept in locked files in a secured area have been removed as these files have been either retired to National Archives and Records Administration or destroyed as they have met their retention schedule limit.

The Policies and Practices for Retrievability of Records section is being amended to reflect the use of EIN verification.

The Policies and Practices for Retention and Disposal of Records section is being amended to reflect LIPAS in place of VICTARS and Calabrio Inc. in place of NICE Ltd.

The Administrative, Technical and Physical Safeguards section is being updated to provide additional technical information and broader explanations about security measures.

The Report of Intent to Amend a System of Records Notice and an advance copy of the system notice have been sent to the appropriate Congressional committees and to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(r) (Privacy Act) and guidelines issued by OMB (65 FR 77677), December 12, 2000.

Signing Authority

The Senior Agency Official for Privacy, or designee, approved this document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Paul Lawrence, Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and Chief Information Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs approved this document on September 24, 2026 for publication.

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER:

"Veterans and Uniformed Services Personnel Programs of U.S. Government Life Insurance-VA" (36VA29).

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION:

Unclassified.

SYSTEM LOCATION:

VA Insurance records are maintained as follows:

1. Active Insurance records are located at the VA Insurance Center (VAIC) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Appendix I at the end of this document provides the complete address).

2. Active Insurance records are stored electronically in LIPAS. All LIPAS and LIPAS back up insurance records are hosted virtually in VAEC-AWS.

3. Inactive records are stored in the VD2 application at VA's Austin Information Technology Center (ITC) and at various servicing Federal archives and records centers in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Dayton, Ohio; Lee's Summit, Missouri; Lenexa, Kansas; Chicago, Illinois; and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. (See Appendix I for the complete addresses.)

4. Some pre-1968 records pertaining to beneficiaries of deceased veterans are located at the Federal Record Centers, in claim folders.

5. Insurance documents, file numbers, policy numbers, and folder locations are available to all VA regional offices through the Veterans Benefits Management System (VBMS).

6. Records for the supervised programs of Government insurance are managed by The Prudential Insurance Company of America's Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (OSGLI) in Newark, New Jersey. (See Appendix I for the address.)

SYSTEM MANAGER(S):

The official responsible for policies and procedures: Executive Director, VA Insurance Service, 5000 Wissahickon Avenue, Director's Office (29), Philadelphia, PA 19144. The phone number is 215-381-3029. Director of Insurance Product Line, VA Office of Information & Technology, Marlton, New Jersey. The phone number is 267-441-9015.

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM:

38 U.S.C. Ch. 3, Ch. 5, Ch. 19, Ch. 21; 5 U.S.C. 5514.

PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM:

VA gathers or creates these records to administer and supervise statutory Government life insurance programs for veterans, members of the uniformed services and their spouses, surviving spouses, dependents, and beneficiaries who apply for benefits from these programs. See the statutory provisions cited in "Authority for Maintenance of the System."

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE SYSTEM:

The following categories of individuals are covered by this system:

1. Veterans (not including dependents) and members of the uniformed services (including dependents) who have applied for and/or have been issued Government life insurance.

2. Beneficiaries of Government life insurance entitled to, or in receipt of, insurance proceeds.

3. Attorneys drawing fees for helping to settle VA insurance claims.

The individuals noted above are covered by this system based on applications, claims, and notices of eligibility for the following Government life insurance programs provided in 38 U.S.C. Chapters 19 and 21:

(a) U.S. Government Life Insurance under section 1942.

(b) National Service Life Insurance under section 1904.

(c) Veterans' Special Life Insurance under section 1923.

(d) Veterans' Reopened Insurance under section 1925.

(e) S-DVI under sections 1922 and 1922A.

(f) Veterans' Mortgage Life Insurance (VMLI) under section 2106.

(g) VALife under section 1922B.

(h) Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI), including Family Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance, Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI), and Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Traumatic Injury Protection under sections 1967 through 1980A.

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM:

Life insurance records (or information contained in records) may consist of:

1. Applications for insurance, including: (a) the name and address of the veteran or member of the uniformed services; (b) email address; (c) phone number; (d) correspondence to and from the veteran or member of the uniformed services or their legal representative; (e) date of birth; (f) Social Security number (SSN); (g) military service number; (h) DOD ID also known as EDI-PI; (i) branch of service; (j) integrated control number; (k) dates of service; (l) military rank; (m) character of discharge; (n) VA file number; (o) plan or type of insurance; (p) disability rating; (q) medical information regarding disability and health history of the veteran, member of the uniformed service and their spouse; (r) method of payment; (s) amount of insurance coverage requested; and (t) bank routing and account numbers.

