[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 216 (Tuesday, November 9, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61169-61171]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-29238]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
[[Page 61170]]
I. The information collection listed below will be submitted to OMB
within 60 days from the date of this notice. Therefore, comments and
recommendations regarding the information collection 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 instrument 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. Work Activity Report--Employee-0960-0059. The information on
form SSA-821-BK will be used by the Social Security Administration
(SSA) to obtain work information from beneficiaries in face-to-face
interviews, telephone interviews, or by mail during the initial claims
process, during the continuing disability review process, and whenever
a work issue arises in Supplemental Security Income claims. The purpose
of the SSA-821-BK is to collect information concerning whether
beneficiaries have worked in employment after becoming disabled and, if
so, whether that work is substantial gainful activity. The information
will be used to determine if the recipient continues to meet the
disability requirements of the law.
Number of Respondents: 300,000.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: 45 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 225,000 hours.
II. The information collections listed below have been submitted to
OMB for clearance. Written comments and recommendations on the
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 at the end of this publication. You can obtain a copy of the OMB
clearance packages by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer on
(410) 965-4145, or by writing to him.
1. Referral System for Vocational Rehabilitation Providers 0960--NEW
Background
In 1996 the Social Security Administration (SSA) initiated an
innovative expansion of its vocational rehabilitation (VR) referral and
payment program. Under this program, SSA pays VR providers for the
costs of VR services provided to disability beneficiaries, if such
services result in the individual going to work at a specified earnings
level for at least nine months. Throughout this project, SSA has
expanded its VR program to increase the base of providers who are
available to serve people with disabilities. By increasing this base,
more people will be able to get the services they need to go to work,
become independent of the benefit rolls, and thus achieve savings to
SSA's trust funds.
In September 1997, SSA contracted with Birch & Davis Associates,
Inc. (B&D), to provide management support to its expanded VR referral
and payment program. This contract is for a three-year demonstration
project known as the Referral System for Vocational Rehabilitation
Providers (Project RSVP). SSA continues to be responsible for awarding
Alternate Participant (AP) contracts to VR providers, determining the
appropriateness of claims submitted by APs, and reimbursing APs for the
costs of their services if the requirements for payment are met.
B&D supports SSA's efforts by marketing to and recruiting VR
providers, training providers on SSA's VR program requirements, and
operating an Information and Referral System to link providers with
beneficiaries. In addition, B&D will conduct surveys of beneficiaries
and APs to determine customer satisfaction and to identify program
areas requiring improvement.
Information Collection
In support of the RSVP project, SSA will conduct semi-annual
voluntary information collections of both AP's and Beneficiaries/
Recipients (B/R). The data collection effort will be conducted in
survey format and has four goals:
1. To help program administrators understand the reasons for
varying levels of satisfaction with the program; 2. To help program
administrators understand the potential causes for varying levels of
success of the program; 3. To guide program change; and 4. If
necessary, to plan continuation of the program after the initial trial
period.
Through these voluntary surveys, SSA will collect three types of
data:
1. Descriptive data that describe the B/R and data that describe
the APs' vocational rehabilitation practice that are not available and
are necessary to evaluate respondents' satisfaction in the context of
their actual experience; 2. Quantitative data on B/R and AP
satisfaction with the program; and 3. Free-text comments by B/Rs and
APs regarding their experience with the program.
The data will be aggregated for all B/Rs and for all APs. A semi-
annual report will be generated for SSA. The information will be used
by AP program administrators at SSA and by B&D project management
staff. The respondents will be SSI/SSDI beneficiaries and APs under
contract with SSA to provide vocational rehabilitation services to
beneficiaries.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average Estimated
Number of Frequency burden per annual
Survey form respondents of response response burden
(minutes) (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Survey for APs who have submitted claims.................... 12 2 20 8
Survey for APs who have not submitted a claim............... 314 2 20 210
Survey for B/Rs who have signed a Rehabilitation or 44 2 20 30
Employment Plan............................................
Survey for B/Rs who have not signed a Rehabilitation or 2,000 2 20 1,334
Employment Plan............................................
---------------------------------------------------
Total Annual Burden Hours Requested..................... ........... ........... ........... 1,582
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Statement of Income and Resources--0960-0124. The information
collected by the Social Security Administration on Form SSA-8010 is
necessary in the SSI eligibility/payment process. Information about the
income and resources of ineligible spouses/parents/children and
sponsors of aliens is used in the ``Deeming'' process. ``Deeming'' is
the attribution of another's income to an eligible individual/child/
alien. The respondents are ineligible spouses, parents, and children
who live in the same household as an eligible individual/child, and
sponsors of aliens.
Number of Respondents: 355,000.
Frequency of Response: 1.
[[Page 61171]]
Average Burden Per Response: 25 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 147,917 hours.
3. Public Law 105-306, Noncitizen Benefit Clarification and Other
Technical Amendments Act of 1998 provided that nonqualified aliens who
were receiving SSI on August 22, 1996 would remain eligible for SSI as
long as all other requirements for eligibility were met (e.g., income
and resources, etc.). Section 416.1618 of the Code of Federal
Regulations require nonqualified aliens to give SSA certain evidence
which proves that they are lawfully admitted to the United States, in
order to qualify for SSI benefits. Aliens who are alleging Permanent
Residence Under Color Of Law (PRUCOL) must present evidence of their
status at the time of application for SSI benefits and periodically
thereafter. The respondents are nonqualified aliens who apply for or
receive SSI benefits.
Number of Respondents: 9,000.
Frequency of Response: Annually.
Average Burden Per Response: 5 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 750 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: November 3, 1999.
Frederick W. Brickenkamp,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 99-29238 Filed 11-8-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-U