[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 9, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27016-27019]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-6992]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request, 
Comment Request and Correction 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, 1333 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. Certification by Religious Group--20 CFR 404.1075--0960-0093. 
Form SSA-1458 is used to determine if the religious group meets the 
qualifications set out in section 1402(g) of the Internal Revenue Code 
which permits members of certain religious groups and sects to be 
exempt from payment of Self-Employment Contribution Act taxes. The 
respondents are spokespersons for religious groups or sects.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 180.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 45 hours.
    2. Medical Consultant's Review of Mental Residual Functional 
Capacity Assessment--20 CFR 404.1520a, 404.1640, 404.1643, 404.1645, 
416.920a--0960-0678. Form SSA-392-SUP is used by SSA's regional review 
component to facilitate the medical/psychological consultant's review 
of the Mental Residual Functional Capacity Form, SSA-4734-SUP. The SSA-
392-SUP records the reviewing medical/psychological consultant's 
assessment of the SSA-4734-SUP prepared by the adjudicating component 
and also records whether the reviewer agrees or disagrees with the 
manner in which the SSA-4734-SUP was completed. The SSA-392-SUP is 
required for each SSA-4734-SUP form completed. The respondents are the 
256 medical/psychological consultants responsible for reviewing the 
SSA-4734-SUP.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Responses: 45,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 12 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 9,000 hours.
    3. Statement of Self-Employment Income--20 CFR 404.101, 404.110, 
404.1096(a)-(d)--0960-0046. SSA uses the information on Form SSA-766 to 
expedite the payment of benefits to an individual who is self-employed 
and who is establishing insured status in the current year. Respondents 
are self-employed individuals who may be eligible for Social Security 
benefits.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 5,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 417 hours.
    4. Request for Deceased Individual's Social Security Record--20 CFR 
402.130--0960-0665. The SSA-711 is used to process requests from the 
public for a microprint of the SS-5, Application for Social Security 
Card, for a deceased individual. Respondents are members of the public 
who are requesting deceased individuals' Social Security records.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 50,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 7 minutes.

[[Page 27017]]