2. Applications for VMLI, including: (a) supporting mortgage documents; (b) address of the mortgaged property; (c) name and address of the mortgagor; (d) the mortgage account number; (e) the rate of interest; (f) the original amount of the mortgage; (g) the current amount of the mortgage; (h) the monthly payment amount; (i) the mortgage payment period; and (j) VA Specially Adapted Grant Card (which contains the veteran's or service member's name, address, dates of military service, branch of service, method of separation, whether the veteran or service member has VMLI, the name and address of the lender, the legal description and property address, improvements to such property, date applied for disability compensation, date of submission of the initial application, grant information, amount of the grant approved, or whether the grant was denied or canceled).

3. Beneficiary and option designation information, including: (a) the names, dates of birth, and addresses of principal and contingent beneficiaries; (b) beneficiary SSN; (c) share amount to each beneficiary; (d) the method of payment; (e) financial institution information such as bank account and routing numbers; and (f) the designated estate(s) and trust(s).

4. Insurance contract information, including: (a) authorization of allotment payment; (b) authorization for deduction from VA benefit payments; (c) authorization for deduction from military retired pay; (d) authorization for deduction from employee payroll; (e) direct pay through check or eBilling; (f) paid dividend information; (g) claims for disability or death payments (including beneficiary bank account information); (h) cash value, policy loan, and lien information; (i) a listing of lapsed actions and unpaid insurance proceeds; (j) payment vouchers; (k) reinstatement information; (l) premium records status, and retired status of the policy; (m) court-martial orders; (n) copies of personal papers of the insured, including birth certificate, marriage license, divorce decree, citizen or naturalization papers, death certificate, adoption decree, and family support documents; (o) correspondence to and from the veteran, member of the uniformed services, legal representative, or payee; (p) employment information; (q) returned check and check tracer information; (r) court documents; and (s) insurance death claims settlement information, including indebtedness, interest, and other credits.

5. Records of checks withheld from delivery to certain foreign countries.

6. Policy information and access history from the VA Insurance website self-service-portal stored in LifePRO, which includes: (a) the name of the insured; (b) policy number; (c) address; (d) phone number; I email address; (f) loan status (including loan amount requested, denied, or pending); (g) the date of request for information; (h) loan history; (i) policy changes; (j) dividend option changes; and (k) website pages accessed.

7. Information from the VA Insurance website, also called EIN, which provides access to veterans for completion of an application for VALife, which includes: (a) the veteran's name; (b) address; (c) SSN; (d) date of birth; (e) primary phone number; (f) cell phone number; (g) email address; (h) coverage amount; (i) payment method; (j) financial institution information such as bank accounts and routing numbers; and (k) beneficiary information (such as the beneficiary's name, relationship of beneficiary, address, email address, and SSN).

8. Recordings of incoming calls using software created by Calabrio Inc. Insurance personnel in the Insurance Call Center receive these calls from veterans, members of the uniformed services, beneficiaries, personal representatives, members of Congress and their staff, other interested parties, and stakeholders. (The recordings are maintained for quality assurance and training purposes only.)

9. VA Insurance Service sends data to VEO. The data is selected and sent to VSignals to survey Insurance customers. VSignals can be found in the Survey, SORN, veterans, dependents, and VA beneficiary Survey Records (43VA008).

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES:

The veteran, member of the uniformed services, or someone acting on his/her behalf; the uniformed services; other Federal agencies, including the Department of War, Social Security Administration, U.S. Treasury Department, OSGLI; State and local agencies; Federal, State, and local courts; VA records; VA and private physicians; VA and private medical facilities; accredited Veterans Service Organizations and other organizations aiding veterans and members of the uniformed services; VA-approved claims agents; VA fiduciaries; court-appointed guardians/conservators, powers of attorney, and military trustees; financial institutions; beneficiaries; commercial insurance companies; undertakers; lending institutions holding a veteran's or a service member's mortgage; VA Loan Guaranty information; contractors remodeling, enlarging, or adding construction to existing homes; relatives and other interested persons; Enformion and other website-based research; AVA (maintained under System of Records 151VA005OP6 by the Office of Information and Technology); and the general public.

