[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 7, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 889-892]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00001]


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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 and an extension 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, 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, OLCA, Attn: Reports 
Clearance Director, 3100 West High Rise, 6401 Security Blvd., 
Baltimore, MD 21235, Fax: 410-966-2830, Email 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 
March 10, 2014. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection 
instruments by writing to the above email address.
    1. Government Pension Questionnaire--20 CFR 404.408a--0960-0160. 
The basic Social Security benefits application (OMB No. 0960-0618) 
contains a lead question asking if the applicants are qualified (or 
will qualify) to receive a government pension. If the applicants answer 
``yes,'' they complete Form SSA-3885, either on paper or with an SSA 
claims representative during a personal interview. If the applicants 
are not entitled to receive a government pension at the time they apply 
for Social Security benefits, SSA requires them to provide the 
government pension information as beneficiaries when they become 
eligible to receive their pensions. Regardless of the timing, at some 
point the applicants or

[[Page 890]]

beneficiaries must complete and sign Form SSA-3885 to report 
information about their government pensions before the pensions begin. 
SSA uses the information to: (1) determine whether the Government 
Pension Offset provision applies; (2) identify exceptions as stated in 
20 CFR 404.408a; and (3) determine the benefit reduction amount and 
effective date. If the applicants and beneficiaries do not respond 
using this questionnaire, SSA offsets their entire benefit amount. The 
respondents are applicants or recipients of spousal benefits who are 
eligible for or already receiving a Government pension.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB- approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                     Estimated
                                                     Number of     Frequency of   Average burden   total annual
             Modality of completion                 respondents      response      per response       burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-3885........................................          76,000               1              13          16,467
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    2. RS/DI Quality Review Case Analysis: Sampled Number Holder, 
Auxiliaries/Survivors, Parents, and Stewardship Annual Earnings Test 
Workbook--0960-0189. Section 205(a) of the Social Security Act (Act) 
authorizes the Commissioner of SSA to conduct the quality review 
process, which entails collecting information related to the accuracy 
of payments made under the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance 
Program (OASDI). Sections 228(a)(3), 1614(a)(1)(B), and 1836(2) of the 
Act require a determination of the citizenship or alien status of the 
beneficiary; this is only one item that we might question as part of 
the Annual Quality review. SSA uses Forms SSA-2930, SSA-2931, and SSA-
2932 to establish a national payment accuracy rate for all cases in 
payment status, and to serve as a source of information regarding 
problem areas in the Retirement Survivors Insurance (RSI) and 
Disability Insurance (DI) programs. We also use the information to 
measure the accuracy rate for newly adjudicated RSI or DI cases.
    SSA uses Form SSA-4659 to evaluate the effectiveness of the annual 
earnings testand to implement ongoing improvements in the process. 
About twenty-five percent of respondents will have in-person reviews 
and receive one of the following appointment letters: (1) SSA-L8550-U3 
(Appointment Letter--Sample Individual); (2) SSA-L8551-U3 (Appointment 
Letter--Sample Family); or (3) the SSA-L8552-U3 (Appointment Letter--
Rep Payee). Seventy-five percent of respondents will receive a notice 
for a telephone review using the SSA-L8553-U3 (Beneficiary Telephone 
Contact) or the SSA-L8554-U3 (Rep Payee Telephone Contact).
    To help the beneficiary prepare for the interview, we include three 
forms with each notice: (1) SSA-85 (Information Needed to Review Your 
Social Security Claim) lists the information the beneficiary will need 
to gather for the interview; (2) SSA-2935 (Authorization to the Social 
Security Administration to Obtain Personal Information) verifies the 
beneficiary's correct payment amount, if necessary; and (3) SSA-8552 
(Interview Confirmation) confirms or reschedules the interview if 
necessary. The respondents are a statistically valid sample of all 
OASDI beneficiaries in current pay status or their representative 
payees.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                     Estimated
                                                     Number of     Frequency of   Average burden   total annual
             Modality of completion                  responses       response      per response       burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-2930........................................           1,500               1              30             750
SSA-2931........................................             850               1              30             425
SSA-4659........................................             325               1              10              54
SSA-L8550-U3....................................             385               1               5              32
SSA-L8551-U3....................................              95               1               5               8
SSA-L8552-U3....................................              35               1               5               3
SSA-L8553-U3....................................            4490               1               5             374
SSA-L8554-U3....................................             670               1               5              56
SSA-8552........................................            2350               1               5             196
SSA-85..........................................            3850               1               5             321
SSA-2935........................................            2350               1               5             196
SSA-820/821 (also saved under OMB: 0960-0598 and             400               1              15             100
 0960-0059).....................................
SSA-8510 (also saved under OMB No. 0960-0707)...             800               1               5              67
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................          18,100  ..............  ..............           2,582
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    3. Appeal of Determination for Help with Medicare Prescription Drug 
Plan Costs--0960-0695. Public Law 108-173, the Medicare Prescription 
Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA), established the 
Medicare Part D program for voluntary prescription drug coverage for 
certain low-income individuals. The MMA stipulates the provision of 
subsidies for individuals who are eligible for the program and who meet 
eligibility criteria for help with premium, deductible, or co-payment 
costs. SSA uses Form SSA-1021, Appeal of Determination for Help with 
Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs, to obtain information from 
individuals who appeal SSA's decisions regarding eligibility or 
continuing eligibility for a Medicare Part D subsidy. The respondents 
are applicants who are appealing SSA's eligibility or continuing 
eligibility decisions.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

