[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 180 (Monday, September 18, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54705-54708]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-15281]


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

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, 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. Application for Lump Sum Death Payment--20 CFR 404.390-404.392--
0960-0013. The Social Security Administration (SSA) needs the

[[Page 54706]]

information collected on Form SSA-8-F4 to authorize payment of the 
lump-sum death payment (LSDP) to a widow, widower, or children as 
defined in Section 202(i) of the Act. Respondents are applicants for 
LSDP.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 587,000.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 93,187 hours.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Number of
               Collection method                  respondents       Estimated completion time      Burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personal Interview (Modernized Claims System).         557,650  9-10 minutes....................         88,2950
Paper.........................................          29,350  10 minutes......................           4,892
                                               ----------------                                  ---------------
    Totals....................................         587,000  ................................          93,187
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. Pre-1957 Military Service--Federal Benefit Questionnaire--20 CFR 
404.1301-404.1371--0960-0120. Sections 217(a) through (e) of the Social 
Security Act provide for the crediting of military service before 1957 
to the wage earner's record. Form SSA-2512 collects specific 
information about other Federal, military or civilian benefits the wage 
earner may receive when the applicant indicates both pre-1957 military 
service and the receipt of Federal benefits. This data is then used in 
the claims adjudication process to grant gratuitous military wage 
credits when applicable. This form is used to solicit sufficient 
information to make a determination of eligibility. Respondents are 
applicants for Social Security benefits on a record where the wage 
earner has pre-1957 military service.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 5,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 833 hours.
    3. Prisoner Matching Agreements--20 CFR 404.468 and 20 CFR 416.211 
--0960-NEW.

Collection Background

    Section 202(x) of the Social Security Act (the Act) and regulations 
at 20 CFR 404.468 preclude a person from receiving a benefit under 
title II for any month during which such individual is confined in a 
jail, prison, or other penal institution or correctional facility 
pursuant to his conviction of a criminal offense or because he/she is 
not-guilty by reason of insanity. Accordingly, Section 1611(e) of the 
Social Security Act and regulations at 20 CFR 416.211, provide that no 
person shall be an eligible individual or eligible spouse for title XVI 
with respect to any month if throughout such month he is an inmate of a 
public institution.

Prisoner Matching Collection Activity

    To enforce these provisions of the Act, SSA has entered into 
agreements with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, along with State and 
local correctional facilities and certain mental health institutions, 
to submit monthly prisoner reports to SSA. SSA matches these reports 
against our files to identify incarcerated individuals receiving Social 
Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments and take 
action to suspend their payments. SSA uses the reports of confinement 
as the basis for stopping payments under titles II & XVI. The 
respondents to the collection are State and local correctional 
facilities, the Federal Bureau of Prisons and certain mental health 
institutions that have entered into prisoner matching agreements with 
SSA.
    Type of Request: Collection in use without OMB Control Number.
    Number of Respondents: 3,000.
    Frequency of Response: 12.
    Average Burden per Response: 60 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 36,000 hours.
    4. Fugitive Felon Matching Agreements--20 CFR 404.471 and 
416.1339--0960-NEW.

Collection Background

    Sections 202(x) and 1611(e)(4) of the Social Security Act provides 
that a person may not receive a benefit under title II and will not be 
eligible under title XVI for any month he or she is avoiding 
prosecution for a felony, is avoiding confinement or conviction of a 
felony, or is violating a condition of probation or parole. In 
jurisdictions that do not define crimes as felonies this nonpayment/
ineligibility applies to any crime that is punishable by death or 
imprisonment for more than one year, regardless of the actual sentence 
imposed.

Fugitive Felon Matching Collection Activity

    To enforce these provisions of the Act, SSA has entered agreements 
with the FBI's National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the U.S. 
Marshall Service, 21 individual States, Washington DC, and four 
metropolitan law enforcement agencies under which these law enforcement 
agencies submit outstanding felony and parole/probation violator 
warrants to SSA. SSA uses the reports of outstanding warrants as the 
basis for stopping payments under titles II & XVI. The respondents to 
the collection are the Federal, State and local law enforcement 
agencies that have entered into Fugitive Felon matching agreements with 
SSA.
    Type of Request: Collection in use without OMB Control Number.
    Number of Respondents: 28.
    Frequency of Response: * 7.
    Average Burden per Response: 60 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 196 hours.


    * Please Note: Seven responses per respondent is the average 
frequency of reporting. The actual response rate per respondent 
varies based on the individual need to report.


    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. Application for Widow's or Widower's Insurance Benefits--20 CFR 
404.335-404.338, 404.603--0960-0004. SSA uses the information collected 
on the SSA-10-BK to determine whether the applicant meets the statutory 
and regulatory conditions for entitlement to widow(er)'s Social 
Security Title II benefits. The respondents are applicants for widow's 
or widower's insurance benefits.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 341,560.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 82,686 hours.