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS AND PURPOSES OF SUCH USES:

1. Congress: To a Member of Congress or staff acting upon the Member's behalf when the Member or staff requests the information on behalf of, and at the request of, the individual who is the subject of the record.

2. Data Breach Response and Remediation, for VA: To appropriate agencies, entities, and persons when (a) VA suspects or has confirmed that there has been a breach of the system of records, (b) VA has determined that as a result of the suspected or confirmed breach there is a risk of harm to individuals, VA (including its information systems, programs, and operations), the Federal Government, or national security; and (c) the disclosure made to such agencies, entities, and persons is reasonably necessary to assist in connection with VA's efforts to respond to the suspected or confirmed breach or to prevent, minimize, or remedy such harm.

3. Data Breach Response and Remediation, for Another Federal Agency: To another Federal agency or Federal entity, when VA determines that information from this system of records is reasonably necessary to assist the recipient agency or entity in (a) responding to a suspected or confirmed breach or (b) preventing, minimizing, or remedying the risk of harm to individuals, the recipient agency or entity (including its information systems, programs, and operations), the Federal Government, or national security, resulting from a suspected or confirmed breach.

4. Law Enforcement Authorities, for Reporting Violations of Law: To a Federal, State, local, territorial, Tribal, or foreign law enforcement authority or other appropriate entity charged with the responsibility of investigating or prosecuting a violation or potential violation of law, whether civil, criminal, or regulatory in nature, or charged with enforcing or implementing such law, provided that the disclosure is limited to information that, either alone or in conjunction with other information, indicates such a violation or potential violation. A disclosure of information about veterans or their dependents from VA claims files under this routine use must also comply with the requirements of 38 U.S.C. 5701(f).

5. Department of Justice, Litigation, Administrative Proceeding: To the Department of Justice (DoJ) or in a proceeding before a court, adjudicative body, or other administrative body before which VA is authorized to appear, when any of the following is a party to such proceedings or has an interest in such proceedings, and VA determines that use of such records is relevant and necessary to the proceedings for:

(a) VA or any component thereof;

(b) Any VA employee in their official capacity;

(c) Any VA employee in their individual capacity where DoJ has agreed to represent the employee; or

(d) The United States, where VA determines that litigation is likely to affect the agency or any of its components.

6. Contractors: To contractors, grantees, experts, consultants, students, and others performing or working on a contract, service, grant, cooperative agreement, or other assignment for VA, when reasonably necessary to accomplish an agency function related to the records.

7. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: To the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in connection with investigations of alleged or possible discriminatory practices, examination of Federal affirmative employment programs, or other functions of the Commission as authorized by law.

8. Federal Labor Relations Authority: To the Federal Labor Relations Authority in connection with the investigation and resolution of allegations of unfair labor practices, the resolution of exceptions to arbitration awards when a question of material fact is raised, matters before the Federal Service Impasses Panel, and the investigation of representation petitions and the conduct or supervision of representation elections.

9. Merit Systems Protection Board: To the Merit Systems Protection Board in connection with appeals, special studies of the civil service and other merit systems, review of rules and regulations, investigation of alleged or possible prohibited personnel practices, and such other functions promulgated in 5 U.S.C. 1205 and 1206, or as authorized by law.

10. National Archives and Records Administration: To the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in records management inspections conducted under 44 U.S.C. 2904 and 2906, or other functions authorized by laws and policies governing NARA operations and VA records management responsibilities.

11. Federal Agencies, for Countering Fraud or Abuse: Disclosure to other Federal agencies may be made to assist such agencies in preventing and detecting possible fraud or abuse by individuals in their operations and programs.

12. Federal Agencies, for Employment: To a Federal agency, except the United States Postal Service, or to the District of Columbia government, in response to its request, in connection with that agency's decision on the hiring, transfer, or retention of an employee, the issuance of a security clearance, the letting of a contract, or the issuance of a license, grant, or other benefit by that agency.

13. State or Local Agencies, for Employment: To a State, local, or other governmental agency, upon its official request, as relevant and necessary to that agency's decision on the hiring, transfer, or retention of an employee, the issuance of a security clearance, the letting of a contract, or the issuance of a license, grant, or other benefit by that agency. A disclosure of information about veterans or their dependents from VA claims files under this routine use must also comply with the requirements of 38 U.S.C. 5701(f).

