[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 77 (Monday, April 21, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21400-21403]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-8358]


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

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

    The Social Security Administration (SSA) publishes a list of 
information collection packages requiring 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. 
This notice includes 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. Mail, e-mail or 
fax your comments and recommendations on the information collection(s) 
to the OMB Desk Officer and the SSA Reports Clearance Officer

[[Page 21401]]

to the addresses or 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].
    SSA has submitted the information collections listed below. Your 
comments on the information collections will be most useful if OMB and 
SSA receive them within 30 days from the date of this publication. You 
can request a copy of the information collections by e-mail, 
[email protected], fax 410-965-6400, or by calling the SSA Reports 
Clearance Officer at 410-965-0454.
    1. Social Security Number Verification Services--20 CFR 401.45--
0960-0660. Under Internal Revenue Service regulations, employers are 
obligated to provide wage and tax data to SSA using Form W-2 or its 
electronic equivalent. As part of this process, the employer must 
furnish the employee's name and Social Security number (SSN). The 
employee's name and SSN must match SSA's records for the employee's 
earnings to be posted properly to their Earnings Record, which SSA 
maintains.
    To assure employers provide accurate name and SSN data that match 
SSA's records, SSA offers several cost-free methods for employers to 
verify the information as follows: (1) Internet-based service, known as 
the Social Security Number Verification Service (SSNVS), where the 
employer can verify if the reported names and SSNs of their employees 
match SSA's records; (2) the Employee Verification Service (EVS), 
where, after registering (a one-time process), employers can verify, 
via paper and telephone if the reported name and SSN of their employees 
matches SSA's records; (3) through SSA's National 800 Number, using a 
new automated telephone employee verification service (TNEV) that 
allows authenticated callers, who have a pin and password for this 
process, to verify employee names and SSNs.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                     Number of     Frequency of      Number of      burden per     Total annual
       Verification system          respondents      response        responses       response     burden (hours)
                                                                                     (minutes)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EVS.............................          50,000              16         800,000              10         133,333
EVS One-Time Registration.......              50               1              50               2               2
SSNVS...........................         200,000              60      12,000,000               5       1,000,000
TNEV............................           5,798              60         347,880               9          52,182
                                 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................         255,848  ..............      13,147,930  ..............       1,185,517
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. Cessation or Continuance of Disability or Blindness 
Determination and Transmittal--20 CFR 404.1512, 404.1588-1599, 
404.1615--0960-0442. SSA uses the information collected on the SSA-833-
C3/U3 to determine whether individuals receiving Title II disability 
benefits continue to be unable to engage in substantial gainful 
activity and are still eligible to receive benefits. The respondents 
are State Disability Determination Services employees.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 190,507.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 95,254 hours.
    3. Continuing Disability Review Report--20 CFR 404.1589, 416.989--
0960-0072. SSA uses the information collected on Form SSA-454-BK to 
determine whether an individual who receives Social Security disability 
benefits continues to be disabled. The SSA-454-BK updates the record of 
the disabled individual, providing information on recent medical 
treatment, vocational and educational experience, work activity, and 
evaluations of work potential for adults. It also collects information 
on the ability of Title XVI children to function without marked and 
severe limitations. Based on the responses provided, SSA obtains 
medical and other evidence to determine whether disability, as defined 
by the Social Security Act, continues or has ended, and, if so, when 
the disability ended. SSA conducts a continuing disability review (CDR) 
when a disabled individual's medical reexamination diary matures, or 
when SSA receives a report of medical improvement. The number of CDRs 
done each fiscal year depends on the number of maturing diaries, 
reports of medical improvement and SSA budget constraints. The 
respondents are recipients of benefits based on disability under Title 
II and/or Title XVI of the Social Security Act.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 398,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 60 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 398,000 hours.
    4. Information Collections conducted by State DDSs on Behalf of 
SSA--20 CFR, subpart P, 404.1503a, 404.1512, 404.1513, 404.1514 
404.1517, 404.1519; 20 CFR subpart Q, 404.1613, 404.1614, 404.1624; 20 
CFR subpart I, 416.903a, 416.912, 416.913, 416.914, 416.917, 416.919 
and 20 CFR subpart J, 416.1013, 416.1024, 416.1014--0960-0555. The 
State Disability Determination Services (DDSs) collect certain 
information to administer the Social Security Disability Insurance 
(SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. They collect 
consultative examination (CE) medical evidence, CE credentials and 
Medical Evidence of Record (MER) from medical sources. The DDSs collect 
information from claimants regarding medical appointments and pain/
symptoms. The respondents are medical providers, other sources of MER 
and disability claimants.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    The total combined burden is 1,803,810 hours.

