[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 2, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30897-30898]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-13092]


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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.
    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 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 SSA Reports Clearance Director to the following 
addresses or fax numbers.

(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].
    I. 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 
August 2, 2010. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection 
instruments by calling the SSA Director for Reports Clearance at 410-
965-0454 or by writing to the above e-mail address.
    1. Request for Accommodation in Communication Method--0960-0777. In 
American Council of the Blind, et al. v. Michael Astrue and Social 
Security Administration, class plaintiffs representing Social Security 
applicants, beneficiaries, recipients, and representative payees who 
are blind or visually impaired challenged the adequacy of the 
communication methods SSA uses in its notices and other communications. 
Prior to the court's order of October 20, 2009 in American Council of 
the Blind, SSA offered three modes of communications for blind and 
visually impaired Social Security recipients: (1) A standard print 
notice by first-class mail; (2) a standard print notice by first-class 
mail with a follow-up telephone call; and (3) certified mail. In 
American Council of the Blind, the court required SSA to offer two 
additional modes of communication to blind or visually impaired 
applicants, beneficiaries, recipients, and representative payees: (4) 
Braille, and (5) Microsoft Word files (on data compact discs).
    In American Council of the Blind, the court further ordered SSA to 
implement Section 504 through 45 CFR 85.51 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) meaning SSA must ``take appropriate steps to ensure 
effective communication with applicants, participants, personnel of 
other Federal entities, and members of the public.'' To meet the 
court's mandates, SSA uses Form SSA-9000, Request for Accommodation in 
Communication Method, to gather information from blind or visually 
impaired individuals about why their particular accommodation (other 
than the five accommodations already offered by the agency) will allow 
SSA to communicate effectively with them. This form asks respondents to 
describe the type of accommodation they want, to disclose the condition 
they have that necessitates the need for a different type of 
accommodation, and to explain why none of the five methods described 
above are sufficient for their needs. The respondents are Social 
Security applicants, beneficiaries, recipients, and representative 
payees who are blind or visually impaired and are asking SSA to send 
them notices and other communications in an alternative method besides 
the five modalities we describe in this notice.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                     Number of     Frequency  of   Response time
        Method of information collection            respondents      response         (min.)      Burden (hours)
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Personal Interview (over the phone or in-person)           2,250               1              10             375
Form (taken or mailed from field office)........             250               1              15              63
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................           2,500  ..............  ..............             438
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    II. SSA has submitted the information collections listed 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 July 2, 2010. You can obtain a copy of the 
OMB clearance packages by calling the SSA Director for

[[Page 30898]]

Reports Clearance at 410-965-0454 or by writing to the above e-mail 
address.
    1. Report to United States Social Security Administration by Person 
Receiving Benefits for a Child or for an Adult Unable to Handle Funds/
Report to the United States Social Security Administration--0960-0049. 
SSA uses the information it collects on Forms SSA-7161-OCR-SM and SSA-
7162-OCR-SM to: (1) Determine continuing entitlement to Social Security 
benefits; (2) correct benefit amounts for beneficiaries outside the 
United States; and (3) monitor the performance of representative payees 
outside the United States. The respondents are individuals living 
outside the United States who are receiving benefits on their own (or 
for someone else) under Title II of the Social Security Act.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                  Average burden
                    Form No.                         Number of     Frequency of    per response      Estimated
                                                    respondents      response         (min.)       annual burden
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SSA-7161-OCR-SM.................................          30,560               1              15           7,640
SSA-7162-OCR-SM.................................         271,142               1               5          22,595
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................         301,702  ..............  ..............          30,235
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    2. Real Property Current Market Value Estimate--0960-0471. SSA 
considers a person's resources when evaluating eligibility for 
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. The value of an 
individual's resources, including non-home real property, is one of the 
eligibility requirements for SSI payments. SSA obtains current market 
value estimates of the claimant's real property through Form SSA-L2794. 
The respondents are small business operators in real estate, state and 
local employees, and other individuals knowledgeable about local real 
estate values.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                  Average burden     Estimated
               Type of respondents                   Number of     Frequency of     of response    annual burden
                                                    respondents      response         (min.)          (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Small Business Operators in Real Estate.........           4,894               1              20           1,631
State and local government......................             490               1              20             163
Individuals.....................................              54               1              20              18
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................           5,438  ..............  ..............           1,812
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    3. Employer Verification of Earnings After Death--20 CFR 404.821 
and 404.822--0960-0472. When SSA records show a wage earner is deceased 
and an employer reported wages for the wage earner for a year 
subsequent to death, SSA must contact the employer and verify the 
reported wage and employee information. SSA uses Form SSA-L4112 to 
verify that the wage information the employer previously submitted is 
correct for the employee and the year in question. The respondents are 
employers who report wages for employees who have died.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 50,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 8,333 hours.

    Date: May 26, 2010.
John Biles,
Director, Office of Document Management, Social Security 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010-13092 Filed 6-1-10; 8:45 am]
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