[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 159 (Wednesday, August 19, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41959-41961]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-19905]



[[Page 41959]]

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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 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 and extensions of OMB-approved 
information collections and a new 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, email, or 
fax your comments and recommendations on the information collection(s) 
to the OMB Desk Officer and the SSA Director for Reports Clearance to 
the addresses or fax numbers shown 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: Director, Center 
for Reports Clearance, 1333 Annex Building, 6401 Security Blvd., 
Baltimore, MD 21235, Fax: 410-965-0454, 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. To be sure we 
consider your comments, we must receive them no later than October 19, 
2009. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection instrument by 
calling the SSA Director for Reports Clearance at 410-965-0454 or by 
writing to the email address we list above.
    1. 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 states that supplement the Federal 
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments to 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. SSA uses the information to 
determine a state's eligibility for Medicaid reimbursement. Respondents 
are state agencies administering supplemental programs.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 23.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 60 minutes
    Estimated Annual Burden: 23 hours.
    2. Vocational Rehabilitation Provider Claim--20 CFR 404.2108(b), 
404.2117(c)(1)&(2), 404.2101(b)&(c), 404.2121(a), 416.2208(b), 
416.2217(c)(1)&(2), 416.2201(b)&(c), 416.2221(a)--0960-0310. SSA refers 
certain disability beneficiaries to state Vocational Rehabilitation 
(VR) agencies. The state VR agencies use the SSA-199 to make claims for 
reimbursement of the costs they incur when providing VR services for 
the beneficiaries. SSA uses the information on the SSA-199 to determine 
whether or not, and how much, to pay the state VR agencies under SSA's 
VR program. Respondents are state VR agencies who offer vocational and 
employment services for Social Security and SSI recipients.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 80.

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                                                                                  Average burden     Estimated
Type of response (as explained     Number of      Frequency of         Total       per response    annual burden
            below)                respondents       response         responses       (minutes)         hours
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a. SSA-199 (404.2108 &                      80  160 each/year...          12,800              23           4,907
 416.2208).
b. (404.2117 & 416.2217)......              80  1 per year......              80              60              80
c. (404.2121 & 416.2221)......              80  2-3 per year....             200             100             333
                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.....................  ..............  ................          13,080  ..............           5,320
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    Estimated Annual Burden: 5,320 hours.
    3. Uniform Administrative Requirements for Grants and Agreements 
with Institutions of Higher Learning, Hospitals and Other Non-Profit 
Organizations--20 CFR 435--0960-0616. SSA's regulations at 20 CFR 435 
of the Code of Federal Regulations provide SSA's standards for 
administering grants and agreements it awards to institutions of higher 
learning, hospitals, and other non-profit and/or commercial 
organizations. The regulations discuss administrative guidelines and 
reporting, recordkeeping, and disclosure requirements for recipients of 
grants and agreements. SSA uses the information to monitor the progress 
and successful completion of funded projects. Respondents are 
recipients of grants and agreements with SSA.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 127.

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                                                                                  Average burden     Estimated
              Section No.                  Number of      Frequency of response    per response    annual burden
                                          respondents                                 (hours)         (hours)
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435.23 Rec-kp.........................             107  Monthly (12)............               1           1,284
435.25 Rpt............................             127  Biannually (2)..........               4           1,016
435.51 Rpt............................             127  Quarterly (4)...........              12           6,096
435.53 Rec-kp.........................             127  Annually (1)............               8           1,016
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    Total.............................  ..............  ........................  ..............           9,412
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    4. Ticket to Work Program Evaluation Survey (National Beneficiary 
Survey)--0960-0666. The 1999 Ticket to Work and Work (TTW) Incentives 
Improvement Act, Public Law 106-170, established the TTW program to 
create additional access to services for SSA beneficiaries through a 
new system of public and private Employment Network (EN) providers. The 
legislation also mandated an evaluation of the program. In February 
2003, SSA began a multi-phase evaluation of this program. Although we 
originally planned to complete the final data collection wave by 2009, 
we decided to postpone the final evaluation until 2010 because of 
significant changes in the TTW program in 2008 (such as changes to the 
way state VR agencies can provide services). In this request, we are 
seeking clearance for round four of the National Beneficiary Survey and 
two associated experiments (all three activities will use the same 
data). The respondents are Social Security beneficiaries and TTW 
enrollees. As with the previous three phases of this project, a 
contractor will conduct this study for SSA.
    Type of Collection: New information collection (reinstatement with 
revisions).

