[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 73 (Friday, April 16, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18955-18956]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-9481]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and 
Comment Request

    In compliance with Public Law 104-13, the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995, SSA is providing notice of its information collections 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 the 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 this publication. You can 
obtain a copy of the collection instruments by calling the SSA Reports 
Clearance Officer on (410) 965-4145, or by writing to him at the 
address listed at the end of this publication.
    1. Application for Mother's or Father's Insurance Benefits-0960-
0003. The information collected on form SSA-5 is used by the Social 
Security Administration to determine an applicant's eligibility for 
mother's or father's insurance benefits. The respondents are 
individuals who wish to file an application for such benefits.
    Number of Respondents: 50,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Average Burden: 12,500 hours.
    2. Missing and Discrepant Wage Reports Letter and Questionnaires--
0960-0432. SSA uses the information on Forms SSA-L93, SSA-95 and SSA-97 
to secure the employer information now missing from its records (or 
discrepant with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) records) by contacting 
the involved employers. When secured, SSA will be able to properly post 
the employee's earnings records. Compliance by employers with SSA 
requests will facilitate proper posting of employee's wage records. SSA 
will make two efforts to obtain wage information from the employer, 
before the case is turned over to the IRS for penalty assessments. The 
respondents are employers with missing or discrepant wage reports.
    Number of Respondents: 360,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Average Burden: 180,000 hours.
    3. Medical Report on Adult with Allegation of Human Immune 
Deficiency Virus (HIV) Infection and Medical Report on Child with 
Allegation of HIV Infection 0960-0500. SSA uses Forms SSA-4814-F5 and 
SSA-4815-F6 to obtain information from a medical source concerning an 
individual who has filed for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 
disability benefits with an allegation of HIV infection. The 
information is necessary for SSA field office personnel to determine 
whether the individual meets the requirements for a presumptive 
disability payment. The respondents are medical sources of individuals 
who apply for SSI disability benefits.

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                                                       SSA-4814-F5                         SSA-4815-F6
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Number of Respondents...................  46,200...............................  12,900.
Frequency of Response...................  1....................................  1.
Average Burden Per Response.............  10 minutes...........................  10 minutes.
Estimated Average Burden................  7,700 hours..........................  2,150 hours.
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    4. Self-Employment--Cooperative Officer Questionnaire--0960-0487. 
Form SSA-4184 is used by SSA to develop earnings and to corroborate the 
claimant's allegations of retirement when the claimant is self-employed 
or a corporate officer. The respondents are self-employed individuals 
and corporate officers.
    Number of Respondents: 50,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 20 minutes.
    Estimated Average Burden: 16,667 hours.
    5. Annual Earnings Test--Direct Mail Follow-Up Program Notices 
(``Mid-Year Mailer'')--0960-0369. As part of the effort to reinvent 
government, in 1997, SSA began to use the information

[[Page 18956]]

reported on W-2's and self-employment tax returns to adjust benefits 
under the earnings test rather than have beneficiaries make a separate 
report, which often showed the same information. Since SSA eliminated 
the annual report forms, the Mid-Year Mailer (Forms SSA-L9778, SSA-
9779, SSA-9781) has become an even more important tool in helping us to 
ensure the correct payment of Social Security benefits. The Mid-Year 
Mailer is used by beneficiaries to update their current year estimate 
of earnings and to give SSA an estimate of earnings for the following 
year.
    Number of Respondents: 400,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Average Burden: 66,667 hours.
    II. The information collection listed below has been submitted to 
OMB for clearance. Written comments and recommendations on the 
information collection 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 at the end of this publication. You can obtain a copy of the OMB 
clearance package by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer on (410) 
965-4145, or by writing to him.
    Application for Benefits Under a U.S. International Social Security 
Agreement--0960-0448. The information collected on form SSA-2490 is 
used by SSA 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.
(SSA Address)
Social Security Administration, DCFAM, Attn: Frederick W. Brickenkamp, 
6401 Security Blvd., 1-A-21 Operations Bldg., Baltimore, MD 21235
(OMB Address)
Office of Management and Budget, OIRA, Attn: Lori Schack, New Executive 
Office Building, Room 10230, 725 17th St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20503

    Dated: April 12, 1999.
Frederick W. Brickenkamp,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 99-9481 Filed 4-15-99; 8:45 am]
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