104 STAT. 1388-352 PUBLIC LAW 101-508—NOV. 5, 1990 SEC. 8053. REQUIREMENT FOR CLAIMANTS TO REPORT SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS; USES OF DEATH INFORMATION BY THE DEPART- MENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS. (a) MANDATORY REPORTING OF SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS.—Section 3001 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: "(c)(1) Any person who applies for or is in receipt of any compensation or pension benefit under laws administered by the Secretary shall, if requested by the Secretary, furnish the Secretary with the social security number of such person and the social security number of any dependent or beneficiary on whose behalf, or based upon whom, such person applies for or is in receipt of such benefit. A person is not required to furnish the Secretary with a social security number for any person to whom a social security number has not been assigned. "(2) The Secretary shall deny the application of or terminate the payment of compensation or pension to a person who fails to furnish the Secretary with a social security number required to be furnished pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection. The Secretary may thereafter reconsider the application or reinstate payment of compensation or pension, as the case may be, if such person furnishes the Secretary with such social security number. "(3) The costs of administering this subsection shall be paid for from amounts available to the Department of Veterans Affairs for the payment of compensation and pension.". (b) REVIEW OF DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES DEATH INFORMATION TO IDENTIFY DECEASED RECIPIENTS OF COM- PENSATION AND PENSION BENEFITS. —(1) Chapter 53 of title 38, United States Code, as amended by section 8051(b), is further amended by adding at the end the following new section: "§3118. Review of Department of Health and Human Services death information "(a) The Secretary shall periodically compare Department of Veterans Affairs information regarding persons to or for whom compensation or pension is being paid with information in the records of the Department of Health and Human Services relating to persons who have died for the purposes of— "(1) determining whether any such persons to whom compensation and pension is being paid are deceased; "(2) ensuring that such payments to or for any such persons who are deceased are terminated in a timely manner; and "(3) ensuring that collection of overpayments of such benefits resulting from payments after the death of such persons is initiated in a timely manner. "(b) The Department of Health and Human Services death information referred to in subsection (a) of this section is death information available to the Secretary from or through the Secretary of Health and Human Services, including death information available to the Secretary of Health and Human Services from a State, pursuant to a memorandum of understanding entered into by such Secretaries. Any such memorandum of understanding shall include safeguards to assure that information made available under it is not used for unauthorized purposes or improperly disclosed.".
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