14. Governmental Agencies, for VA Hiring, Security Clearance, Contract, License, Grant: To a Federal, State, local, or other governmental agency maintaining civil or criminal violation records, or other pertinent information, such as employment history, background investigations, or personal or educational background, to obtain information relevant to VA's hiring, transfer, or retention of an employee, issuance of a security clearance, letting of a contract, or issuance of a license, grant, or other benefit. A disclosure of information about veterans or their dependents from VA claims files under this routine use must also comply with the requirements of 38 U.S.C. 5701(f).

15. Governmental Agencies, Health Organizations, for Claimants' Benefits: To Federal, State, and local government agencies and national health organizations as reasonably necessary to assist in the development of programs that will be beneficial to claimants, to protect their rights under the law, and assure that they are receiving all benefits to which they are entitled.

16. Nonprofits, for Release of Names and Addresses: To a nonprofit organization if the release is directly connected with the conduct of programs and the utilization of benefits under title 38, U.S.C., provided that the disclosure is limited the names and addresses of present or former members of the armed services or their beneficiaries, the records will not be used for any purpose other than that stated in the request, and the organization is aware of the penalty provision of 38 U.S.C. 5701(f).

17. Guardians, Courts, for Incompetent Veterans: To a court, magistrate, or administrative tribunal in matters of guardianship, inquests, and commitments; to private attorneys representing veterans rated incompetent in conjunction with issuance of Certificates of Incompetency; or to probation and parole officers in connection with court-required duties.

18. Department of the Treasury: To the Department of the Treasury, name, address, insurance account information of an insured veteran or member of the uniformed services, beneficiaries, legal representatives, or designated payee(s), and the amount of payment may be disclosed to the Treasury Department, upon its official request, in order for the Treasury Department to pay dividends, policy loans, cash surrenders, maturing endowments, insurance refunds, or to issue checks and perform check tracer activities for the veteran or member of the uniformed services, beneficiary(ies), legal representative, or designated payee(s). Disclosure of records to the Department of the Treasury may be made for the purpose of identifying, preventing, or recouping fraud and improper payments, to the extent permissible by law.

19. Internal Revenue Service: To the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the name and address of an insured veteran or member of the uniformed services, date and amount of payments made to VA, including specific status of each policy ( e.g., premiums paid, dividends issued, cash and loan values) may be disclosed to the IRS, upon its official request, in order for the IRS to collect tax liens by withholding insurance payments to satisfy unpaid taxes. This purpose is consistent with 26 U.S.C. 7602.

20. Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance: To the Office of Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (OSGLI), the name, address, SSN, date of discharge from the military, medical information concerning the grounds for total disability or the nature of an injury or illness, and dependency- or beneficiary-related information of a member of the uniformed services or veteran may be disclosed to OSGLI to aid OSGLI in the verification of such information for the purpose of providing outreach and issuing and maintaining insurance policies provided to members of the uniformed services or veterans participating in the SGLI and/or VGLI programs, and to pay insurance benefits under these programs.

21. Department of War: To the Department of War (DoW), the name, address, and other identifying information, such as a SSN or a military service number, may be disclosed to the DoW (Army, Air Force, Space Force, Navy, and Marine Corps); the Coast Guard of the Department of Homeland Security; the Commissioned Officers Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service; and the Commissioned Officers Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the Department of Commerce, upon their official request to help establish and maintain allotments from active and retired service pay for VA insurance premiums and loan repayments.

22. Governmental Agencies, for Aid Benefits: The face amount and cash and/or loan value of an insurance policy, verification of an existing insurance policy, and the name and address of an insured veteran or member of the uniformed services, may be disclosed at the request of the veteran or member of the uniformed services to a Federal, state, or local agency, in order for these agencies to assist a veteran or member of the uniformed services applying for Medicaid, Medicare, nursing home admittance, welfare benefits, or other benefits provided by the requesting agency to the extent that the information is relevant and necessary to the agency's decision regarding those benefits.

23. Armed Forces Institute of Pathology: The name and address of a veteran or member of the uniformed services and military service information ( e.g., dates of service, branch of service) may be disclosed to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), upon its official request, in order for the AFIP to conduct research for specified official purposes.

