[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 81 (Wednesday, April 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23640-23641]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10132]


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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 104-13, the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, effective October 1, 1995. This notice 
includes revisions 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 Officer at 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: 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 below are pending at SSA. SSA will 
submit them 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 June 
27, 2011. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection instruments 
by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer at 410-965-8783 or by 
writing to the above e-mail address.
    1. Farm Arrangement Questionnaire--20 CFR 404.1082(c)--0960-0064. 
When self-employed workers submit earnings data to SSA, they cannot 
count rental income from a farm unless they demonstrate ``material 
participation'' in the farm's operation. A material participation 
arrangement means the farm owners must perform a combination of 
physical duties, management decisions, and capital investment in the 
farm they are renting out. In such cases, SSA uses Form SSA-7157, the 
Farm Arrangement Questionnaire, to document material participation. The 
respondents are workers who are renting farmland to others, are 
involved in the operation of the farm, and want to claim countable 
income from work they perform relating to the farm.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 38,000.
    Average Burden per Response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 19,000 hours.
    2. Authorization to Disclose Information to SSA--20 CFR 404.1512 
and 416.912, 45 CFR 160 and 164--0960-0623. SSA must obtain sufficient 
evidence to make eligibility determinations for Title II and Title XVI 
payments. Therefore, the applicant must authorize release of 
information from various sources to SSA. The applicant uses the SSA-827 
to provide consent for the release of medical records, education 
records, and other

[[Page 23641]]

information related to his or her ability to perform tasks. Once the 
applicant completes the SSA-827, SSA or the State Disability 
Determination Service sends the form to the designated source(s) to 
obtain pertinent records. The respondents are applicants for Title II 
benefits and Title XVI payments.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                          Average       Total
                                                  Number of    Frequency    Number of    burden per     annual
                    Modality                     respondents  of response   responses     response      burden
                                                                                         (minutes)     (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-827 with electronic signature (adult first     2,530,000            1    2,530,000            9      379,500
 person only)..................................
SSA-827 with wet signature.....................    1,591,551            1    1,591,551           10      265,259
Reading the Internet instructions..............      708,100            1      708,100            3       35,405
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Collectively:
    Number of Respondents: 4,121,551.
    Number of Responses: 4,829,651.
    Total Annual Burden: 680,164 hours.
    II. SSA submitted the information collection below to OMB for 
clearance. Your comments regarding the information collection 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 May 27, 2011. You can obtain a copy of the OMB 
clearance package by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer at 410-
965-8783 or by writing to the above e-mail address.
    Medicare Modernization Act Outreach Mailer, SSA-1023--20 CFR 418--
0960-0773. To promote awareness of the Medicare Part D subsidy program 
and encourage potentially eligible Medicare beneficiaries to complete 
Form SSA-1020 (OMB No. 0960-0696, the Application for Extra Help with 
Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs), SSA uses an outreach brochure 
that includes the mailer, Form SSA-1023. Pharmacies, doctors' offices, 
and medical clinics display and distribute copies of the brochure to 
encourage eligible Medicare beneficiaries to request and complete Form 
SSA-1020. Using a recorded, automated telephone call requiring no 
conversation with respondents, SSA follows up with beneficiaries who 
use the mailer to request an SSA-1020 but do not submit the SSA-1020 to 
the agency. The respondents are Medicare beneficiaries who are 
potentially eligible for Part D subsidy benefits and who request a copy 
of Form SSA-1020 using the SSA-1023 mailer.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 75,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 1 minute.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 1,250 hours.

    Dated: April 22, 2011.
Faye Lipsky,
Reports Clearance Officer, Center for Reports Clearance, Social 
Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-10132 Filed 4-26-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P