[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 14, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1880-1883]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-678]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and 
Comment Request

    The Social Security Administration (SSA) publishes a list of 
information collection packages that will require clearance by the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with Pub. L. 104-13 
effective October 1, 1995, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The 
information collection packages that may be included in this notice are 
for new information collections, revisions to OMB-approved information 
collections and extensions (no change) of OMB-approved information 
collections.
    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. Written comments 
and recommendations regarding the information collection(s) should be 
submitted to the OMB Desk Officer and the SSA Reports Clearance 
Officer. The information can be mailed and/or faxed to the individuals 
at the addresses and fax numbers listed below:

(OMB) Office of Management and Budget, Attn: Desk Officer for SSA, New 
Executive Office Building, Room 10235, 725 17th St., NW., Washington, 
DC 20503. Fax: 202-395-6974.

(SSA) Social Security Administration, DCFAM, Attn: Reports Clearance 
Officer, 1300 Annex Bldg., 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235. 
Fax: 410-965-6400.
    I. The information collection listed below is pending at SSA and 
will be submitted to OMB within 60 days from the date of this notice. 
Therefore, your comments should be submitted to SSA within 60 days from 
the date of this publication. You can obtain copies of the collection 
instruments by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer at 410-965-
0454 or by writing to the address listed above.
    Statement of Income and Resources--0960-0124. The information 
collected on form SSA-8010-BK is used in Supplemental Security Income 
(SSI) claims and redeterminations to obtain information about the 
income and resources of: Ineligible spouses, parents/spouses of 
parents, and children living in the claimant's/beneficiary's household; 
essential persons; and sponsors of aliens (including spouses of 
sponsors who live with the sponsor). The information is needed to make 
initial or continuing eligibility determinations for SSI claimants/
beneficiaries who are subject to deeming. If eligible, the information 
is used to determine the amount of the SSI payment. The respondents are 
persons whose income and/or resources must be considered in determining 
the eligibility of SSI claimants or beneficiaries.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 341,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 25 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 142,083 hours.

    II. The information collections listed below have been submitted to 
OMB for clearance. Your comments on the information collections would 
be most useful if received by OMB and SSA within 30 days from the date 
of this publication. You can obtain a copy of the OMB clearance package 
by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer at 410-965-0454, or by 
writing to the address listed above.
    1. Internet Social Security Disability Report--Child--20 CFR 
404.1512 and

[[Page 1881]]

416.912--0960-NEW. SSA is developing an Internet Social Security 
Disability Report--Child. This Internet application, I3820, will 
collect information about a child who is applying for disabled child's 
benefits. It will solicit the details of the child's condition, how the 
condition affects the child's day-to-day life, and his or her medical 
treatment sources and/or other medical sources of evidence. Respondents 
will provide information on the disabled child by completing a series 
of screens on a personal computer. The information will then be 
transmitted to SSA electronically. However, until such time as SSA 
develops an acceptable electronic signature process and implements a 
Disability Determination Services (DDS) electronic disability process, 
applicants will also print, sign and mail a text formatted summary of 
the answers given on I3820. They will also print, sign and mail copies 
of the medical release form (SSA-827). The information collected on 
I3820 will be used by the State DDS's to develop medical evidence and 
to assess the alleged disability. The respondents will be applicants 
for child's disability benefits who opt to file via the Internet.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 52,300.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 2 hours.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 104,600 Hours.

    2. Work Activity Report--Employee--0960-0059. Form SSA-821-BK 
collects information that determines whether individuals have worked in 
employment after becoming disabled and, if so, whether the work is 
substantial gainful activity. The data is reviewed and evaluated to 
determine if the recipient continues to meet the disability 
requirements of the law. The respondents are title II beneficiaries and 
title XVI recipients.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 300,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 45 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 225,000 hours.

