[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 20 (Thursday, January 30, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4870-4871]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-01755]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; SSA Supplement 
on Retirement, Pensions, and Related Content (SSA Supplement), 2014

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before March 31, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Jason M. Fields, Census Bureau, Room HQ-7H069, 
Washington, DC 20233-8400, (301) 763-2465 (or via the Internet at 
[email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau plans to conduct a survey for the Social Security 
Administration (SSA) beginning in September 2014. The survey is the SSA 
Supplement on Retirement, Pensions, and Related Content (SSA 
Supplement), which is the first externally sponsored supplement to the 
newly redesigned Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). The 
sample for the SSA Supplement will come from completed interviews from 
Wave 1 of the 2014 panel of the Survey of Income and Program 
Participation, conducted from February to May of 2014 (2014 SIPP, OMB 
approval number 0607-0977). The SSA Supplement is expected to be 
conducted once per SIPP Panel, after the completion of Wave 1 
interviews. Questions in the SSA Supplement are from 2008 SIPP topical 
modules selected by the SSA, with minimal modifications (2008 SIPP, OMB 
approval number 0607-0944).
    The SSA bases two of its major policy micro-simulations on the 
SIPP: (1) Modeling Income in the Near Term (MINT) for evaluating Social 
Security reform; and, (2) the Financial Eligibility Model (FEM) for 
evaluating Supplemental Security Income, Qualified Medicare 
Beneficiary, and Medicare Part-D Low Income Subsidy programs. Recent 
economic events have had a profound impact on the overall economic 
well-being of our nation, and underscore the importance of the data the 
Social Security Administration is seeking to collect. Of specific 
importance to the SSA is the impact of this economic crisis on current 
and future beneficiaries. Since the 1996 SIPP panel, the SSA has used 
data collected by the SIPP for policy evaluation research and the 
modification of government programs. Prior to the 2014 SIPP redesign, 
the data came from core questions asked each wave and from intermittent 
topical supplements. As part of an effort to streamline the annual data 
collection in the SIPP instrument, the redesigned SIPP does not include 
some topical data previously used by the SSA for the MINT and FEM 
models. These items include detailed questions on personal retirement 
accounts, retirement and pension plans from current and previous 
employment, complete marital history, and functional limitations and 
disabilities affecting employment and daily living. The SSA Supplement 
will continue the collection of this necessary data which the SSA 
cannot obtain from any other source.
    The Census Bureau, through sponsorship by the SSA, plans to collect 
the SSA Supplement data using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing 
(CATI). Interviews for the SSA supplement will not be conducted through 
personal visits.
    Approximately 35,000 households are expected to be interviewed from 
the initial sample fielded in Wave 1 of the 2014 SIPP panel. Each 
household averages 2.1 people aged 15 and above, yielding approximately 
73,500 person-level interviews. The sample for the SSA Supplement will 
consist of all households that have completed interviews, either in 
person or by telephone, from 2014 SIPP Wave 1. New additions to the 
household between the 2014 SIPP interview and the SSA Supplement 
interview will not be included in the SSA Supplement; however, movers 
will be followed and interviewed, as they are in the SIPP. Interviews 
take approximately 30 minutes per adult on average; consequently, the 
total burden for SSA Supplement interviews will be 36,750 hours.

[[Page 4871]]

    The Census Bureau will release a public use file for availability 
to general data users via its Web site, with the ability to match to 
the 2014 SIPP public-use file.

II. Method of Collection

    The SSA Supplement will use the Computer Assisted Telephone 
Interview (CATI) mode of data collection. The SSA Supplement will be 
conducted as one interview per person once per SIPP Panel, after the 
completion of Wave 1 interviews. The interviews for the SSA Supplement 
will be conducted via the Census Bureau's three telephone centers with 
all household members 15 years old or over using regular proxy-
respondent rules. The SSA Supplement interviews are expected to last 2 
to 3 months beginning in September 2014.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-XXXX.
    Form Number: SSA Supplement/CATI Automated Instrument.
    Type of Review: Regular.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 73,500.
    Estimated Time per Response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 36,750.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: The only cost to respondents is their 
time.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Section 8(b) and 
Section 1110 of the Social Security Act.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: January 24, 2014.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-01755 Filed 1-29-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3511-07-P