[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 160 (Monday, August 20, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46529-46531]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-16232]


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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, faxed or e-mailed 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, E-mail address: [email protected].
(SSA), Social Security Administration, DCBFM, Attn: Reports Clearance 
Officer, 1333 Annex Building, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235, 
Fax: 410-965-6400, E-mail address: [email protected].

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. Incorporation by Reference of Oral Findings of Fact and 
Rationale in Wholly Favorable Written Decisions (Bench Decision 
Regulation)--20 CFR 404.953 and 416.1453--0960-0694. Sections 20 CFR 
404.953 and 416.1453 of our regulations state that if an Administrative 
Law Judge makes a wholly favorable oral decision for a claimant of 
Title II or Title XVI payments at an administrative appeals hearing, 
and if this oral decision includes all findings and the rationale for 
the decision, the records from the oral hearing preclude the need for a 
written decision. This is known as the incorporation-by-reference 
process. These regulations also state that if the involved parties want 
a record of the oral decision, they may submit a written request for 
these records.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 2,500.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 208 hours.
    2. Request for Proof(s) from Custodian of Records--20 CFR 404.703, 
404.704, 404.720, 404.721, 404.723, 404.725, & 404.728--0960-NEW. SSA 
prepares the SSA-L707 for individuals who need help in obtaining 
evidence of death, marriage, or divorce in connection with claims for 
benefits. The information collected on the SSA-L707 is used to request 
and receive the needed evidence. The respondents are custodians of 
records including statistics and religious entities, coroners, funeral 
directors, attending physicians, state agencies, etc.
    Type of Request: Information Collection in Use Without an OMB 
Number.
    Number of Respondents: 600.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 100 hours.
    3. Request for Evidence from Doctor or Hospital--20 CFR 404 Subpart 
I and 20 CFR 416 Subpart P--0960-0722. Claimants are required to 
provide medical evidence of their impairment(s) in pursuing a 
disability claim. SSA uses these forms to request medical evidence from 
sources (doctors and hospitals) where the claimant has been treated, 
seen or otherwise evaluated. The respondents are doctors and hospitals 
where the claimant has been evaluated.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Responses: 400,000.

[[Page 46530]]

    Estimated Annual Burden: 100,000 hours.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                              Average burden
              Form type                   Number of         Frequency of       per response    Estimated  annual
                                         respondents          response          (minutes)       burden  (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Request for Evidence from a Doctor               10,000                 20                 15             50,000
 (J1)...............................
Request for Evidence from a Hospital             10,000                 20                 15             50,000
 (J2)...............................
                                     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals..........................             20,000  .................  .................            100,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4. Request for School Records--20 CFR 416.906, 416.913, 416.946--
0960-0721. School records are pertinent evidence in a childhood claim 
for disability benefits. Administrative law judges use this form to 
request that evidence. This letter will be used to request school 
records from the school(s) which the claimant has attended for evidence 
relative to the claimant's impairments or ability to do age-appropriate 
activities. The respondents are the school(s) which the claimant has 
attended.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 10,000.
    Frequency of Response: 6.
    Average Burden Per Response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 30,000 hours.
    5. Sheltered Workshop Wage Reporting--0960-NEW.

Collection Background

    Section 1612(1)(C) of the Social Security Act (the Act) and 
regulations at 42 U.S.C. 1382a define remuneration received for 
services performed in a sheltered workshop as earned income for the 
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. The amount of monthly wages 
determines an individual's SSI benefit amount.

Collection Description

    SSA has maintained a working relationship with sheltered workshops 
since the inception of the SSI program. Most workshops report monthly 
wage totals to the local SSA office so that the client's SSI check is 
adjusted timely and overpayments are prevented. While participation of 
the workshop is strictly voluntary, they are highly motivated to report 
the wages because it provides a service to their clients. Sheltered 
Workshop reporting reduces the number of overpayments to SSI 
recipients. Processing these wage reports electronically reduces the 
cost of administering the program. SSA uses the information collected 
to verify and post monthly wages to the SSI recipient's record. 
Respondents are sheltered workshops that report monthly wages for 
services performed in the workshop.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 1,000.
    Frequency of Response: 12.
    Average Burden per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 1,000 hours.
    6. Letter to Custodian of Birth Records/Letter to Custodian of 
School Records--20 CFR 404.704, 404.716, 416.802, and 422.107--0960-
0693. SSA prepares the SSA-L106 and SSA-L706 for individuals who need 
help in obtaining evidence of their age in connection with Social 
Security number card applications and claims for benefits. SSA also 
uses the SSA-L706 to determine the existence of primary evidence of age 
for Social Security Number (SSN) applicants, and SSA uses both letters 
to verify with the issuing entity, when necessary, the authenticity of 
the record submitted by the SSN applicant or claimant. The respondents 
are schools, state and local bureaus of vital statistics, and religious 
entities.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 7,200.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 1,200 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. Function Report--Child: Birth to 1st Birthday (SSA-3375), Age 1 
to 3rd Birthday (SSA-3376), Age 3 to 6th Birthday (SSA-3377), Age 6 to 
12th Birthday (SSA-3378), and Age 12 to 18th Birthday (SSA-3379)--20 
CFR 416.912--0960-0542. State Agency adjudicative teams use the 
information gathered by these forms in combination with other medical 
functional evidence to form a complete picture of a child's ability to 
function. This information is used to help determine if a child is 
disabled, especially in cases in which disability cannot be found on 
medical grounds alone. The respondents are applicants for Title XVI 
childhood disability benefits and their caregivers.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 550,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 20 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 183,333 hours.
    2. Annual Registration Statement Identifying Separated Participants 
With Deferred Benefits, Schedule SSA--0960-0606. Schedule SSA is a form 
filed annually as part of a series of pension plan documents required 
by section 6057 of the Internal Revenue Service Code. Administrators of 
pension benefit plans are required to report specific information on 
future plan benefits for those participants who left plan coverage 
during the year. SSA maintains the information until a claim for Social 
Security benefits has been approved. At that time, SSA notifies the 
beneficiary of his/her potential eligibility for payments from the 
private pension plan. The respondents are administrators of pension 
benefit plans or their service providers employed to prepare the 
Schedule SSA on behalf of the pension benefit plan. Below are the 
estimates of the cost and hour burdens for completing and filing 
Schedule SSA(s). We have used an average to estimate the hour burden. 
However, the burden may be greater or smaller depending on whether the 
respondent is a large or small pension benefit plan and how many 
Schedule SSA's are filed in a given year.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 88,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 2.5 hours.

[[Page 46531]]

    Estimated Annual Burden: 220,000 hours.
    Estimated Annual Cost Burden for All Respondents: $12,194,400.

    Dated: August 14, 2007.
Elizabeth A. Davidson,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
 [FR Doc. E7-16232 Filed 8-17-07; 8:45 am]
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