[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 240 (Monday, December 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69759-69760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-30825]


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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 P.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, 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. Questionnaire About Employment or Self-Employment Outside the 
United States--20 CFR 404.401(b)(1), 404.415, and 404.417--0960-0050. 
The information collected on form SSA-7163 is used by SSA to determine 
whether work performed by beneficiaries outside the United States 
(U.S.) is cause for deductions from their monthly benefits; to 
determine which of two work tests, foreign or regular, is applicable; 
and to determine the months, if any, for which deductions should be 
imposed. The respondents are beneficiaries living and working outside 
the U.S.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 20,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 12 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 4,000 hours.
    2. Beneficiary Interview and Auditor's Observation Form--0960-0630. 
The Beneficiary Interview and Auditor's Observations form, form SSA-
322, collects information that will be used by the SSA's Office of 
Inspector General to interview beneficiaries and/or their caregivers 
and to determine whether representative payees are complying with their 
duties and responsibilities. Respondents to this collection are 
randomly selected Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients and 
Social Security beneficiaries who have representative payees.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 200.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 50 hours.
    3. Site Review Questionnaire for Volume Payees (SSA-637); Site 
Review Questionnaire for Fee-for-Service Payees (SSA-638); Site Review 
Beneficiary Interview Form (SSA-639)--20 CFR 404.2035, 404.2065, 
416.665, 416.701, and 416.708--0960-0633. In situations where a Social 
Security beneficiary is incompetent or physically unable to take care 
of his or her own affairs, SSA may make payment of Social Security and 
SSI benefits to a relative, other person, or organization when the best 
interest of the beneficiary will be served. In certain situations, SSA 
conducts site reviews in order to ensure that payees are carrying out 
their responsibilities in accordance with representative payment 
policies and procedures. This enables SSA to identify poor payee 
performance, to uncover misuse, and to initiate corrective action. 
Triennial site reviews are conducted for fee-for-service payees and all 
volume payees (i.e., organizations serving 100 or more beneficiaries 
and individuals serving 20 or more beneficiaries). The reviews include 
a face-to-face meeting with the payee (and appropriate staff), 
examination/verification of a sample of beneficiary records and 
supporting documentation, and usually include beneficiary (if competent 
adult) or custodian (if different from payee) interviews. Forms SSA-
637, SSA-638, and SSA-639 are used to record the information collected 
during these interviews. The respondents are certain representative 
payees and competent Social Security beneficiaries.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved collection.

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                                                                                          Average     Estimated
                                                               Number of    Frequency    burden per     annual
                     Type of respondent                       respondents  of response    response      burden
                                                                                          minutes       hours
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Volume and Fee-for-Service Payees...........................          680            1           60          680
Beneficiaries...............................................        2,040            1           10          340
    Total...................................................        2,720  ...........  ...........        1,020
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    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

[[Page 69760]]

410-965-0454, or by writing to the address listed above.
    1. Representative Payee Report of Benefits and Dedicated Account--
20 CFR 416.546, 416.635, 416.640, and 416.665--0960-0576. Form SSA-6233 
is used to ensure that the representative payee is using the benefits 
received for the beneficiary's current maintenance and personal needs 
and that the expenditures of funds from the dedicated account are in 
compliance with the law. The respondents are individuals and 
organizational representative payees who are required by law to 
establish a separate (``dedicated'') account in a financial institution 
for certain past-due SSI benefits.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 30,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 20 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 10,000 hours.

    2. Employment Relationship Questionnaire--20 CFR 404.1007--0960-
0040. SSA uses the information collected on Form SSA-7160 to determine 
whether the Social Security number-holder is self-employed or is an 
employee. The respondents are applicants for Social Security benefits 
and/or their employers.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 47,500.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 25 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 19,792 hours.

    3. Continuation of Full Benefit Standard for Persons 
Institutionalized--20 CFR 416.212--0960-0516. SSA is required by law to 
establish procedures for collecting information on whether an SSI 
recipient who becomes institutionalized (e.g. hospital, nursing home) 
is eligible for continued benefits, based on the full federal rate, if 
a physician certifies that he expects the period of medical confinement 
to last no more than 90 days. The individual, or someone acting on his 
behalf, must demonstrate that he needs to pay some or all of the 
expenses of maintaining the home to which he expects to return. The 
respondents are applicants for SSI benefits.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 60,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Average Burden: 5,000 hours.

    Dated: December 8, 2003.
Elizabeth A. Davidson,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 03-30825 Filed 12-12-03; 8:45 am]
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