[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 94 (Monday, May 16, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28297-28299]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-11958]


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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 July 
15, 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. Application for Supplemental Security Income (SSI)--20 CFR 
416.207 and 416.305-416-335, Subpart C--0960-0229. The SSI program 
provides aged, blind, and disabled individuals, who have little or no 
income, funds for food, clothing, and shelter. Individuals complete 
Form SSA-8000 to apply for SSI. SSA uses information from Form SSA-8000 
and its electronic Intranet counterpart, the Modernized SSI Claims 
System (MSSICS), to determine: (1) Whether SSI claimants meet all 
statutory and regulatory eligibility requirements and (2) SSI payment 
amounts. The respondents are applicants for SSI.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per     Total annual
                Type of response                    respondents      response        response         burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paper Form......................................          26,548               1              36          15,929
MSSICS..........................................         143,095               1              34          81,087
MSSICS/w Signature Proxy........................       1,157,767               1              34         656,068
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................       1,327,410  ..............  ..............         753,084
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    2. Disability Update Report--20 CFR 404.1589-404.1595 and 416.988-
416.996--0960-0511. SSA periodically reviews current disability 
beneficiaries' cases to determine if they should continue to receive 
disability payments. SSA uses Form SSA-455 to determine if: (1) There 
is enough evidence to warrant referring the case for a full medical 
Continuing Disability Review (CDR); (2) the beneficiary's impairment is 
unchanged or only slightly changed, precluding the need for a CDR; or 
(3) there are unresolved work-related issues. The respondents are 
recipients of Social Security disability benefits.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 1,100,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 275,000 hours.

[[Page 28298]]

    II. SSA submitted the information collections below to OMB for 
clearance. Your comments regarding 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 June 15, 2011. Individuals can obtain copies of the 
OMB clearance packages by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer at 
410-965-8783 or by writing to the above e-mail address.
    1. Railroad Employment Questionnaire--20 CFR 404.1401, 404.1406-
404.1408--0960-0078. Railroad workers, their dependents, or survivors 
can concurrently apply for railroad retirement and Social Security 
benefits at SSA whenever the number holder, or claimant on the number 
holder's Social Security number, worked in the railroad industry. SSA 
uses the SSA-671 to coordinate Social Security claims processing with 
the Railroad Retirement Board, and to determine benefit entitlement and 
amount. The respondents are Social Security benefit applicants employed 
by a railroad or are dependents of railroad workers.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 125,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden of Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 10,417 hours.
    2. Government Pension Questionnaire--20 CFR 404.408a--0960-0160. 
When someone is concurrently receiving spouse or surviving spousal 
Social Security benefits and a government pension based on non-Social 
Security earnings, SSA may reduce the benefit amount by two-thirds the 
amount of the government pension under the Social Security Act's 
Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision. We use the SSA-3885, 
Government Pension Questionnaire, to document such cases. SSA uses the 
information to determine whether GPO applies, to identify exceptions, 
and to determine the benefit-reduction amount and effective date. The 
respondents are individuals and households.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.
    Number of Respondents: 76,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden per Response: 12.5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 15,833 hours.
    3. Annual Earnings Test Direct Mail Follow-Up Program Notices--20 
CFR 404.452-404.455--0960-0369. SSA developed the Annual Earnings Test 
Direct Mail Follow-up Program to improve beneficiary reporting on work 
and earnings during the year and earnings information at the end of the 
year. SSA may reduce benefits payable under the Social Security Act 
when an individual has wages or self-employment income exceeding the 
annual exempt amount. SSA identifies beneficiaries likely to receive 
more than the annual exempt amount, and requests more frequent 
estimates of earnings from them. When applicable, SSA also requests a 
future year estimate to reduce overpayments due to earnings. SSA sends 
letters (SSA-L9778, L9779, L9781, L9784, L9785, and L9790) to 
beneficiaries requesting earnings information the month prior to their 
attainment of full retirement age. We send each beneficiary a tailored 
letter that includes relevant earnings data from SSA records. The 
Annual Earnings Test Direct Mail Follow-up Program helps to ensure 
Social Security payments are correct. The respondents are working 
Social Security beneficiaries.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per     Total annual
      Modality of completion  paper version         respondents      response        response         burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-L9778.......................................          42,630               1              10           7,105
SSA-L9779.......................................         158,865               1              10          26,478
SSA-L9781.......................................         472,437               1              10          78,740
SSA-L9784.......................................           1,270               1              10             212
SSA-L9785.......................................          15,870               1              10           2,645
SSA-L9790.......................................          45,000               1              10           7,500
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................         736,072  ..............  ..............         122,680
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4. Medicare Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount--Life-Changing 
Event Form--0960-0784. Per the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, 
reductions in the Federal subsidy for Medicare medical coverage 
(Medicare Part B) result in selected Medicare Part B recipients paying 
an income-related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA). The Internal 
Revenue Service transmits income tax return data to SSA for SSA to 
determine the IRMAA. SSA uses Form SSA-44 to determine if a recipient 
qualifies for a reduction in the IRMAA. If affected Medicare recipients 
believe SSA should use more recent tax data because of a life-changing 
event that significantly reduces their income, they can report these 
changes to SSA and ask for a new initial determination of their IRMAA.
    In November 2010, we requested emergency OMB clearance for a new 
SSA-44 to fulfill the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (Pub. L. 
111-148), which mandates reductions in the Federal Medicare Part D 
prescription drug coverage subsidies, resulting in higher premiums for 
those who have this coverage and who have income above a specific 
threshold. The provisions of the law became effective January 1, 2011, 
and we obtained emergency clearance for this form on November 23, 2010. 
We are now seeking full OMB clearance for this form. The respondents 
are Medicare Part B and prescription drug coverage recipients and 
enrollees with modified adjusted gross income over a high-income 
threshold who experience one of the eight significant life-changing 
events.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

[[Page 28299]]



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                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per       Estimated
        Method of information  collection           respondents      response        response      annual burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personal Interview (SSA field office)...........         147,000               1              30          73,500
Paper Form (mailed).............................          39,000               1              45          29,250
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................         186,000  ..............  ..............         102,750
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    Dated: May 11, 2011.
Faye Lipsky,
Reports Clearance Officer, Center for Reports Clearance, Social 
Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-11958 Filed 5-13-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P