[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 12 (Thursday, January 17, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3307-3309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-810]


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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 
(Pub. L.) 104-13, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, effective 
October 1, 1995. The information collection packages included in this 
notice are for new 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 how to minimize the 
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.
    Application for a Social Security Card--20 CFR 422.103-.110--0960-
0066. Forms SS-5 (used in the United States) and SS-5-FS (used outside 
the United States) are to apply for original and replacement Social 
Security cards. Revisions are being made to the race/ethnicity question 
of the form to reflect OMB standards; additionally, several other minor 
changes are being made to the form's instructions. The respondents are 
applicants for original and replacement Social Security cards.
    Type of Request: Revision to an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                     Number of
                      Application scenario                            annual        Completion     Burden hours
                                                                    respondents        time
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Respondents who do not have to provide parents' SSNs............      13,000,000          8\1/2\       1,841,667
Respondents who are asked to provide parents' SSNs (for                  540,000               9          81,000
 application for original SSN cards for children under age 18)..
Applicants age 12 or older who need to answer additional                  40,000          9\1/2\           6,333
 questions so SSA can determine whether an SSN was previously
 assigned.......................................................

[[Page 3308]]

 
Applicants asking for a replacement SSN card beyond the                    4,000              60           4,000
 allowable limits (i.e., who must provide additional
 documentation to accompany the application)....................
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................................      13,584,000  ..............       1,933,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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. State Mental Institution Policy Review Booklet--20 CFR 404.2035, 
404.2065, 416.635, & 416.665--0960-0110. SSA uses the information 
collected on Form SSA-9584-BK to determine whether an institution's 
policies and practices conform with SSA's regulations in the use of 
benefits and whether the institution is performing other duties and 
responsibilities required of a representative payee. The information 
also provides a basis for conducting an onsite review of the 
institution and the subsequent report of findings. The respondents are 
State mental institutions which serve as representative payees for 
Social Security beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 
claimants.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 95.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 60 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 95 hours.
    2. Development for Participation in a Vocational Rehabilitation or 
Similar Program--20 CFR 404.316(c), 404.337(c), 404.352(d), 
404.1586(g), 404.1596, 404.1597(a), 404.327, 404.328, and 416.1338(c) 
and (d) 416.1320(d), 416.1331(a)-(b), and 416.1338--0960-0282. SSA 
State Disability Determination Services (DDS) must determine if a 
disability beneficiary who (1) no longer has a disability and (2) is 
enrolled in a vocational rehabilitation program can continue to receive 
Social Security disability benefits and SSI payments. To determine 
continuing eligibility, SSA needs information about the beneficiary, 
the type of program he/she is enrolled in and the types of services the 
beneficiary is receiving under the auspices of that program. SSA uses 
Form SSA-4290 to collect this information. The respondents are State 
Employment Networks, Vocational Rehabilitation agencies or other 
providers of education/job training services.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 3,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 750 hours.
    3. Social Security Statement Survey -0960-NEW.

Background

    As per 42 U.S.C. 1320b-13, SSA is required to provide benefits and 
earnings statements to Social Security number-holders age 25 and over 
who earn wages. This document, provided annually, is called the Social 
Security Statement. In response to a recommendation from the Government 
Accountability Office (GAO), SSA has begun a systematic and regular 
evaluation of customer satisfaction with the Statement. To implement 
the GAO recommendations, SSA has developed a process for evaluating 
customer satisfaction with the Social Security Statement on a 
systematic and routine basis.

Description of Proposed Surveys

    To take the evaluation process one step further, SSA is planning to 
conduct a national survey to monitor and improve customer satisfaction 
with the messages in the 2007 Statement. The 2007 Statement contains 
new Windfall Elimination Provision/Government Pension Offset (WEP/GPO) 
language as mandated by law. There are two versions of the WEP/GPO 
language in the Statement to accommodate different groups of wage-
earners: Those who have an earnings history with both covered and non-
covered earnings under Social Security and those who have only earnings 
covered under Social Security. Each group will receive a Statement with 
WEP/GPO language specific to them and will be surveyed to determine 
their satisfaction.
    Information obtained through this evaluation will help SSA improve 
the Statement as a communications product that meets SSA's goals and 
assures the public is aware of, understands and can act upon the 
information the Statement provides in a timely way. The two groups of 
respondents match the two groups of wage earners.

                                               Burden Information
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per       Estimated
                                                    respondents      response        response      annual burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recipients with covered and non-covered earnings             600               1              10             100
 history........................................
Recipients with covered earnings only...........             600               1              10             100
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................            1200  ..............  ..............             200
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4. Student Reporting Form--20 CFR 404.352(b)(2), 404.368, 404.415, 
404.434, 422.135--0960-0088. SSA uses the information collected by Form 
SSA-1383 to determine the effect of reported events on Social Security 
student beneficiaries' continuing entitlement to these benefits.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 75,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 6 minutes.

