[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 78 (Monday, April 25, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21263-21265]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8180]


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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 Public Law 
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; 
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. Record of SSI Inquiry--20 CFR 416.345--0960-0140.
    Form SSA-3462 is completed by SSA personnel via telephone or 
personal interview, and it is used to determine potential eligibility 
for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The respondents are 
individuals who inquire about SSI eligibility for themselves or someone 
else.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 2,134,100.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 177,842 hours.
    2. The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program--20 CFR 
411.160-.730--0960-0644.

[[Page 21264]]

    The Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency program allows individuals 
with disabilities who are receiving disability payments to work towards 
decreased dependence on government cash benefits programs without 
jeopardizing their benefits during the transition period to employment. 
The program allows disability payment recipients to choose a provider 
from an employment network (EN), who will guide these beneficiaries in 
obtaining, regaining, and maintaining self-supporting employment. 20 
CFR 411.160-.730 of the Code of Federal Regulations discusses the rules 
governing this program. The respondents are individuals entitled to 
Social Security benefits based on disability or individuals entitled to 
SSI based on disability; program managers; EN contractors; and State 
vocational rehabilitation agencies.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                    Estimated
          CFR sections               Number of        Frequency  of       Average burden  per     annual burden
                                    respondents          response         response  (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
411.140(c), [X-refer sections             70,000  2/year...............  60...................           140,000
 411.145, 411.150, 411.325(a),
 (b), (c), & (d), 411.320(f)].
411.325(e), [X-refer section              70,000  12/year..............  60...................           840,000
 411.395(b)].
411.325(f), [X-refer section              60,000  1/year...............  5....................             5,000
 411.395(a)].
411.190 (a), [X-refer section                250  1/year...............  30...................               125
 411.195].
411.220(a)(1)...................              55  Varies...............  30...................                28
441.245(b)(1)...................          12,000  1....................  1....................               200
411.325(d)......................              25  1....................  480..................               200
411.365.........................              82  1....................  240..................               328
411.575, [X-refer section                  6,000  1....................  30...................             3,000
 411.500].
411.605(b), [X-refer section              27,000  Varies...............  5....................             2,250
 411.610].
411.435(c)......................             100  Once.................  60...................               100
411.615.........................           1,000  Once.................  60...................             1,000
411.625.........................              50  Once.................  60...................                50
411.210(b)......................           2,000  Once.................  30...................             1,000
411.590(b)......................             100  Once.................  60...................               100
411.655.........................               1  Once/year............  120..................                 2
411.200.........................             150  1/monthly............  15...................               450
                                 ----------------                                              -----------------
    Total annual respondents....         248,813  .....................  Total annual burden             993,833
                                                                          hours.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Total Estimated Annual Burden: 993,833 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. Help America Vote Act--0960-NEW.

Background

    On October 29, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law H.R. 
3295, the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002, which mandates the 
verification of newly registered voters. HAVA places certain 
requirements upon SSA in terms of verifying information to be used for 
each State's voter registration process. SSA's role in HAVA is defined 
in Section 303 of the law. Section 303 requires each State to implement 
a computerized statewide voter registration list and to verify voter 
information with the State motor vehicle administration (MVA) records, 
or if none exist, with SSA records.

HAVA Information Collection

    Individuals registering to vote must provide their driver's license 
number to the State election agency. If they have no driver's license 
or State-issued identity card they must supply the last four digits of 
the Social Security number (SSN). The State election agency will 
forward the new registrant name, date of birth, and the last four 
digits of the SSN to the State MVA.
    SSA requires State MVAs to use the American Association of Motor 
Vehicle Administrations (AAMVA) as a consolidation point for data 
transfer.
    The data, as input by the MVA, routes the applicant's information 
to the AAMVA network hub. AAMVA forwards the transaction to SSA's HAVA 
verification system. The result will be returned from SSA to the AAMVA 
hub for distribution to the State MVA.
    The respondents to the HAVA collection are the various State MVAs 
responsible for verifying voter registration information.
    Type of Request: New Information Collection.
    Number of Respondents: 50 State MVAs.
    Total Annual Responses: *1,000,000.
    Average Burden per Response: 2 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 33,333 hours.