[[Page 891]]



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                                                                                  Average burden     Estimated
             Modality of completion                  Number of     Frequency of    per response    total annual
                                                    respondents      response        (minutes)    burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-1021 (Paper form)...........................           2,330               1              10             388
SSA-1021 (Internet-Medicare Application                   14,008               1              10           2,335
 Processing System).............................
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................          16,338  ..............  ..............           2,723
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    4. Sheltered Workshop Wage Reporting--0960-0771. Sheltered 
workshops are non-profit organizations or institutions that implement a 
recognized program of rehabilitation for handicapped workers, or 
provide such workers with remunerative employment or other occupational 
rehabilitative activity of an educational or therapeutic nature. 
Sheltered workshops perform a service for their clients by reporting 
monthly wages directly to SSA. SSA uses the information these workshops 
provide to verify and post monthly wages to the Supplemental Security 
Income (SSI) recipient's record. Most workshops report monthly wage 
totals to their local SSA office so we can adjust the client's SSI 
payment amount in a timely manner and prevent overpayments. Sheltered 
workshops are motivated to report wages voluntarily as a service to 
their clients. Respondents are sheltered workshops that report monthly 
wages for services performed in the workshop.
    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)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sheltered Workshop Wage Reporting...........             800               12               15            2,400
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    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 30 days from the date of this 
publication. To be sure we consider your comments, we must receive them 
no later than February 6, 2014. Individuals can obtain copies of the 
OMB clearance packages by writing to [email protected].
    Methods for Conducting Personal Conferences When Waiver of Recovery 
of a Title II or Title XVI Overpayment Cannot Be Approved--20 CFR 
404.506(e)(3), 404.506(f)(8), 416.557(c)(3), and 416.557(d)(8)--0960-
0769. SSA conducts personal conferences when we cannot approve a waiver 
of recovery of a Title II or Title XVI overpayment. We are required to 
give overpaid Social Security beneficiaries and SSI recipients the 
right to request a waiver of recovery and automatically schedule a 
personal conference if we cannot approve their request for waiver of 
overpayment. We conduct these conferences face-to-face, by telephone, 
or by video teleconference. Social Security beneficiaries and SSI 
recipients or their representatives may provide documents to 
demonstrate they are without fault in causing the overpayment and do 
not have the ability to repay the debt. They may submit these documents 
by completing Form SSA-632 (OMB No. 0960-0037); Request for Waive of 
Overpayment Recovery; SSA-795 (OMB No. 0960-0045), Statement of 
Claimant or Other Person; or personal statement submitted by mail, 
telephone, personal contact, or other suitable method, such as fax or 
email. This information collection satisfies the requirements for 
request for waiver of recovery of an overpayment and allows individuals 
to pursue further levels of administrative appeal via personal 
conference. Respondents are Social Security beneficiaries and SSI 
recipients or their representatives seeking reconsideration of an SSA 
waiver decision.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                     Estimated
                                                     Number of     Frequency of   Average burden   total annual
     Title/section & collection description         respondents      response      per response       burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personal Conference 404.506(e)(3) and 404-                40,000               1              30          20,000
 506(f)(8) submittal of documents, additional
 mitigating financial information, and
 verifications for consideration at personal
 conferences....................................
Personal Conference 416.557(c)(3) and 416-                63,801               1              30          31,901
 557(d)(8) submittal of documents, additional
 mitigating financial information, and
 verifications at personal conferences..........
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................         103,801  ..............  ..............          51,901
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[[Page 892]]

    Date: January 1, 2014.
Faye Lipsky,
Reports Clearance Director, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2014-00001 Filed 1-6-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P[FEDREG][VOL]*[/VOL][NO]*[/NO][DATE]*[/
DATE][NOTICES]