24. Claims Representatives, for Title 38 Benefits: To accredited service organizations, VA-approved claim agents, and attorneys acting under a declaration of representation, upon request, so that these individuals can aid claimants in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims under the laws administered by VA, provided that the disclosure is limited to information relevant to a claim, such as the name, address, the basis and nature of a claim, amount of benefit payment information, medical information, and military service and active duty separation information.

25. Attorneys, Insurers, Employers, for Preparation, Presentation, Prosecution of Claims: To attorneys, insurance companies, employers, third parties liable or potentially liable under health plan contracts, and courts, boards, or commissions as relevant and necessary to aid VA in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims authorized by law.

26. Treasury, for Withholding: To the Department of the Treasury for the collection of Title 38 benefit overpayments, overdue indebtedness, or costs of services provided to an individual not entitled to such services, by the withholding of all or a portion of the person's Federal income tax refund, provided that the disclosure is limited to information concerning an individual's indebtedness by virtue of a person's participation in a benefits program administered by VA.

27. Treasury, for the Do Not Pay Working System: To the Department of the Treasury when disclosure of the information is relevant to review payment and award eligibility through the Do Not Pay Working System for the purposes of identifying, preventing, or recouping improper payments to an applicant for, or receipt of, Federal funds including funds disbursed by a State (meaning a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, a territory or possession of the United States, or a federally recognized Indian Tribe) in a State-administered, Federally-funded program.

28. Federal Agencies, for Research: To a Federal agency for the purpose of conducting research and data analysis to perform a statutory purpose of that Federal agency upon the written request of that agency.

29. Employing Agencies, Commanding Officers, for Collection of Unpaid Financial Obligations: To employing agencies or commanding officer of the debtor, any information in this system, including the nature and amount of a financial obligation, may be disclosed, upon its official request, as a routine use in order to assist VA in the collection of unpaid financial obligations owed to VA so that the debtor-employee may be counseled by his or her Federal employer or commanding officer. This purpose is consistent with 5 U.S.C. 5514, and 31 U.S.C. 3701-3702 and 3711-3718.

30. Federal Agencies, State Courts, State Drivers License Bureaus, State Automobile Title Bureaus: To Federal agencies, State probate courts, State drivers' license bureaus, and State automobile title and license bureaus as a routine use in order to obtain current address and credit report assistance for the collection of unpaid financial obligations owed the United States. This purpose is consistent with the Federal Claims Collection Act of 1966 (Pub. L. 89-508), subsequent amendments, and 31 U.S.C. 3701-3702 and 3711-3718.

31. Consumer Reporting Agencies: To a consumer reporting agency for the purpose of locating the individual, obtaining a consumer report to determine the ability of the individual to repay an indebtedness to the United States, or assisting in the collection of such indebtedness, provided that the provisions of 38 U.S.C. 5701(g)(2) and (4) have been met, provided that the disclosure is limited to information that is reasonably necessary to identify such individual or concerning that individual's indebtedness to the United States by virtue of the person's participation in a benefits program administered by the Department.

32. Federal Agencies, for Computer Matches: To other Federal agencies for the purpose of conducting computer matches to obtain information to determine or verify eligibility of veterans receiving VA benefits or medical care under title 38, U.S.C.

33. Guardians Ad Litem, for Representation: To a fiduciary or guardian ad litem in relation to their representation of a claimant in any legal proceeding as relevant and necessary to fulfill the duties of the fiduciary or guardian ad litem.

34. Federal Agencies, for Computer Matches: To other Federal agencies for the purpose of conducting computer matches to obtain information to determine or verify eligibility of veterans receiving VA benefits or medical care under title 38, U.S.C.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF RECORDS:

Records are stored in LIPAS using cloud-based internet technology. A Document Repository is used to store images of paper documents, including applications and correspondence. LIPAS records all processing-related activities involving insurance policies, disability outreach services, and the website self-service portal. Documents relating to veterans with a VBMS file number will automatically be stored in Claims Evidence. veterans without a VBMS file number will be stored in the existing Insurance Document Repository. In addition, Calabrio Inc. creates recordings of incoming phone calls received by insurance personnel regarding policy-related issues and stores the calls as part of the LAN maintained through the Philadelphia ITC.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF RECORDS:

All Insurance records are retrieved by the Government insurance file number or policy number, VA file number, policyholder's name, and SSN. Information input through the VA Insurance website's self-service portal is retrievable by the use of EIN verification which uses Identity and Access Management for authentication. Approved encryption technology is used to protect personal information.