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                                                                     Number of    Average burden     Estimated
                   Instrument                      Annual number   responses per     hours per     annual burden
                                                  of respondents    respondent       response          hours
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National Beneficiary Sample.....................           2,400               1            .750           1,800
Ticket Participant Sample.......................           3,000               1            .917           2,751
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Grand Total--Burden for NBS
    Grand Total for All.........................           5,400               1  ..............           4,551
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    5. Special Benefits for Certain World War II Veterans--20 CFR 408, 
Subparts G, H, I, J & L--0960-0683. Title VIII of the Social Security 
Act, Special Benefits for Certain World War II Veterans (SVB), allows, 
under certain circumstances, the payment of SVB to qualified veterans 
who reside outside the United States. The accompanying regulations set 
out the requirements an individual must meet to establish continuing 
eligibility to, and insure correct payment amount of, SVB and/or state 
recognition payments. Additionally, they provide requirements that a 
state must meet to elect, modify, or terminate a Federal agreement. For 
those information collection requests (ICR) cleared through SSA forms, 
the public reporting burden is accounted for in the ICRs for the 
various forms. A 1-hour placeholder * burden is assigned to those 
specific reporting requirements contained in the rule. The respondents 
are individuals who receive Title VIII SVB, and/or states that elect 
Federal administration of their recognition payments.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                  Average burden     Estimated
                   Section No.                       Number of     Frequency of    per response    annual burden
                                                    respondents      response        (minutes)        (hours)
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Sec.   408.704-.714.............................               1  ..............  ..............              *1
Sec.   408.802(b)...............................               5               1              15               1
Sec.   408.814..................................               5               1              15               1
Sec.   408.820(c)...............................               5               1              15               1
Sec.   408.923(b)...............................               1  ..............  ..............              *1
Sec.   408.931(b) & Sec.   408.932(d)...........               1  ..............  ..............              *1
Sec.   408.932(c)...............................               2               1              15               1
Sec.   408.932(e)...............................               2               1              15               1
Sec.   408.941(b) & Sec.   408.942..............               2               1              15               1
Sec.   408.944(a)...............................               2               1              30               1
Sec.   408.1000(a)..............................               1  ..............  ..............              *1
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................              27  ..............  ..............              11
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    6. Certificate of Incapacity--5 CFR 890.302(d)--0960-0739. Rules 
governing the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) plan require that 
the physician verify disability of Federal employees' children ages 22 
and over to retain health benefits under the employees' plans. The 
physician must verify that the adult child has a disability that meets 
the following criteria: (1) Pre-dates the child's 22nd birthday; (2) is 
very serious; and (3) can be expected to last at least one year. 
Physicians use Form SSA-604, the Certificate of Incapacity, to document 
and certify the disability of children ages 22 and over whose parents 
are SSA employees. SSA uses the information to determine adult 
children's (age 22 and above) eligibility for coverage under a parent's 
FEHB plan. The respondents are physicians of SSA employees' children 
ages 22 or over who are seeking to retain health benefits under their 
parent's FEHB coverage.
    Type of Request: New information collection.
    Number of Respondents: 50.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 45 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 38 hours.
    7. Representative Payment Policies and Administrative Procedures 
for Imposing Penalties for False or Misleading Statements or 
Withholding of Information--0960-0740. This information collection 
request comprises several regulation sections that provide additional 
safeguards for Social Security beneficiaries whose representative 
payees receive their payments. Representative payees are required to 
notify SSA of any event or change in circumstances that would affect 
receipt of benefits or performance of payee duties. SSA uses the 
information to determine continued eligibility for benefits, the amount 
of benefits due and if the payee is suitable to continue serving as 
payee. The

[[Page 41961]]

respondents are representative payees who receive and use benefits on 
behalf of Social Security beneficiaries.
    Type of Collection: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                             Number of       Completion time
                   Regulation section                       respondents          (hours)         Burden (hours)
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404.2035(d)............................................            550,000               .083             45,650
404.2035(f)............................................              5,500               .083                457
416.635(d).............................................            300,000               .083             24,900
416.635(f).............................................              3,000               .083                249
                                                        --------------------------------------------------------
    Total..............................................            858,500  .................             71,256
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    II. SSA has submitted the information collections we list below to 
OMB for clearance. Your comments on the information collections would 
be most useful if OMB and SSA receive them within 30 days from the date 
of this publication. To be sure we consider your comments, we must 
receive them no later than September 18, 2009. You can obtain a copy of 
the OMB clearance packages by calling the SSA Director for Reports 
Clearance at 410-965-0454 or by writing to the above email address.
    1. Medicare Part B Income-Related Premium--Life-Changing Event Form 
0960-0735. Per the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, selected 
recipients of Medicare Part B insurance pay an income-related monthly 
adjustment amount (IRMAA). The Internal Revenue Service uses income tax 
return data to determine the amount of the IRMAA. SSA uses Form SSA-44 
to determine if a recipient qualifies for a reduction in IRMMA. If 
affected Medicare Part B recipients believe more recent tax data should 
be used because a life-changing event has occurred that significantly 
reduces his/her income, they can report these changes to SSA and ask 
for a new initial determination of his/her IRMAA. The respondents are 
Medicare Part B recipients who have a modified adjusted gross income 
over a high-income ``threshold.''

    Note: This is a correction notice. SSA published this 
information collection as an extension on June 25, 2009, at 74 FR 
30353. Since we are revising the Privacy Act Statement, this is now 
a revision of an OMB-approved information collection.

    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                              Average burden
  Method of information collection        Number of         Frequency of       per response     Estimated annual
                                         respondents          response          (minutes)       burden  (hours)
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Personal Interview..................            128,000                  1                 30             64,000
Form................................             32,000                  1                 45             24,000
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    Totals..........................            160,000  .................  .................             88,000
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    Dated: August 14, 2009.
Elizabeth A. Davidson,
Director, Center for Reports Clearance, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. E9-19905 Filed 8-18-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P