    Estimated Annual Burden: 5,834 hours.
    5. Request for Business Entity Taxpayer Information--0960-NEW. The 
SSA-1694 will be used to collect information from law firms or other 
business entities that have partners or employees to whom SSA pays fees 
that have been authorized as compensation for the representation of 
claimants before SSA. SSA will collect the name of the firms and/or 
business entities, as well as their addresses and Employer 
Identification Numbers (EIN) to keep a record on file for tax purposes. 
This information will be used to meet any requirement for issuance of a 
Form 1099-MISC. The respondents are law firms or other business 
entities that have partners or employees that are attorneys or other 
qualified individuals who represent claimants before SSA.
    Type of Request: Request for a new information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 1,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 167 hours.
    6. Identifying Information for Possible Direct Payment of 
Authorized Fees--0960-NEW. The SSA-1695 will be used to collect 
information from appointed representatives that will facilitate the 
direct payment of authorized fees related to the representation of 
claimants for benefits before SSA and to issue a Form 1099-MISC, as 
required. The information will also be used to establish a link between 
each claim for benefits and the data that will be collected on the SSA-
1699 and stored on an Appointed Representative Database. Respondents 
are attorneys and other individuals who represent claimants for 
benefits before SSA.
    Type of Request: Request for a new information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 10,000.
    Frequency of Response: 25.
    Number of Responses: 250,000.
    Average Burden Per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 41,667 hours.
    7. Request for Appointed Representative's Direct Payment 
Information--0960-NEW. The SSA-1699 will be used to collect information 
from appointed representatives in order to facilitate the direct 
payment of authorized fees, including the possible use of direct 
deposit to a financial institution. SSA will also use the information 
provided to meet any requirement to issue a Form 1099-MISC when SSA has 
paid the representative aggregate fees of $600 or more in a taxable 
year. Business affiliation information will be used to determine if a 
Form 1099-MISC should be issued to a firm in those situations where the 
representative is associated with a firm as an employee or partner. 
Since the SSA-1699 is used as a registration form for the Appointed 
Representative Database, representatives will only need to fill it out 
once, unless they need to make a change to any of their information. 
This form is used in conjunction with the SSA-1695, which links the 
Appointed Representative Database with the individual claims the 
representatives handle. Respondents are attorneys or non-attorneys 
eligible for direct payment (i.e., have met certain prerequisites 
established by law).
    Type of Request: Request for a new information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 10,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 20 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 3,333 hours.
    8. Statement for Determining Continuing Eligibility, Supplemental 
Security Income Payment--20 CFR, Subpart D, 416.204--0960-0145. SSA 
uses form SSA-8202-BK to conduct low- and middle-error-profile (LEP-
MEP) telephone or face-to-face redetermination (RZ) interviews with 
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients and representative 
payees. The information collected during the interview is used to 
determine whether SSI recipients have met and continue to meet all 
statutory and regulatory requirements for SSI eligibility and whether 
they have been, and are still receiving, the correct payment amount. 
Form SSA-8202-OCR-SM (Optical Character Recognition Self-Mailer) 
collects information similar to that collected on Form SSA-8202-BK. 
However, it is used exclusively in LEP RZ cases on a 6-year cycle.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                                   Frequency of     burden per       Estimated
                      Forms                         Respondents      response        response      annual burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-8202-BK.....................................       1,000,000               1              21         350,000
SSA-8202-OCR-SM.................................         700,000               1              11         128,333
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Total Burden Hours for This Request: 478,333 hours.
    9. Statement for Determining Continuing Eligibility, Supplemental 
Security Income Payment(s)--20 CFR Subpart B, 416.204--0960-0416. SSA 
uses the information collected on form SSA-8203-BK for high-error-
profile (HEP) redeterminations of disability to determine whether SSI 
recipients have met and continue to meet all statutory and regulatory 
requirements for SSI eligibility and whether they have been, and are 
still receiving, the correct payment amount. The information is 
normally completed in field offices by personal contact (face-to-face 
or telephone interview) using the automated Modernized SSI Claim System 
(MSSICS). The respondents are recipients of Title XVI benefits.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 171,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 20 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 57,000 hours.
    10. Request for Internet Services--Authentication; Automated 
Telephone Speech Technology--Knowledge-Based Authentication--20 CFR 
401.45--0960-0596. Individuals and third parties who request personal 
information from SSA records, or register with SSA in order to 
participate in SSA's online business services, are asked to provide 
certain identifying information to verify their identity. As an extra 
measure of protection, SSA asks requestors who use the Internet and 
telephone services to provide additional identifying information unique 
to those services so that SSA can authenticate their identities before 
releasing personal information. The respondents are current 
beneficiaries who are requesting personal information from SSA and/or 
individuals or third parties who are registering for SSA's online 
business services.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

[[Page 27018]]



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                      Forms                          Number of     Frequency of     burden per     Burden hours
                                                    respondents      response        response
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internet Requestors.............................       2,076,138               1  1\1/2\ Minutes          51,903
Telephone Requestors............................         889,488               1  1\1/2\ Minutes          22,237
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals:.....................................       2,965,626  ..............  ..............          74,140
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Annual Burden: 74,140 hours.
    11. Integration Registration Services (IRES) System--20 CFR 
401.45--0960-0626. The IRES System registers and authenticates 
businesses, employers and third parties with SSA, and issues them 
Personal Identification Numbers (PIN). These PINs will be used in the 
place of handwritten signatures on forms, when using SSA's Business 
Services Online. Respondents are employers and third party submitters 
of wage data, business entities providing tax payer identification 
information and other electronic records, and data exchange partners 
conducting business in support of SSA programs.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 460,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 2 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 15,333 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. Letter to Employer Requesting Wage Information--20 CFR 404.726--
0960-0138. The information collected on Form SSA-L4201 is used by SSA 
to collect wage information from employers to establish and/or verify 
wage information for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claimants and 
recipients. Form SSA-L4201 is also used to determine eligibility and 
proper payment for SSI applicants/recipients. The respondents are 
employers of applicants for and recipients of SSI payments.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 133,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 66,500 hours.
    2. The Mental Health Treatment Study (MHTS)--0960-NEW.

