[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 119 (Wednesday, June 20, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37089-37091]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-15015]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No. SSA-2012-0036]


Notice of Meeting of the Occupational Information Development 
Advisory Panel

AGENCY: Social Security Administration (SSA).

ACTION: Notice of upcoming panel teleconference meeting and Request for 
Comment.

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SUMMARY: The Occupational Information Development Advisory Panel 
(Panel) is a discretionary Panel, established under the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act of 1972, as amended. The Panel provides 
independent advice and recommendations to us on the creation of an 
occupational information system for use in our disability programs and 
for our adjudicative needs.

[[Page 37090]]

Meeting Information

DATES: Thursday, July 5, 2012. Call in number: 877-852-6575, Leader/
Host: Leola S. Brooks.
    To be sure that your comments are considered, we must receive them 
no later than June 29, 2012.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Type of meeting: The teleconference meeting is open to the public.
    Agenda: The Panel will meet on Thursday, July 5, 2012, from 2 p.m. 
until 4 p.m. (EDT).
    The tentative agenda for this meeting includes: Individual and 
organizational public comment; Panel discussion and deliberation, and 
an administrative business meeting.
    The Designated Federal Officer will post the meeting agenda on the 
Internet at http://www.ssa.gov/oidap/meeting_information.html at least 
one week prior to the start date. You can also receive a copy 
electronically by email or by fax, upon request. We retain copies of 
all proceedings available for public inspection, by appointment at the 
Panel's office.
    In addition to notice of this teleconference meeting, the Panel is 
requesting comment on its Recommendation 9 to us, as 
determined during deliberation at our June 4, 2012 teleconference 
meeting. Individuals or organizations may provide testimony during 
public comment period scheduled for the July 5, 2012 teleconference 
meeting or in writing.
    The Panel will hear public comment during the teleconference 
meeting from 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. (EDT). Individuals and 
organizational representatives must contact the Designated Federal 
Officer (by email to [email protected]), to reserve a time slot assigned on 
a first come, first served basis, for a maximum of ten minutes. You 
must also submit your testimony in writing; no longer than five (5) 
pages; in Microsoft Word or other word processing formats (no PDF files 
accepted); by mail, fax or email to [email protected].
    In the event that scheduled public comment does not take the entire 
time allotted, the Panel may use any remaining time to deliberate or 
conduct other business.
    To be sure that we consider your comments, we must receive them no 
later than Friday, June 29, 2012.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments by any one of three 
methods--Internet, fax or mail. Do not submit the same comments 
multiple times, or by more than one method. Regardless of which method 
you choose, please state that your comments refer to Docket No. SSA-
2012-0036, so that we may associate your comments with the correct 
activity.
    Caution: You should be careful to include in your comments only 
information that you wish to make publicly available. We strongly urge 
you not to include in your comments any personal information, such as 
Social Security numbers or medical information.
    1. Internet: We strongly recommend this method for submitting your 
comments. Visit the Federal eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Use the Search function of the Web page to find 
docket number SSA-2012-0036, and then submit your comment. Once you 
submit your comment, the system will issue you a tracking number to 
confirm your submission. You will not be able to view your comment 
immediately as we must manually post each comment. It may take up to a 
week for your comment to be viewable.
    2. Fax: Fax comments to (410) 597-0825.
    3. Mail: Address your comments to the Office of Program Development 
and Research, Office of Vocational Resources Development, Social 
Security Administration, 3-E-26 Robert M. Ball Building, 6401 Security 
Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401.
    Comments are available for public viewing on the Federal 
eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov or in person, during 
regular business hours, by appointment with the contact person 
identified below.
    The Panel is soliciting comments on Recommendation 9, as 
determined during deliberation at its June 4, 2012 teleconference 
meeting, which reads:

Continued Transparency and Public Engagement

    The OIDAP brought transparency to SSA's occupational information 
development process that will impact the lives of millions of 
Americans. We believe SSA must continue this transparency as it 
develops any occupational information that will affect decision-making 
in the disability programs. We offer the following advice:
    (1) Publicize reports from leadership of the Office of Vocational 
Resources Development (OVRD) on the project's activities, including 
continued updates regarding the progress with this initiative and 
strategic goals on agency Web sites and in public forum webinars and 
informational sessions, advertised in the Federal Register and agency 
sources;
    (2) Announce all future strategic research and development plans, 
as well as findings from the project development and data collection 
efforts, to researchers for peer review;
    (3) Continue to promote a venue for public comment and a repository 
for such comment; and,
    (4) Engage and involve stakeholders and the scientific community in 
the review of research and development activities, as well as issues 
related to the analysis, usability, and integration of occupational 
data into the disability adjudication process.

The Science

    The foundation upon which any occupational information database 
rests is its taxonomy of attributes to be measured and the scales that 
actually measure them. As with anything anyone builds, if the 
foundation is inadequate, the structure will fail. We reiterate the 
importance of developing a taxonomic content model that is strong 
enough to withstand legal challenge. We affirm our belief that:
    (1) The taxonomy must comprehensively measure the world of work and 
those attributes applicable to disability adjudication;
    (2) Internal staff trained and experienced in the scientific design 
and research, and also in disability adjudication application, must 
work together in this process;
    (3) The scales used to measure these attributes must be absolute, 
cross job-relative, and psychometrically-sound;
    (4) The occupational data must link to other national occupational 
employment databases through the structure of the Standard Occupational 
Classification;
    (5) SSA adopts a carefully-designed sampling strategy that 
represents all jobs in the national economy (the Occupational Medical-
Vocational study conducted by OVRD offers a good starting place);
    (6) The sampling frame must adequately represent all 
geographically-diverse sectors of the economy, including emerging 
sectors, be periodically updated, and correspond to the data collection 
strategy;
    (7) Data collection modes, subject matter experts, and the training 
and experience of those involved in data collection is a vital step in 
the development of data; thus, SSA should pay special attention to this 
phase of the project, and particularly to the qualifications and 
training of field job analysts, an area that presents the greatest 
threat to the validity of the data;

[[Page 37091]]

    (8) SSA should test the resulting data with users for comparability 
and decision-making effects; and,
    (9) SSA should periodically update the data to remain relevant and 
reflective of the world of work in the United States.
    Failure to fully ensure the scientific veracity of the occupational 
taxonomy, data collection instrument, sampling strategy, and sources of 
data or data collection methods, will make SSA vulnerable to legitimate 
litigation.
    The comment period is open through June 29, 2012.
    Contact Information: Anyone requiring further information should 
contact the Panel staff at: Occupational Information Development 
Advisory Panel, Social Security Administration, 6401 Security 
Boulevard, 3-E-26 Robert M. Ball Building, Baltimore, MD 21235-0001. 
Fax: 410-597-0825. Email to [email protected]. For additional information, 
please visit the Panel Web site at www.ssa.gov/oidap.

Leola S. Brooks,
Designated Federal Officer, Occupational Information Development 
Advisory Panel.
[FR Doc. 2012-15015 Filed 6-19-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P