    3. Permanent Residence Under Color of Law--20 CFR, Subpart P, 
416.1615 and 416.1618--0960-0451. Under Public Law (Pub. L.) 104-193, 
effective August 22, 1996, a noncitizen must be a ``qualified alien'' 
and meet certain additional requirements in order to be eligible for 
SSI. This law also established an exception to the new requirements for 
certain ``nonqualified aliens'' (i.e., noncitizens who are not 
qualified aliens) who were receiving SSI on August 22, 1996. The 
exception allowed nonqualified aliens to remain on the rolls until 
September 30, 1997, at which time benefits would be suspended if the 
aliens had not acquired qualified alien status. Pub. L. 105-33 extended 
the suspension date to September 30, 1998, and Pub. L. 105-306, enacted 
October 28, 1998, provided that nonqualified aliens who were receiving 
SSI on August 22, 1996, would remain eligible after September 30, 1998, 
as long as other requirements were met (e.g., income and resources, 
etc.). SSI eligibility for this group of aliens, ``grandfathered 
nonqualified aliens,'' would continue to be determined based on the 
rules governing alien eligibility in effect prior to August 22, 1996, 
i.e., the PRUCOL standard. Under this standard, PRUCOL aliens must 
present evidence of their status to SSA at the time of application and 
periodically thereafter. SSA will verify the validity of the evidence 
of PRUCOL aliens with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). 
Based on the INS response, SSA will determine whether the individual is 
eligible for SSI payments. The respondents are alien applicants for and 
recipients of SSI payments.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 9,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 750 hours.

    4. Instructions for Completion of Federal Assistance Application--
0960-0184. The information on form SSA-96 will be used to assist the 
Commissioner in selecting grant proposals for funding based on their 
technical merits. The information will also assist in evaluating the 
soundness of the design of the proposed activities, the possibilities 
of obtaining productive results, the adequacy of resources to conduct 
the activities and the relationship to other similar activities that 
have been or are being conducted. The respondents are State and local 
governments, State-designated protection and advocacy groups, colleges 
and universities and profit and nonprofit private organizations.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 200.
    Frequency of Response: 8.
    Average Burden Per Response: 14 hours.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 22,400 hours.

    5. Certificate of Election for Reduced Spouse's Benefits--0960-
0398. SSA uses the information on the certificate of election, 
collected on form SSA-25, as the spouse's request for reduced benefits 
for the month of filing, and for months preceding the month of filing, 
as designated by the spouse (but not to exceed 12 months). The spouse 
must file a certificate of election with SSA to elect reduced benefits, 
if an entitled spouse (age 62-64) no longer has an entitled child in 
care. The respondents are individuals or households.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 30,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 2 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 1,000 hours.

    6. Annual Registration Statement Identifying Separated Participants 
with Deferred Benefits, Schedule SSA--0960-0606. Schedule SSA is a form 
filed annually as part of a series of pension plan documents required 
by section 6057 of the IRS Code. Administrators of pension benefit 
plans are required to report specific information on future plan 
benefits for those participants who left plan coverage during the year. 
SSA maintains the information until a claim for Social Security 
benefits has been approved. At that time, SSA notifies the beneficiary 
of his/her potential eligibility for payments from the private pension 
plan. The respondents are administrators of pension benefit plans or 
their service providers employed to prepare the schedule SSA on behalf 
of the pension benefit plan. Below are the estimates of the cost and 
hour burdens for completing and filing schedule SSA(s). We have used an 
average to estimate the hour burden. However, the burden may be greater 
or smaller depending on whether the respondent is a large or small 
pension benefit plan and how many schedule SSA's are filed in a given 
year.
    Type of request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 88,000.
    Frequency of Response: Annually.
    Average Burden Per Respondent: 2.5 hours.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 220,000 hours.
    Estimated Annual Cost Burden for All Respondents: $12,194,400.

    7. Internet Report of Continuing Disability Interview--20 CFR 
404.1589 and 20 CFR 416.989--0960-NEW.

[[Page 1882]]

Background

    The Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA) of 1998 directed 
Federal agencies to develop electronic service delivery instruments as 
an alternative to traditional paper-based methods. As a result, the 
Social Security Administration is actively expanding its Internet 
services to enable citizens to complete the application process as well 
as to process their requests for post-entitlement transactions online. 
One of the initiatives in this process is the development of the 
Internet version of the current paper-based form entitled Report of 
Continuing Disability Interview, SSA-454-BK, which is used by the 
agency in the continuing disability review (CDR) process.

The Collection

    SSA will use the Internet Report of Continuing Disability Interview 
(I454) to collect information from individuals receiving disability 
benefits or their representatives. The information collected will be 
used to determine whether a person who receives Social Security 
benefits and/or SSI, based on disability or blindness continues to be 
disabled. The report will update the record of the disabled individual, 
providing information on recent medical treatment, vocational and 
educational experiences, work activity and evaluations of the potential 
for return to work. On the basis of the responses, additional medical 
and other evidence is developed to assist SSA in determining whether 
their disability continues or has ended, and if so when the disability 
ended. Respondents to I454 are disabled individuals scheduled for CDRs.
    Type of request: New information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 85,200.
    Frequency of Response: 1 per respondent.
    Average Burden Per Response: 120 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 170,400 hours.

