[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 202 (Thursday, October 19, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61820-61821]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-8770]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Emergency 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 approval of existing information collections and revisions to 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.

    The information collection listed directly below has been submitted 
to OMB for Emergency Clearance. SSA is requesting Emergency Clearance 
from OMB two weeks from the date of publication of this Notice. Your

[[Page 61821]]

comments on the information collection are requested by that date. 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.
    1. Request for Hearing by Administrative Law Judge--20 CFR 404.929, 
404.933, 416.1429, 404.1433, 405.722, 418.1350--0960-0269. SSA uses 
form HA-501 to document when applicants for Social Security benefits 
have their claims denied and want to request an administrative hearing 
to appeal SSA's decision. The scope of this form is now being expanded 
to include people who wish to appeal the decision that has been made 
regarding their obligation to pay a new Income-Related Monthly 
Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) for Medicare Part B, as per the requirements 
of the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003. Although this information 
will be collected by SSA, the actual hearings will take place before 
administrative law judges (ALJ) who are employed by the Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS). The current respondents include 
applicants for various Social Security benefits programs who want to 
request a hearing where they can appeal their denial; the new 
additional respondents are Medicare Part B recipients whom SSA has 
determined will have to pay the new Medicare Part B IRMAA and who wish 
to appeal this decision at a hearing before an HHS ALJ.
    Type of Request: Emergency revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 669,469.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 111,578 hours.
    The information collection listed below has been submitted to OMB 
for clearance. Your comments on the information collection 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 package by 
calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer at 410-965-0454, or by 
writing to the address listed above.
    2. State Supplementation Provisions: Agreement; Payments--20 CFR 
416.2095-416.2098, 416.2099--0960-0240. Section 1618 of the Social 
Security Act contains pass-along provisions of the Social Security 
amendments. These provisions require that States which supplement the 
Federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments also pass along 
Federal cost-of-living increases to individuals who are eligible for 
State supplemental payments. If a State fails to keep payments at the 
required level, it becomes ineligible for Medicaid reimbursement under 
Title XIX of the Social Security Act. In order to make sure the States 
are maintaining the payment levels, they submit their payment amounts 
to SSA. Seven of the participating States may use a total-expenditures 
method, in which they send their total expenditures to SSA four times 
per year to prove that they are maintaining the regulated cost-of-
living increase. The remaining twenty three States send SSA one annual 
report which shows that they have maintained the cost-of-living 
increase as per the regulations. Respondents are State agencies 
administering supplemental programs.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 30.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 51 hours.

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                                                                                                     Estimated
                Reporting method                     Number of     Frequency of   Average burden   annual burden
                                                    respondents      response      per  response      (hours)
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Total Expenditures..............................               7               4              60              28
Maintenance of Payment Levels...................              23               1              60              23
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................              30  ..............  ..............              51
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    Dated: October 12, 2006.
Elizabeth A. Davidson,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 06-8770 Filed 10-18-06; 8:45 am]
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