CE Collections

    There are two collections from CE providers: (a) medical evidence 
about claimants, which DDSs use to make disability determinations when 
the claimant's own medical sources cannot or will not provide the 
required information; and (b) when CE providers offer proof of their 
credentials.
    (a) Medical Evidence From CE Providers

[[Page 21402]]



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per       Estimated
                                                    respondents      response        response      annual burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paper Submissions...............................       1,215,000               1              30         607,500
Electronic Records Express (ERE) Submissions....         285,000               1              15          71,250
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................       1,500,000              --              --         678,750
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (b) CE Credentials

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per       Estimated
                                                    respondents      response        response      annual burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paper Submission................................           3,000               1              20           1,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    There are two CE claimant collections: (a) CE claimant completion 
of a response form in which claimants indicate if they intend to keep 
their CE appointment; and (b) CE claimant completion of a form 
indicating whether they want a copy of the CE report sent to their 
doctor.
    (a) Claimants re Appointment Letter

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per       Estimated
                                                    respondents      response        response      annual burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paper Submission................................         750,000               1               5          62,500
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (b) Claimants re Report to Medical Provider

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per       Estimated
                                                    respondents      response        response      annual burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paper Submission................................       1,500,000               1               5         125,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MER Collections

    The DDSs collect MER from the claimant's medical sources to 
determine a claimant's physical and/or mental status, prior to making a 
disability determination.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per       Estimated
                                                    respondents      response        response      annual burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paper Submissions...............................       2,480,800               1              15         620,200
Connect Direct (CD), (electronic transfer)......         218,400               1              15          54,600
ERE.............................................         100,800               1               7          11,760
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
Submission......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
    Total.......................................       2,800,000              --              --         686,560
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pain/Other Symptoms Information from Claimants

    The DDSs use information about pain/symptoms to determine how pain/
symptoms affect the claimant's ability to do work-related activities, 
prior to making a disability determination.

[[Page 21403]]



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per       Estimated
                                                    respondents      response        response      annual burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paper Submission................................       1,000,000               1              15         250,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    5. Function Report--Adult--Third Party--20 CFR 404.1512, 416.912--
0960-0635. SSA needs the information collected on the SSA-3380-BK to 
make determinations on SSI and SSDI claims. This information is 
necessary for case development and adjudication, and DDS evaluators use 
it as an evidentiary source in the disability evaluation process. The 
respondents are third parties familiar with the functional limitations 
(or lack thereof) of claimants who apply for SSDI benefits and SSI 
payments.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 1,000,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 60 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 1,000,000 hours.
    6. Function Report--Adult--20 CFR 404.1512 and 419.912--0960-0681. 
SSA uses Form SSA-3373 to collect information about a disability 
applicant's impairment-related limitations and ability to function. It 
documents the types of information specified in SSA regulations and 
provides disability interviewers with a convenient means to record 
information about how the claimant's condition affects his or her 
ability to function. This information, together with medical evidence, 
forms the evidentiary basis for the initial disability process. The 
respondents are SSDI and SSI applicants.
    Type of Request: Revision to an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 4,005,367.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 60 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 4,005,367 hours.

    Dated: April 14, 2008.
Elizabeth A. Davidson,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
 [FR Doc. E8-8358 Filed 4-18-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P