Background

    As a result of advances in medical treatment, assistive devices, 
changes in the way those with disabilities are viewed, and legislation 
designed to assure access to employment, SSA is taking on an 
increasingly active role in assisting beneficiaries who want to return 
to work. As a result, SSA plans to develop the MHTS under section 234 
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 434), which gives the 
Commissioner of Social Security the authority to carry out experiments 
and demonstration projects designed to determine the relative 
advantages and disadvantages of interventions that facilitate a 
beneficiary's return to work. Part of the Agency's role involves 
finding ways to promote work and increase independence among disability 
beneficiaries.
    SSA received additional support for this study in February 2001, 
through President Bush's New Freedom Initiative--a comprehensive 
program whose primary goal is to promote the full participation of 
individuals with disabilities in all areas of society. The aim of the 
Initiative is to help Americans with disabilities by increasing their 
access to effective technologies, expanding educational opportunities, 
increasing the ability of Americans with disabilities to integrate into 
the workforce, and promoting increased access into daily community 
life. This initiative provided SSA with the support necessary to 
address the need to expand educational and employment opportunities for 
beneficiaries in an effort to provide supports and services that will 
enable them to maximize their self-sufficiency and potentially enter or 
reenter the workforce.

MHTS Collection

    The MHTS is a randomized study designed to test the degree to which 
eliminating programmatic work disincentives, establishing an accurate 
diagnosis and delivering appropriate mental health and supported 
employment will lead to improved functioning and competitive employment 
among Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries with a 
primary impairment of schizophrenia or affective disorder. Study 
outcomes will assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of the 
intervention, including identification of specific factors within the 
interventions that result in positive employment outcomes. This 
information will enable SSA to further develop ways to improve services 
to current and future beneficiaries. The information will also be used 
to guide any potential changes to program rules to allow for better 
coordination among other Federal and State programs. Interested 
beneficiaries will be initially screened to confirm their ability to 
participate in the study. The actual study is scheduled to be conducted 
over a 2-year period with initial measurement through a baseline 
survey, followed by quarterly progress surveys and a final follow-up 
survey. For study purposes, participants will be divided into two 
groups: (A) Treatment Group and (B) Control Group. The respondents to 
the study are SSDI beneficiaries who meet the study criteria and elect 
to participate.
    Type of Request: New information collection.

Collection Burden Estimate

                                            Initial Screener Surveys
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    Burden per
                  Questionnaire                    Total number      response      Frequency of    Total annual
                                                  of respondents     (minutes)       response      burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Screener........................................           3,050               4               1             203
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 27019]]


                                             Treatment Group Surveys
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    Burden per
                  Questionnaire                    Total number      response      Frequency of    Total annual
                                                  of respondents     (minutes)       response      burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baseline........................................           1,500              30               1             750
Quarterly.......................................           1,500              25               7           4,375
Follow-up.......................................           1,500              20               1             500
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           5,625
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                              Control Group Surveys
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    Burden per
                  Questionnaire                    Total number      response      Frequency of    Total annual
                                                  of respondents     (minutes)       response      burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baseline........................................           1,500              30               1             750
Quarterly.......................................           1,500              10               7           1,750
Follow-up.......................................           1,500              20               1             500
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           3,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                 Total Estimated Burden for All Study Activities
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Number of
                           Participant                               Number of      surveys per    Total annual
                                                                    respondents     respondent     burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Screener Survey.................................................           3,050               1             203
Treatment Group (T).............................................           1,500               9           5,625
Control Group (C)...............................................           1,500               9           3,000
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................           6,050  ..............           8,828
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    III. The information collection listed below has been submitted to 
OMB for clearance. This notice has been previously published, and is 
being republished because changes have been made to the collection's 
burden estimate. Your comments on the information collection would be 
most useful if received by OMB and SSA within 60 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.
    Request for Reconsideration--20 CFR 404.907-404.921, 416.1407-
416.1421, 408.1009--0960-0622. The information collected on Form SSA-
561-U2 is used by SSA to document and initiate the reconsideration 
process for determining entitlement to Social Security benefits (Title 
II), SSI payments (Title XVI), Special Veterans Benefits (Title VIII), 
Medicare (Title XVIII) and for making initial determinations regarding 
Medicare Part B income-related premium subsidy reductions. The 
respondents are individuals filing for reconsideration.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 1,461,700.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 8 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 194,893 hours.

    Dated: May 3, 2006.
Elizabeth A. Davidson,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-6992 Filed 5-8-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P