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND DISPOSAL OF RECORDS:

Hardcopy records are retained and disposed of in accordance with disposition authorization approved by the Archivist of the United States, Records Control Schedule VBA-1, Part I, Field, Section IX-Insurance, January 31, 2014. LIPAS, the primary records storage and retrieval system for the Insurance program, maintains computerized insurance records indefinitely through cloud-based technology. Hardcopy records are stored for 31 days prior to destruction. Original copies of imaged beneficiary designation documents are stored indefinitely at the NARA Mid-Atlantic Regional Center. (See Appendix I for the complete address.) Calabrio Inc. recordings, which document incoming phone calls regarding insurance policies, are maintained for a minimum of 15 months after the call. The time can be extended if required for a legal hold but are purged thereafter.

ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS:

1. Physical Security.

(a) All VA facilities are protected by the Federal Protective Service or other security personnel. All Insurance files and processing areas are restricted to authorized personnel on a need-to-know basis. Areas containing paper and computerized records are protected by a sprinkler system.

(b) Access to records at the Insurance Center through computerized storage systems, including LIPAS, Calabrio Inc., and the Philadelphia ITC, is protected by passwords, magnetic card readers, and audible alarms. Electronic keyboard locks are activated upon security errors. Video surveillance is also provided in secured processing and computer protected areas, such as Claims, Collections, and ITCs. An Information Security Officer is assigned responsibility for privacy-security measures, including review of violations logs and local control and distribution of passwords.

2. System Security.

(a) LIPAS is a COTS shared service solution that is hosted in the VAEC-AWS environment. LIPAS is protected from unauthorized access through administrative, physical, and technical safeguards as LIPAS is maintained in a secure environment in the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) AWS cloud; described in the FedRAMP package. This is identified in the AWS GovCloud (US) Infrastructure as a Service System Security Plan Version 5.4 dated June 5, 2018, for FedRAMP package F1603047866.

(b) The VA Insurance website self-service portal, which is used by veterans, their legal representatives, and payees, is only accessible with the use of personal identifiers consisting of personal identification numbers, passwords, file numbers, loan numbers, SSNs, and dates of birth. The access portals utilize LAN-based encryption technology and firewalls to protect personal data.

(c) Data exchange by email within the agency or between other Federal agencies is done by means of dedicated communication lines utilizing approved encryption technology.

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES:

Individuals seeking information on the existence and content of records in this system pertaining to them should contact the system manager in writing as indicated above or may write or visit the VA facility location where they normally receive their care. A request for access to records must contain the requester's full name, address, telephone number, be signed by the requester, and describe the records sought in sufficient detail to enable VA personnel to locate them with a reasonable amount of effort.

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES:

Individuals seeking to contest or amend records in this system pertaining to them should contact the system manager in writing as indicated above or may write or visit the VA facility location where they normally receive their care. A request to contest or amend records must state clearly and concisely what record is being contested, the reasons for contesting it, and the proposed amendment to the record.

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURES:

Individuals who wish to be notified if a record in this system of records pertains to them should submit the request following the procedures described in "Record Access Procedure," above.

EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM:

None.

HISTORY:

75 FR 65405 (October 22, 2010), 83 FR 44407 (August 30, 2018).

Appendix I: Addresses of VA Insurance Records Facilities

1. VAIC, 5000 Wissahickon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19144

2. VAEC AWS GovCloud, 1915 Terry Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101

3. VBA Data Warehouse (VD2), VA's Austin Information Technology Center, 1615 Woodward Street, Austin, TX 78741

4. NARA Mid-Atlantic Region (Northeast Philadelphia), 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154

5. NARA Great Lakes Region (Dayton Kingsridge), 8801 Kingsridge Drive, Dayton, OH 45458

6. NARA Central Plains Region (Lee's Summit), 200 Space Center Drive, Lee's Summit, MO 64064

7. NARA Central Plains Region (Lenexa), 17501 West 98th Street, Suite 3150, Lenexa, KS 66219

8. NARA Great Lakes Region (Chicago), 7358 South Pulaski Road, Chicago, IL 60629

9. NARA Northeast Region (Pittsfield), 10 Conte Drive, Pittsfield, MA 01201

10. Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance, 213 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 07102

[FR Doc. 2026-21697 Filed 10-22-26; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 8320-01-P