SSN Memo

DEFENSE THREAT REDUCTION AGENCY
8725 JOHN J. KINGMAN ROAD, STOP 6201
FORT BELVOIR, VA 22060-6201

November 27, 2019
MEMORANDUM FOR DEFENSE PRIVACY, CIVIL LIBERTIES, AND TRANSPARENCY
DIVISION
SUBJECT: Justification for the Continued Use of the Social Security Number (SSN) – DTRA
Forms 150/ Nuclear Test Personnel Review (NTPR) (DITPR ID# 4257)
The Nuclear Test Personnel Review (NTPR) program serves approximately 500,000 military
personnel and DoD civilian employees who participated in: U.S. atmospheric nuclear weapons
testing (1945-1962), military occupation forces of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan (1945-1946),
or were prisoners of war in Japan at the conclusion of World War II. The program similarly
supports an analogous 50,000 DoD personnel associated with U.S. underground nuclear weapon
testing (1951-1992) and 6,000 DoD personnel associated with the radiological clean-up of the
Pacific Proving Ground (1960s to 1980). The NTPR program assists military and civilian test
participants, supports the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Department of Justice (DOJ)
in responding to radiogenic disease compensation claims, and provides information to authorized
organizations responsible for studies concerning the health effects of ionizing radiation. For
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) to fulfill this role, it must collect information from
veterans and former DoD civilian employees to uniquely identify them. The DTRA Forms 150,
150-A, 150-B, and 150-C serve as the collection vehicles:
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DTRA Form 150: Nuclear Test Personnel Review Information Request and Release
DTRA Form 150-A: Questionnaire for Continental United States Test Participants
DTRA Form 150-B: Questionnaire for Oceanic Test Participants
DTRA Form 150-C: Questionnaire for Operation Crossroads Test Participants

The DTRA Forms 150, 150-A, 150-B, and 150-C are utilized to collect information from
military and civilian test participants for the purpose of providing participant data and radiation
dose information for atomic veterans. Authority to collect this information is provided by PL 98542 which appointed the Defense Nuclear Agency (now DTRA) as the Executive Agent for the
NTPR program. Overarching authorities include 38 U.S.C. 1112 and 1154 (Veterans’ Benefits);
and 42 U.S.C. 2210 (DOJ Radiation Exposure Compensation Act).
The Paperwork Reduction Act is applicable to NTPR because the system collects SSNs from
members of the public to include federal employees and contractors. The Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) Control Number for this system of records is 0704-0447, effective through
November 30, 2020. The System of Record Notice (SORN) applicable to NTPR is HDTRA 010,
Nuclear Test Participants (May 11, 2012, 77 FR 27739) and the Privacy Impact Assessment
(PIA), dated March 29, 2016, is currently being updated.

According to DoDI 1000.30, continued use of SSN’s within NTPR must be justified by one
or more of the Acceptable Use Cases set forth in DoDI 1000.30, Enclosure 2. The Acceptable
Uses applicable to NTPR are:
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Acceptable Use #6 - Administration of Federal Workers’ Compensation. The NTPR
program collects and maintains SSNs in order to support two federal workers’
compensation programs, administered and required by DOJ and VA.

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Acceptable Use # 11 - Legacy System Interface. The NTPR program currently
operates under legacy systems that utilize SSNs as the primary identifier for
government compensation. The requirement for SSNs is from those agencies
identified in the acceptable use 6.

Although agencies supported by the NTPR program still operate under legacy systems and
are categorized by acceptable uses 6 and 11, the NTPR Program has initiated actions to minimize
its use of SSNs. A unique NTPR key number is used in case file labeling instead of SSNs.
Additionally, SSNs are not cited in outgoing correspondence unless it is used as an identifier by
the requesting federal agency identified in acceptable use 6.
The DTRA point of contract for the NTPR program is Lieutenant James D. Franks, Nuclear
Technologies Department. LT Franks may be reached by phone at (571) 616-6015 or email at
[email protected].

ROSS.JERLEA
N.1115040487

Digitally signed by
ROSS.JERLEAN.1115040487
Date: 2019.12.04 09:31:08
-05'00'

Jerlean Ross, DTRA PO

James D. Franks
Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
Nuclear Test Personnel Review
Nuclear Technologies Department

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