UC Santa Barbara Policy 7010
Policies
Issuing Unit: Administrative Services Date: October 1, 1985
COLLECTION AND USE OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER
I. REFERENCES:
A. Federal Privacy Act of 1975 (Public Law 93-579), as amended.
B. President Saxon's memo to Chancellors, December 10, 1976,
regarding Privacy Act.
II. POLICY:
The Federal Privacy Act is designed to safeguard the rights and
privacy of individuals from the encroachments of Federal agencies in
maintaining records on individuals. The Act serves to guarantee to
individual citizens that the Federal government will not release
information about them to the general public if that information
could in any way constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of
personal privacy. It applies to the University with respect to
collection and use of the Social Security Number and in the
relatively few instances when the University enters into a contract
(not a grant) with a Federal agency and in which the University
agrees to undertake the design, development, or operation of a
system of records on individuals which accomplishes a function of
the Federal sponsoring agency.
A. Collection:
In all instances, when the University requests an individual to
supply his/her Social Security Number, it must indicate in
writing (1) whether disclosure is mandatory or voluntary, (2)
by what authority the number is requested, and (3) the uses
which will be made of it. See Attachment A for sample notices
concerning collection of the Social Security Number; all forms
used to collect the Social Security Number must contain one of
these statements.
B. Mandatory versus Voluntary:
1. In cases of mandatory disclosure, documentation should be
on file which included dated correspondence or copies of
dated forms demonstrating: (a) that the disclosure
requirement is mandatory; (b) that the record-keeping
system was established prior to January 1, 1975; (c) that
no substantial changes in such systems have taken place
since that time; and (d) that the use or uses the number
is put to remain substantially unchanged. In general, if
these conditions cannot be met, disclosure of the Social
Security Number must be on a voluntary basis.
2. The University may not deny to any individual any right,
benefit, or privilege provided by law because of that
individual's refusal to disclose his/her Social Security
Number, unless:
a. The disclosure is required by law (as in the case of
forms used to record income and withholding e.g.,
Form W-4, Employee's Federal-State Withholding
Allowance Certificate), or
b. The University system of records which requires the
Social Security Number was in existence and operating
before January 1, 1975, the disclosure is required by
law or University procedure in effect prior to that
date, and in order to verify the identity of an
individual.
C. New Record Systems:
A new University record system (i.e., exclusive of State or
Federal law requirements) may be established using the Social
Security Number as an identifier only, if at collection, the
individual is notified that disclosure is voluntary.
D. Employee ID Number versus Social Security Number:
The use of the Social Security Number as an employee identifier
is limited to payroll purposes, unless the filing system was in
place prior to January 1, 1985. An employee's identification
number for non-payroll purposes is the six-digit number found
in the lower left of their PAF form (MPP=).
III. ATTACHMENT:
A. Sample Notices for Collection of the Social Security Number.
Please direct questions about these policies to Meta.Clow@vcadmin.ucsb.edu. For questions or comments regarding the format of the above information, please contact webcontact@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu.
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Last Modified By: EBH, 7/09/98