Privacy Act of 1974; exempt record system--HHS. Final rule.

The Office of the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services is amending its Privacy Act Regulations to exempt the system of records, "Civil and Administrative Investigative Files of the Inspector General, HHS/OS/OIG," from certain provisions of the Privacy Act. This exemption is authorized by subsection (k)(2) of the Privacy Act, which applies to investigative materials compiled for law enforcement purposes. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is authorized to gather information for Civil and administrative law enforcement purposes under Pub. L. 94-505, establishing the HHS Office of Inspector General, and section 1128A of the Social Security Act, authorizing civil money penalties for the filing of false claims in certain health care financing programs. In order to maintain the integrity of the OIG investigative process and to assure that the OIG will be able to obtain access to complete and accurate information, the Department is exempting this system, under subsection (k)(2), from the notification, access, correction and amendment provisions of the Privacy Act.