[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 229 (Friday, November 28, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66913-66915]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-29686]


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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, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, effective October 1, 1995. The 
information collection packages that may be included in this notice are 
for new information collections, approval of existing 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,

[[Page 66914]]

 New Executive Building, Room 10235, 725 17th St., NW, Washington, DC 
20503, Fax: 202-395-6974.
(SSA), Social Security Administration, DCFAM, Attn: Reports Clearance 
Officer, 1338 Annex Building, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235, 
Fax: 410-965-6400.

    I. The information collections listed below are 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.
    1. Certificate of Support--20 CFR 404.408a, 404.370, and 404.750--
0960-0001. The information collected by form SSA-760-F4 is used to 
determine whether a deceased worker provided one-half support required 
for entitlement to Social Security parent's or spouse's benefits. The 
information will also be used to determine whether the Government 
pension offset would apply to the applicant's benefit payments. The 
respondents are parents of deceased workers or spouses who may be 
subject to Government pension offset.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 18,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 4,500 hours.
    2. Notice Regarding Substitution of Party Upon Death of Claimant--
20 CFR 404.957(c)(4) and 416.1457(c)(4)--0960-0288. When a claimant for 
Social Security or Supplemental Security Income benefits dies while a 
request for a hearing is pending, the hearing will be dismissed unless 
an eligible individual makes a written request to SSA showing that he 
or she would be adversely affected by the dismissal of the deceased's 
claim. An individual may satisfy this requirement by completing an HA-
539. SSA uses the information collected to document the individual's 
request to be made a substitute party for a deceased claimant, and to 
make a decision on whom, if anyone, should become a substitute party 
for the deceased. The respondents are individuals requesting hearings 
on behalf of deceased claimants for Social Security benefits.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 10,548.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 879 hours.
    3. Request to Resolve Questionable Quarters of Coverage (QC); 
Request for QC History Based on Relationship--0960-0575. Form SSA-512 
is used by States to request clarification from SSA on questionable QC 
information. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity 
Reconciliation Act states that aliens admitted for lawful residence who 
have worked and earned 40 qualifying QCs for Social Security purposes 
can generally receive State benefits. Form SSA-513 is used by States to 
request QC information for an alien's spouse or child in cases where 
the alien does not sign a consent form giving permission to access his/
her Social Security records. QCs can also be allocated to a spouse and/
or to a child under age 18, if needed, to obtain 40 qualifying QCs for 
the alien. The respondents are State agencies that require QC 
information in order to determine eligibility for benefits.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Burden Information                   SSA-512    SSA-513
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Respondents.............................    200,000    350,000
Frequency of Response.............................          1          1
Average Burden Per Response (minute)..............          2          2
Estimated Annual Burden (hours)...................      6,667     11,667
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4. International Direct Deposit--31 CFR 210-0960-NEW. SSA uses the 
information collected on the International Direct Deposit (IDD) Form, 
SSA-1199 (Country), to enroll beneficiaries residing abroad in the IDD 
program. There are currently 39 countries where IDD is now available, 
and SSA plans to expand this service to other countries as it becomes 
available. The SSA-1199 (Country) is named according to the country for 
its intended use, but will always request the same basic enrollment 
information. This form is a variation of the SF-1199 A, Direct Deposit 
Sign-Up Form, which is used to enroll a beneficiary in direct deposit 
to a U.S. financial institution. The respondents are beneficiaries 
living in a foreign country that request Direct Deposit to a financial 
institution in their country of residence.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 5,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 417 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 
packages by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer at 410-965-0454, 
or by writing to the address listed above.
    1. Annual Earnings Test Direct Mail Follow-Up Program Notices--20 
CFR 404.452-455--0960-0369. In 1997, as part of the initiative to 
reinvent government, SSA began to use the information 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. As a result, beneficiaries under full 
retirement age (FRA) complete forms SSA-L9778-SM-SUP, SSA-L9779-SM-SUP 
and SSA-L9781-SM under this information collection. With the passage of 
the Senior Citizen Freedom to Work Act of 2000, the annual earnings 
test (AET) at FRA was eliminated. As a result, SSA designed two new 
Midyear Mailer Forms, SSA-L9784-SM and SSA-L9785-SM, to request an 
earnings estimate (in the year of FRA) for the period prior to the 
month of FRA. Social Security benefits may be adjusted based on the 
information provided and this information is needed to comply with the 
law. Consequently, the Midyear Mailer program has become an even more 
important tool in helping SSA to ensure that Social Security payments 
are correct. Respondents are beneficiaries who must update their 
current year estimate of earnings, give SSA an estimate of earnings for 
the following year and an earnings estimate (in the year of FRA) for 
the period prior to the month of FRA.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 225,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 37,500 hours.
    2. Application for Lump Sum Death Payment--20 CFR 404.390-404.392--
0960-0013. The information collected on form SSA-8 by SSA is required 
to authorize payment of a lump-sum death benefit to a widow, widower, 
or children as defined in Section 202(i) of the Social Security Act. 
The respondents are widows, widowers or children who apply for a lump-
sum death payment.

[[Page 66915]]

    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 43, 850.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 7,308 hours.
    3. Petition To Obtain Approval Of A Fee For Representing A Claimant 
Before the Social Security Administration--20 CFR Subpart R, 404.1720, 
404.1725, Subpart F, 410.686b, Subpart O, 416.1520 and 416.1525--0960-
0104. A representative of a claimant for Social Security benefits must 
file either a fee petition or a fee agreement with SSA in order to 
charge a fee for representing a claimant in proceedings before SSA. The 
representative uses Form SSA-1560 to petition SSA for authorization to 
charge and collect a fee. A claimant may also use the form to agree or 
disagree with the requested fee amount or other information the 
representative provides on the form. SSA uses the information to 
determine a reasonable fee that a representative may charge and collect 
for his or her services. The respondents are claimants, their attorneys 
and other persons representing them.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 34, 624.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Average Burden: 17,312 hours.
    4. Student Statement Regarding School Attendance--20 CFR 404.351-
352, 404.367-.368--0960-0105. The information collected on Form SSA-
1372 is needed to determine whether children of an insured worker are 
eligible for benefits as a student. The respondents are student 
claimants for Social Security benefits and their respective schools.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 200,000.
    Number of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 33,333 hours.
    5. Application of Circuit Court Law--20 CFR 404.985 and 416.1485--
0960-0581. SSA regulations at 20 CFR 404.985 and 416.1485 inform 
claimants of their right to request that a published Acquiescence 
Ruling (AR) be applied to a prior determination when we make a 
determination or decision on a claim between the date of the Circuit 
Court decision and the date we publish the AR. The regulations also 
specify that claimants can request that the AR be applied to a prior 
determination or decision by submitting a statement that demonstrates 
how the AR could change the prior determination or decision. SSA will 
use the information provided in the statement to readjudicate the claim 
if the claimant demonstrates the Ruling could change the prior 
determination. The respondents are claimants whose determinations or 
decisions on their claims may be affected by an AR.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved collection.
    Number of Respondents: 100,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 17 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 28,333 hours.

    Dated: November 21, 2003.
Elizabeth A. Davidson,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 03-29686 Filed 11-26-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P