[*The actual number of responses per State will vary based on 
population. Therefore, the total number of responses is based on 
data of new voter applications received by all 50 States in 1999-
2000.]

    2. Public Understanding Measurement System (PUMS)--0960-0612.
    As required by Section 2(b) of the Government Performance and 
Results Act, which provides that Agencies establish the means for 
measuring their progress in achieving agency-level goals, SSA 
established the PUMS in 1998 as a tool for measuring its performance in 
meeting its strategic objectives in the area of public knowledge about 
and understanding of the Social Security program. The instrument used 
in PUMS is a national phone survey of adult Americans (age 18 and over) 
conducted annually for SSA by a professional polling organization. The 
PUMS survey instrument is designed to collect knowledge data from key 
populations toward which SSA has targeted education and outreach 
programs. Additionally, the survey is intended to assure a valid 
knowledge measure for key populations at the national level. This 
information is a crucial step in making SSA more focused and effective

[[Page 21265]]

in its communication programs. The respondents are randomly selected 
adults residing in the United States.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 1,400.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 350 hours.
    3. Railroad Employment Questionnaire--20 CFR 404.1401, 
404.1406-.1408--0960-0078.
    SSA uses form SSA-671 to secure sufficient information to effect 
the required coordination with the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) for 
Social Security claims processing. It is completed whenever claimants 
give indications of having been employed in the railroad industry. The 
respondents are applicants for Social Security benefits, who have had 
railroad employment, or dependents of railroad workers.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 125,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 10,417 hours.
    4. Statement of Income and Resources--20 CFR 416.207, 416.301-.310, 
416.704 and 416.708--0960-0124.
    The information collected on form SSA-8010-BK is used in 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 resources must be considered in determining the 
eligibility of SSI claimants or beneficiaries.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 341,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 26 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 147,767 hours.
    5. Government Pension Questionnaire--20 CFR 404.408a--0960-0160.
    The Social Security Act and the Code of Federal Regulations provide 
that an individual receiving spouse's benefits and concurrently 
receiving a Government pension, based on the individual's own earnings, 
may have the Social Security benefit amount reduced by two-thirds of 
the pension amount. The data collected on form SSA-3885 is used by SSA 
to determine if the individual's Social Security benefit will be 
reduced, the amount of the reduction, and if one of the exceptions in 
20 CFR 404.408a applies. The respondents are individuals who are 
receiving, or will receive, Social Security spouse's benefits and also 
receive their own Government pension.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 76,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 12.5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 15,833 hours.
    6. Teacher Questionnaire (SSA-5665-BK); Request for Administrative 
Information (SSA-5666-BK)--20 CFR 416.924a and 20 CFR 404.1520--0960-
0646.
    If an individual who is claiming disability under Title XVI or 
Title II is currently, or has recently been, in an education program, 
SSA must obtain information about his or her functioning from teachers, 
instructors, and other education personnel who have the opportunity to 
observe the individual on a day-to-day basis. Educational programs are 
an important source of evidence and often provide formal assessment 
results and other kinds of information from a variety of disciplines. 
Evidence obtained from educational programs varies a great deal, 
however, in format, content, reliability, and usefulness. The need 
exists, therefore, for an information collection instrument that will 
assure a degree of uniformity and consistency in the quantity and 
quality of information received about a claimant's (or beneficiary's/
recipient's) impairment-related limitations.

SSA-5665-BK

    Type of Request: Revision of OMB-approved information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 557,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 20 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 185,667 hours.

SSA-5666

    Type of Request: Revision of OMB-approved information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 555,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 138,750 hours.

    Dated: April 19, 2005.
Elizabeth A. Davidson,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 05-8180 Filed 4-22-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P