[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 24 (Friday, February 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5850-5851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-2738]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and 
Comment Request

    In compliance with PL. 104-13, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
SSA is providing notice of its information collection packages that 
require submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). SSA is 
soliciting comments on the accuracy of the agency's burden estimate; 
the need for the information; its practical utility; ways to enhance 
its quality, utility and clarity; and on ways to minimize burden on 
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    I. The information collections listed below will be submitted to 
OMB within 60 days from the date of this notice. Therefore, comments 
and recommendations regarding these information collections would be 
most useful if received by the Agency within 60 days from the date of 
this publication. Comments should be directed to the SSA Reports 
Clearance Officer at the address listed at the end of the notices.
    1. Application for Benefits Under a U.S. International Social 
Security Agreement--0960-0448. The information collected on form SSA-
2490 is used by the Social Security Administration to determine a 
claimant's eligibility for U.S. Social Security benefits under the 
provisions of an international social security agreement. It is also 
used to take an application for benefits from a foreign country under 
an agreement. The respondents are individuals who are applying for 
benefits from either the United States and/or a foreign country with 
which the United States has an agreement. The United States currently 
has 17 such agreements.
    Number of Respondents: 20,000.
    Frequency of response: 1.
    Average Burden per response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 10,000 hours.
    2. 0960-NEW. Public Law 105-277 authorizes SSA to conduct a 
Medicare buy-in demonstration project to evaluate means to promote the 
Medicare buy-in programs targeted to elderly and disabled individuals 
under titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act. A lack of 
awareness about the Medicare buy-in programs appears to be one of the 
major obstacles to enrollments. Other obstacles to enrollment include 
the confusion of potential eligibles as to how to apply for these 
programs and a preference for dealing with SSA field offices rather 
than with local Medicaid offices.
    SSA will screen respondents voluntarily for potential Medicare Part 
B buy-in eligibility using a screening guide developed for this 
purpose. The screening guide will collect information from SSA 
beneficiaries regarding income, resources, marital status and living 
arrangements and also ask questions about their awareness of Medicare 
Part B buy-in programs. SSA will gather this information to identify 
and overcome obstacles to Medicare Part B buy-in enrollments and to 
screen for potential eligibility for Medicare Part B benefits. The 
demonstration project ends on December 31, 1999.
    Number of Respondents: 130,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 20 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 43,334 hours.
    II. The information collections listed below have been submitted to 
OMB for clearance. Written comments and recommendations on these 
information collections would be most useful if received within 30 days 
from the date of this publication. Comments should be directed to the 
SSA Reports Clearance Officer and the OMB Desk Officer at the addresses 
listed after these notices.
    1. Authorization to Obtain Earnings Data from the Social Security 
Administration--0960-NEW. SSA collects this information when a wage 
earner or a third party requests detailed earnings information 
pertaining to the wage earner from the Social Security Administration. 
The information provided on form SSA-581 is used by SSA to verify the 
authorization to access earnings record data and to produce an itemized 
statement for release to the third party named on the form. The 
information is provided by the wage earner and/or the third party.
    Number of Respondents: 60,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 2 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 2,000 hours.
    2. Organization Profile--0960-NEW. The Social Security 
Administration (SSA) will use the information collected on the 
Organization Profile questionnaire to create a database of third party 
stakeholders. This database will support the delivery of information 
about Social Security programs to these interested parties, and enable 
SSA to target relevant information to those organizations while 
restricting unwanted material. The respondents are community 
organizations, State and

[[Page 5851]]

local government agencies, advocacy groups and community service 
organizations.
    Number of Respondents: 10,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 7 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 1,167 hours.
    You can obtain a copy of the collection instruments or the OMB 
clearance packages by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer on 
(410) 965-4145 or by writing to him at the address below.

(SSA)

Social Security Administration, DCFAM, Attn: Frederick W. Brickenkamp, 
6401 Security Blvd., 1-A-21 Operations Bldg., Baltimore, MD 21235

(OMB)

Attn: Lori Schack, New Executive Office Building, Room 10230, 725 17th 
St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20503

    Dated: February 1, 1999.
Frederick W. Brickenkamp,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 99-2738 Filed 2-4-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4190-29-P