[[Page 54707]]



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Number of
               Collection method                  respondents       Estimated completion time      Burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personal Interview (Modernized Claims System).         324,482  14-15 minutes...................          78,416
Paper.........................................          17,078  15 minutes......................           4,270
                                               ----------------                                  ---------------
    Totals....................................         341,560  ................................          82,686
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. Waiver of Right to Appear--Disability Hearing--20 CFR 404.913-
404.914, 404.916(b)(5), 416.1413-416.1414, 416.1416(b)(5)--0960-0534. 
The SSA-773-U4 is used by claimants or their representatives to 
officially wave the right to appear at a disability hearing. The 
disability hearing officer uses the signed form as a basis for not 
holding a hearing and for preparing a written decision based solely on 
the evidence of the record. The respondents are claimants for 
disability under Titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act, or their 
representatives, who wish to officially waive their right to appear at 
a disability hearing.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 200.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 3 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 10 hours.
    3. Childhood Disability Evaluation Form--20 CFR 416.924(g)--0960-
0568. The information collected on the SSA-538-F6 is used by SSA and 
the State Disability Determination Services (DDSs) to record medical 
and functional findings concerning the severity of impairments of 
children claiming SSI benefits based on disability. The SSA-538-F6 is 
used for initial determinations of SSI eligibility; appeals; and in 
initial continuing disability reviews. The respondents are DDSs which 
make disability determinations on behalf of SSA under Title XVI of the 
Social Security Act.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 750,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 25 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 312,500 hours.
    4. Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements 
with Institutions of Higher Learning, Hospitals and Other Non-Profit 
Organizations--20 CFR 435--0960-0616. The information contained in 20 
CFR 435 of the Code of Federal Regulations provides SSA's standards in 
the administration of grants and agreements awarded to institutions of 
higher learning, hospitals, other non-profit and/or commercial 
organizations. It provides administrative guidelines and reporting, 
recordkeeping and disclosure requirements for applicable recipients of 
grants and agreements. Respondents are applicants and recipients for 
grants and agreements with SSA.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 196.
    Number of Responses: 697.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 12,871 hours.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                           Number of                                burden per       Estimated
              Section No.                  responses     Frequency of  response      response      annual burden
                                                                                      (hours)         (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
435.21 Rec-kp.........................               1  N/A.....................              40              40
435.23 Rec-kp.........................             143  Quarterly (4)...........               1             572
435.25 Rpt............................             157  Biannually (2)..........               4           1,256
435.33 Rpt............................               1  Annually (1)............               1               1
435.44 Rpt............................               1  Annually (1)............               2               2
435.51 Rpt............................             196  Quarterly (4)...........              12           9,408
435.53 Rec-kp.........................             196  Annually (1)............               8           1,568
435.81 Rpt............................               1  Annually (1)............              16              16
435.82 Rpt............................               1  Annually (1)............               8               8
                                       ----------------                          -------------------------------
    Total.............................             697  ........................  ..............          12,871
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    5. Medical Consultant's Review of Physical Residual Functional 
Capacity Assessment--20 CFR 404.1545-.1546, 404.1640, 404.1643, 
404.1645, 416.945-.946--0960-0680. The SSA-392 is used by SSA's 
regional review component to facilitate the medical consultant's review 
of the Physical Residual Functional Capacity Assessment form (PRFC). 
The SSA-392 records the reviewing medical consultant's assessment of 
the PRFC prepared by the adjudicating component. The medical consultant 
only completes an SSA-392 when the adjudicating component's RFC is in 
the claims file. The SSA-392 is required for each PRFC completed. 
Respondents are medical consultants who review the adjudicating 
component's completion of the PRFC for quality purposes.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 256.
    Frequency of Response: 359.
    Number of Responses: 91,904
    Average Burden per Response: 12 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 18,380 hours.
    6. Special Benefits for Certain World War II Veterans--20 CFR 408, 
Subparts G, H, I, J & L--0960-0683. Title VIII of the Social Security 
Act, Special Benefits for Certain World War II Veterans (SVB), allows, 
under certain circumstances, the payment of SVB to qualified veterans 
who reside outside the United States. The accompanying regulations set 
out the requirements an individual must meet in order to establish 
continuing eligibility to, and insure correct payment amount of, SVB 
and/or State recognition payments. Additionally, they provide 
requirements that a State must meet in order to elect, modify, or 
terminate a Federal agreement. The respondents are individuals who 
receive Title VIII SVB, and/or States that elect

[[Page 54708]]

Federal administration of their recognition payments.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 22 hours.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per       Estimated
                   Section No.                      respondents      response        response      annual burden
                                                                                     (minutes)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sec.   408.704-.714.............................               1               1              60            1
Sec.   408.802(b)...............................               5               1              15            1.25
Sec.   408.814..................................               5               1              15            1.25
Sec.   408.820(c)...............................               5               1              15            1.25
Sec.   408.923(b)...............................               1               1              60            1
Sec.   408.931(b) & Sec.   408.932(d)...........               1               1              60            1
Sec.   408.932(c)...............................               2               1              15             .50
Sec.   408.932(e)...............................               2               1              15             .50
Sec.   408.941(b) & Sec.   408.942..............               2               1              15             .50
Sec.   408.944(a)...............................               2               1              30            1
Sec.   408.1000(a)..............................               1               1              60            1
Sec.   408.1007; Sec.   408.1009(a)-(b).........               1               1              60            1
Sec.   408.1009(c)..............................               1               1              60            1
Sec.   408.1210(c)-(d)..........................               1               1             120            2
Sec.   408.1215.................................              10               1              15            2.50
Sec.   408.1230.................................              20               1              15            5.00
                                                 ----------------                                ---------------
    Totals......................................              60                                           22
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: September 11, 2006.
Elizabeth A. Davidson,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
 [FR Doc. E6-15281 Filed 9-15-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P