[[Page 3309]]

    Estimated Annual Burden: 7,500 hours.
    5. Electronic Death Registration (EDR)--20 CFR 404.301; 404.310-
311; 404.316; 404.330-341; 404.350-352; and 404.371; 416.912--0960-
0700. SSA has contracted with the States to obtain death certificate 
information to compare it to SSA's payment files. This match ensures 
the accuracy of our payment files by detecting unreported or inaccurate 
dates of deaths of beneficiaries. Entitlement to retirement, 
disability, wife's, husband's or parent's benefits under the provisions 
of the Social Security Act terminates when the beneficiary dies.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                   Average cost      Estimated
         Collection format             Number of       Frequency of  responses      per record      annual cost
                                      respondents                                     request         burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State Death Match--Manual Process.              35  50,000 per State............           $0.72      $1,260,000
State Death Match--Electronic                   18  50,000 per State............            2.58       2,322,000
 Death Registration (EDR).
                                   -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.........................              53  ............................  ..............       3,582,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated Annual Cost for all respondents:
    **Please note that both of these data matching processes are 
entirely electronic and there is no hourly burden for the respondent to 
provide this information. The cost burdens are based on the four cost 
components incurred by the respondents:

--Software;
--hardware;
--average annual salaries of database management personnel; and
--average annual salaries of support personnel.

    6. Work Activity Report (Self-Employed Person)--20 CFR 404.1520(b), 
404.1571-404.1576, 404.1584-404.1593, and 416.971-.976--0960-0598. SSA 
uses the information on Form SSA-820-F4 to determine initial or 
continuing eligibility for SSI or Social Security disability benefits. 
Under Titles II and XVI of the Act, applicants for disability benefits 
must prove an inability to perform any kind of Substantial Gainful 
Activity (SGA) generally available in the national economy for which 
they might be expected to qualify on the basis of age, education and 
work experience. SSA needs to secure information about this work to 
ascertain whether the applicant was (or is) engaging in SGA. Work after 
a claimant becomes entitled can cause the cessation of disability 
benefits. SSA needs the information obtained on Form SSA-820-F4 to 
determine if a cessation of benefits should occur. The respondents are 
applicants and claimants for SSI or Social Security disability 
benefits.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 100,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 50,000 hours.
    7. Modified Benefit Formula Questionnaire-Employer--20 CFR 401 & 
402--0960-0477. When a claimant alleges receipt of a pension based on 
non-covered employment after 1956 and the claimant reaches age 62 or 
becomes disabled after 1985, SSA must determine whether the modified 
benefit formula is applicable and when to first apply it to a person's 
benefit. SSA collects information on Form SSA-58 to determine whether 
Social Security benefits should be adjusted. This form will be sent to 
an employer for pension-related information if the claimant is unable 
to provide it. The respondents are certain individuals who are eligible 
for both Social Security benefits and a pension based on work not 
covered by SSA.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 30,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 20 minutes.
    Estimated Average Burden: 10,000 hours.
    8. Disability Determination and Transmittal--20 CFR 404.1615(e), 
416.1015(f)--0960-0437. SSA uses the information collected on Form SSA-
831-C3/U3 to document the State agency determination as to whether an 
individual who applies for disability benefits is eligible for those 
benefits based on his/her alleged disability. SSA also uses the 
information for program management and evaluation. The respondents are 
State DDS adjudicating Title II and Title XVI disability determinations 
for SSA.
    Type of Request: Extension of OMB-approved information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 3,079,916.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Average Burden: 769,979 hours.
    9. Cessation or Continuance of Disability or Blindness 
Determination--20 CFR 404.1615. 416.1015--0960-0443. SSA uses the 
information on Form SSA-832-U3/C3 to document whether an individual's 
disability benefits should be terminated or continued on the basis of 
his/her impairment. The respondents are State DDS employees 
adjudicating Title II and Title XVI disability claims.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 200,753.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 100,376 hours.
    10. Employer Report of Special Wage Payments--20 CFR 404.428-
404.429--0960-0565. SSA gathers the information on Form SSA-131 to 
prevent earnings-related overpayments to Social Security beneficiaries, 
and to avoid erroneous withholding of benefits. The respondents are 
employers who provide special wage payment verification.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 30,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden of Response: 20 minutes.
    Estimated Average Burden: 10,000 hours.

    Dated: January 11, 2008.
Elizabeth A. Davidson,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-810 Filed 1-16-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P