[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 212 (Friday, November 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65745-65747]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-26054]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed 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

[[Page 65746]]

minimize 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 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, Email address: [email protected];
(SSA), Social Security Administration, DCRDP, Attn: Reports Clearance 
Director, 107 Altmeyer Building, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 
21235, Fax: 410-966-2830, Email address: [email protected].
    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 
December 31, 2013. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection 
instruments by writing to the above email address.
    1. Request for Waiver of Special Veterans Benefits (SVB) 
Overpayment Recovery or Change in Repayment Rate--20 CFR 408.900-
408.950-0960-0698. Title VIII of the Social Security Act requires SSA 
to pay a monthly benefit to qualified World War II veterans who reside 
outside the United States. When an overpayment in this SVB occurs, the 
beneficiary can request a waiver of recovery of the overpayment or a 
change in the repayment rate. SSA uses the SSA-2032-BK to obtain the 
information necessary to establish whether the claimant meets the 
waiver of recovery provisions of the overpayment, and to determine the 
repayment rate if we do not waive repayment. Respondents are SVB 
beneficiaries who have overpayments on their Title VIII record and wish 
to file a claim for waiver of recovery or change in repayment rate.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                 Average burden  Estimated total
           Modality of completion                Number of       Frequency of     per response    annual burden
                                                respondents        response        (minutes)         (hours)
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SSA-2032-BK.................................             450                1              120              900
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    2. Benefit Offset National Demonstration--0960-0785. SSA is 
undertaking the Benefit Offset National Demonstration (BOND)--a 
demonstration and evaluation of policy changes and services on the 
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program--in an effort to 
produce strong evidence about the effectiveness of potential solutions 
that would improve the historically very low rate of return to work 
among SSDI beneficiaries. Under current law, Social Security 
beneficiaries lose their SSDI benefit if they have earnings or work 
activity above the threshold of Substantial Gainful Activity. The 
benefit-offset component of this demonstration reduces benefits by $1 
for each $2 in earnings above the BOND threshold, resulting in a 
gradual reduction in benefits as earnings increase. The experimental 
design for BOND tests a benefit offset alone and in conjunction with 
enhanced work incentives counseling. The central research questions 
include:
     What is the effect of the benefit offset alone on 
employment and other outcomes?
     What is the effect of the benefit offset in combination 
with enhanced work incentives counseling on employment and other 
outcomes?
    The public survey data collections have four components--an impact 
study, a cost-benefit analysis, a participation analysis, and a process 
study. The data collections are a primary source for data to measure 
the effects of a more generous benefit offset and the provision of 
enhanced work incentives counseling on SSDI beneficiaries' work efforts 
and earnings. Ultimately, these data will benefit researchers, policy 
analysts, policy makers and the United States Congress in a wide range 
of program areas. The effects of BOND on the well-being of SSDI 
beneficiaries could manifest themselves in many dimensions and could be 
relevant to an array of other public programs. This project offers the 
first opportunity to obtain reliable measures of these effects based 
upon a nationally representative sample. The long-term indirect 
benefits of this research are therefore likely to be substantial. 
Respondents are SSDI beneficiaries and concurrent SSDI beneficiaries 
and Supplemental Security Income recipients who we randomly assign to 
the study (Stage 1), and SSDI beneficiaries who agree to participate in 
the study (Stage 2).
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                  Average burden     Estimated
     Modality of completion          Number of     Frequency of      Number of     per response    total annual
                                    respondents      response        responses       (minutes)    burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Participation Agreement.........          12,954               1          12,954              20           4,318
Baseline Survey.................          12,954               1          12,954              41           8,852
Stage 2, 12-month Interim Survey          10,363               1          10,363              29           5,008
Stage 1, 36-month Survey........           8,000               1           8,000              49           6,533
Stage 2, 36-month Survey........          10,363               1          10,363              60          10,363
Enhanced Work Incentives                   3,089               1           3,089              35           1,802
 Assessment.....................
Key Informant Interviews........             100               7             700              60             700
Stage 2, Participant Focus                   600               1             600              90             900
 Groups.........................
Stage 1, First Contact Letter                500               1             500               3              25
 Survey.........................
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    Totals......................          89,923  ..............          59,523  ..............          38,501
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    Dated: October 29, 2013.
Faye Lipsky,
Reports Clearance Director, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2013-26054 Filed 10-31-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P