53VA00
System location:
Records (i.e., applications, VA special grant cards, correspondence, records of premium and interest payments and records on death cases) are maintained at the VA Regional Office and Insurance Center, St. Paul Minnesota, and the Benefits Delivery Center, Hines, Illinois, Address locations of VA facilities are listed at VA Apendix 1 at the end of this document.
Categories of individuals covered by the system:
Veterans (not including dependents) who have been granted a
specially adapted housing grant under title 38, United States Code,
Chapter 21.
Categories of records in the system:
Records (or information contained in records) include: (1)
Applications for veterans mortgage life insurance (applications
contain the following information: Veteran's name, address, social
security number, VA file number, date of birth, address of mortgaged
property, name and address of mortgagor, mortgage account number,
rate of interest, original amount of mortgage, and current amount of
mortgage, monthly payment amount, mortgage payment period); (2) VA
Special Grant Cards (cards contain name, address, dates of military
service, branch of service, method of separation, whether veteran has
VMLI (Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance), name and address of lender,
legal description and property address and improvements to such
properties, date applied for disability compensation, date initial
application submitted, and grant information, amount of grant
approved or whether the grant was canceled); (3) payment premium
records; (4) interest payment records; and (5) correspondence to and
from the veteran.
Authority for maintenance of the system:
Title 38, United States Code, Chapter 3, section 210(c)(1); Title
38, United States Code, Chapter 21.
Routine uses of records maintained in the system, including categories of users and the purposes of such uses:
- The record of an individual who is covered by this system may be disclosed to a member of Congress or staff person acting for the member when the member or staff person requests the record on behalf of and at the request of that individual.
- Any information in this system, except for the name and address of a veteran, which is relevant to a suspected violation or reasonably imminent violation of law, whether civil, criminal or regulatory in nature and whether arising by general or program statute or by regulation, rule or order issued pursuant thereto, may be disclosed to a Federal, State, local or foreign agency charged with the responsibility of investigating or prosecuting such violation, or charged with enforcing or implementing the statute, rule, regulation or order issued pursuant thereto.
- The name and address of a veteran, which is relevant to a suspected violation or reasonably imminent violation of law, whether civil, criminal or regulatory in nature and whether arising by general or program statute or by regulation, rule or order issued pursuant thereto, may be disclosed to a Federal agency charged with the responsibility of investigating or prosecuting such violation, or charged with enforcing or implementing the statute, regulation, rule or order issued pursuant thereto, in response to its official request.
- The name and address of a veteran, which is relevant to a suspected violation or reasonably imminent violation of law concerning public health or safety, whether civil, criminal or regulatory in nature and whether arising by general or program statute or by regulations, rule or order issued pursuant thereto, may be disclosed to any foreign, State or local governmental agency or instrumentality charged under applicable law with the protection of the public health or safety if a qualified representative of such organization, agency or instrumentality has made a written request that such name and address be provided for a purpose authorized by law.
- The name and other identifying information and the amount of monthly premium payments to be deducted from VA benefits or to be paid by the veteran for a veteran's mortgage life insurance policy may be disclosed at the request of the veteran to the Bankers Life Insurance Company of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska, in order to assist Bankers Life Insurance Company in ascertaining and crediting the correct monthly payments for an insured veteran.
- Except for medical information, insurance contract information (e.g., name, address, and status of the account), any information in this system may be disclosed at the request of a veteran to an attorney acting under a declaration of representation, a VA-approved claims agent, an insurance agent, a trust officer, or to employees or members of an accredited service organization, or to the Red Cross so that these individuals or organizations can aid veterans in the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of claims under the laws administered by the VA. The name and address of a veteran will not, however, be disclosed to these individuals under this routine use if the veteran has not requested the assistance of an accredited service organization, claims agent, trust officer, the Red Cross or an attorney.
Policies and practices for storing, retrieving, accessing, retaining, and disposing of records in the system:
Storage:
Records are stored on automated computer files and on paper
documents in manual account folders.
Retrievability:
All mortgage life insurance records are maintained by VA file
number, date of birth and name as additional identifying data.
Safeguards:
All manual records at the VA Regional Office and Insurance Center
are maintained in steel file cabinets, and access to the files is
limited to authorized personnel only. Information in these records is
restricted to those authorized persons on a ``need to know'' basis.
information on electronic media is protected by ``password''and other
system safeguards.
Retention and disposal:
Inactive mortgage life insurance records are placed in a closed
file for seven years after the insured'death or until his/her 77th
birthday, whichever comes first. Annually, those closed files are
reviewed and destroyed as applicable. A record is considered inactive
when one of the following occurs: Mortgage paid in full, insured's
70th birthday, termination of the veteran's ownership of the property
securing the loan, payment of premiums discontinued by veteran,
entire contract or agreement discontinued, or failure to timely
submit required statement.
System manager(s) and address:
Director (00), VA Regional Office and Insurance Center, 5000
Wissahickon Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19101.
Notification procedure:
Any individual who wishes to determine whether a record is being
maintained in this system under his or her name or other personal
identifier, or wants to determine the contents of such record should
submit a written request to the VA Regional Office and Insurance
Center, St. Paul, Minnesota. The address for the VA Regional Office
and Insurance Center may be found at Appendix 1. The inquirer should
provide the veteran's name, VA file number and social security number
and reasonably identify the benefit or system of records involved,
i.e., Veterans Mortgage Life Insurance Records. If this information
is not available, information concerning the lending institution,
mortgage number of name and address of veteran involved should be
furnished.
Record access procedures:
Individuals desiring access to, and contesting of VA records
should write to the VA Regional Office and Insurance Center, St.
Paul, Minnesota.
Contesting record procedures:
See Record access procedures above.
Record source categories:
Records are obtained from the veteran, lending institutions
holding a veteran's mortgage, VA Loan Guaranty records, VA records,
contractors remodeling or enlarging or adding construction to
existing homes, relatives and other interested persons.