[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 187 (Thursday, September 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55584-55586]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-22642]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed 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 a revision to an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    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 ways 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 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].

    The information collection below is pending at SSA. SSA will submit 
it to OMB within 60 days from the date of this notice. Therefore, your 
comments would be most helpful if you submit them to SSA within 60 days 
from the date of this publication. Individuals can obtain copies of the 
collection instrument by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer at 
410-965-0454 or by writing to the e-mail address listed above.

1. Accelerated Benefits Demonstration Project--0960-0747

Background

    In early 2007, SSA obtained OMB approval for the Accelerated 
Benefits Demonstration Project. This multi-phase study, conducted by 
SSA's research contractors and health care experts, will assess if 
providing new Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) recipients 
with health care and other benefits would stabilize or improve their 
health and help them return to work early. In this long-term study, 
SSA's contractor divided new SSDI recipients into three

[[Page 55585]]

groups: (1) A control group who would receive just regular SSDI 
benefits; (2) a treatment group who would receive immediate access to 
health care benefits; and (3) a treatment group who would receive 
health care benefits and additional care management, employment, and 
benefits services and support.

Update/Current Information Collection Request (ICR)

    Having conducted baseline and 6-month follow-up surveys with the 
three participant groups, SSA is now ready to move on to the next phase 
of the study: a 12-month followup survey. This ICR is for the 12-month 
followup survey, which we plan to conduct beginning in March 2009. We 
will use telephone interviews for the survey, with in-person followup 
for non-responders as necessary. We will attempt to contact all 2,000 
participants and expect to complete followup interviews with 1,600 of 
them (80 percent). The survey is intended to explore participants' 
experiences after one year in the program, which will provide initial 
data on the effects of the health care and ``heath care plus'' 
treatments. The respondents are SSDI beneficiaries participating in the 
Accelerated Benefits Demonstration Project.

Burden Data for 12-Month Follow-Up Survey

    Type of Request: Revision to an existing OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 1,600.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 45 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 1,200 hours.

2. SSI Notice of Interim Assistance Reimbursement (IAR)--0960-0546

    Section 1631(g) of the Social Security Act authorizes SSA to 
reimburse a state or local interim assistance reimbursement (IAR) 
agency from an individual's initial retroactive Supplemental Security 
Income (SSI) payment for assistance the IAR agency gave the individual 
for meeting basic needs while an SSI claim was pending or SSI benefits 
were suspended or terminated. Under the IAR process, agencies are 
required to conduct an evaluation to determine if the applicant is 
disabled or employable. There are individual state general assistance 
requirements that the claimant must meet for IAR benefits. If the 
claimant meets these requirements, the IAR agency and the claimant 
enter into an agreement. Claimants also sign an authorization with an 
IAR agency to allow SSA to repay the IAR agency for funds paid in 
advance prior to eligibility approval. To be eligible for IAR benefits, 
the claimant must file or have filed an SSI claim.
    Agencies who wish to enter into an IAR agreement with SSA must meet 
the following requirements:
    (a) Reporting Requirements. Each IAR agency agrees to: (1) Notify 
SSA of receipt of authorization for new IAR claims and submit a copy of 
that authorization; (2) inform SSA of the amount of reimbursement; (3) 
submit a written request for dispute resolution on a determination; (4) 
notify SSA of interim assistance rendered (through the SSA-8125 and 
SSA-L8125, or electronically); (5) inform SSA of any deceased claimants 
who participate in the IAR program; and (6) review and sign an 
agreement with SSA.
    (b) Recordkeeping Requirements: The IAR agencies agree to retain 
all notices, agreement, authorizations, and accounting forms for the 
period defined in the IAR agreement for the purposes of SSA verifying 
transactions covered under the agreement.
    (c) Third Party Disclosure Requirements: Each participating IAR 
agency must agree to send written notices from the IAR agency to the 
recipient regarding payment amounts.
    (d) Periodic Review of Agency Accounting Process: The IAR agency 
must make available for SSA review and verification the IAR accounting 
records of paid cases. SSA conducts an onsite review of the 
authorization forms, notices to the claimant and accounting forms. Upon 
completion of the review, SSA provides a written report of findings to 
the IAR agency director.
    SSA is currently in the process of automating the IAR process. SSA 
completed Phase 1 of the automated process, called eIAR, in June 2008 
by creating a database that will allow real-time updates for IAR cases. 
Phase 2 (targeted for 2009) will eliminate the paper Forms SSA-8125 and 
SSA-L8125-F6. SSA will receive and send all exchanges of information 
through electronic mail (email) and a secure Internet site. The eIAR 
process will store IAR agency accounting and SSA payment data for use 
by SSA regional office staff for auditing the IAR agency records. The 
IAR agency will have access to IAR information (past and present) for 
their purposes. Respondents are IAR agencies.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

                                             Reporting Requirements
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                                                                                      Average
                                     Number of     Frequency of      Number of      burden per       Estimated
         Type of request            respondents      response        responses       response     annual  burden
                                                                                     (minutes)     hours (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notification of Receipt of                    11           8,856          97,416               1           1,624
 Authorization (Electronic
 Process).......................
Submission of Copy of                         26             792          20,592               3           1,030
 Authorization (Manual Process).
Notification to SSA of Amount of              39             577          22,503              30          11,252
 Reimbursement..................
Request for Determination--                    2               1               2              15               1
 Dispute Resolution.............
Form SSA-8125...................              39           1,282          49,998              10           8,333
Form SSA-L8125-F6...............              39           1,282          49,998              10           8,333
eIAR Process....................              39           2,564          99,996               8          13,333
Notification to SSA of Deceased               20               2              40              15              10
 Claimant.......................
Review/Signing Agreements.......              39               1              39            * 12            468
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* Hours.


[[Page 55586]]


                                           Recordkeeping Requirements
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                                                                                      Average
                                     Number of     Frequency of      Number of      burden per       Estimated
                                    respondents      response        responses       response     annual  burden
                                                                                     (minutes)         hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maintenance of Authorization                  39           3,189         124,371               3           6,219
 Forms..........................
Maintenance of Accounting Forms               39           3,189         124,371               3           6,219
 and Notices....................
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                                                           Third Party Disclosure Requirements
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                                                                                                                Average
                                                               Number of     Frequency of      Number of      burden per       Estimated
                                                              respondents      response        responses       response     annual  burden
                                                                                                               (minutes)         hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Written Notice From IAR Agency to Recipient Regarding                   39             576          22,464               7           2,621
 Amount of Payment........................................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                  Periodic Review of Agency Accounting Process
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                     Number of     Frequency of      Number of      burden per       Estimated
                                    respondents      response        responses       response     annual  burden
                                                                                      (hours)          hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Retrieve and Consolidate                      12               1              12               3              36
 Authorization and Accounting
 Forms..........................
Participate in Periodic Review..              12               1              12              16             192
Correct Administrative and                     6               1               6               4              24
 Accounting Discrepancies.......
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                                               Total Administrative Burden
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                Average        Estimated
                                                               Number of     Frequency of      Number of      burden per    annual  burden
                                                              respondents      response        responses       response          hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals................................................              39  ..............         611,820  ..............          59,695
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    Date: September 18, 2008.
Elizabeth A. Davidson,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-22642 Filed 9-24-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P