    8. Vocational Rehabilitation ``301'' Program Development--20 CFR, 
404.408, 404.460 & 404.468, Subpart E and 20 CFR, 404.1588, Subpart P-
0960-0282. SSA uses form SSA-4290 to collect information to determine 
whether an individual, whose disability or blindness has ceased, is 
eligible for continued benefit payments because of participation in an 
approved program of vocational rehabilitation services, employment 
services or other support services. The respondents are State 
vocational rehabilitation agencies, other public or private providers 
of vocational rehabilitation services and employment services or other 
support services.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 8,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 2,000 hours.

    9. Medicaid Use Report, 20 CFR 416.268--0960-0267. The information 
required by this regulation is used by SSA to determine if an 
individual is entitled to special SSI payments. The respondents are SSI 
recipients whose payments were stopped based on earnings from work.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 60,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 3 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 3,000 hours.

    10. Statement for Determining Continuing Eligibility for 
Supplemental Security Income Payments--Adult, Form SSA-3988-TEST; 
Statement for Determining Continuing Eligibility for Supplemental 
Security Income Payments--Child, Form SSA-3989-TEST--20 CFR Subpart B--
416.204--0960-0643.

Background

    The Social Security Act mandates periodic redeterminations of the 
non-medical factors that relate to the SSI recipients' continuing 
eligibility for SSI payments. Recent SSA studies have indicated that as 
many as two-thirds of all scheduled redeterminations completed, with 
the assistance of a SSA employee, did not result in any change in 
circumstances that affected payment. Therefore, SSA is planning to 
increase the number of respondents and revise the test methodology of 
the currently approved test forms. The expansion of the test is needed 
to further validate whether the test redetermination process actually 
results in significant operational savings and a decrease in recipient 
inconvenience, while still timely obtaining the accurate data needed to 
determine continuing eligibility through the process.

The Collection

    A test of forms SSA-3988-TEST and SSA-3989-TEST will be used to 
determine whether SSI recipients have met and continue to meet all 
statutory and regulatory non-medical requirements for SSI eligibility, 
and whether they have been and are still receiving the correct payment 
amount. The SSA-3988-TEST and SSA-3989-TEST are designed as self-help 
forms that will be mailed to recipients or to their representative 
payees for completion and return to SSA. The objectives of the expanded 
test are to determine the public's ability to understand and accurately 
complete the test forms. The respondents are recipients of SSI benefits 
or their representatives. In addition, SSA wants to determine the 
public's ability to understand and accurately complete a supplemental 
SSA-3988, which will be directed to a sample of beneficiaries that 
continue to receive Medicaid, but whose earnings from work are too high 
to allow payment of SSI benefits.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                      Average
                                                                   Frequency  of    burden  per      Estimated
                                                    Respondents      response        response     annual  burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-3988-TEST...................................          46,500               1          20 min          15,500
SSA-3988-SUP-TEST2..............................            2000               1          21 min             700
SS-3989-TEST....................................           8,500               1          20 min           2,833
                                                 -----------------
    Total burden................................  ..............  ..............  ..............          19,033
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    11. Letter to Employer Requesting Information about Wages Earned by 
a Beneficiary--20 CFR, Subpart I, 404.801--0960-0034. SSA uses the data 
collected on form SSA-L725 to establish the exact amount of wages 
earned by a beneficiary in situations where the information in SSA 
records is incomplete or has been questioned. The respondents are 
employers of wage earners whose earnings records are incomplete or have 
been questioned.

[[Page 1883]]

    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 150,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 40 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 100,000 hours.

    12. Reporting Changes that Affect Your Social Security Payment--20 
CFR 404, Subpart D and Subpart E--0960-0073. SSA uses the information 
collected on form SSA-1425 to determine continuing entitlement to title 
II Social Security benefits and to determine the proper benefit amount. 
The respondents are Social Security beneficiaries who need to report an 
event that could affect payments.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 70,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 5,833 hours.

    13. Report of New Information in Disability Cases--20 CFR 404, 
Subpart D & Subpart P--0960-0071. The information collected on form 
SSA-612 is used to update the disability records of respondents, based 
on changes reported. The form is used to gather information on a number 
of topics that can affect the beneficiary's or the applicant's 
entitlement to disability benefits. This includes, but is not limited 
to, information about a return to work, improvement in the medical 
condition, Workers' Compensation settlements or representative payee 
issues. The respondents are applicants for and recipients of Title II 
Disability Benefits.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 27,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 2,250 hours.

    Dated: January 7, 2003.
Elizabeth A. Davidson,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 03-678 Filed 1-13-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P