[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 20 (Thursday, January 30, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5015-5017]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-01827]


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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, 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 31, 2014. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection 
instruments by writing to the above email address.
    1. Questionnaire About Employment or Self-Employment Outside the 
United States--20 CFR 404.401(b)(1), 404.415 & 404.417--0960-0050. When 
a Social Security beneficiary or claimant reports work outside the 
United States, SSA uses Form SSA-7163 to determine if foreign work 
deductions are applicable. Specifically, SSA uses Form SSA-7163 to 
determine: (1) Whether work performed by beneficiaries outside the 
United States is cause for deductions from their monthly benefits; (2) 
which of two work tests (foreign or regular test) is applicable; and 
(3) the number of months, if any, for SSA-imposed deductions. As the 
respondents are beneficiaries living and working outside the United 
States, SSA must determine whether the annual earnings test applies to 
all earnings from work covered by the Social Security Act (Act), 
including earnings from covered work performed outside the United 
States. However, because of the differences in foreign currency values, 
it is administratively

[[Page 5016]]

impractical to apply this test to earnings from non-covered work 
performed outside the United States and base it on United States 
dollars. Accordingly, the 45-hour work test provides for deductions 
from the benefits of employees under full retirement age who engage in 
non-covered remunerative activity for more than 45 hours in a calendar 
month. SSA asks beneficiaries working outside the United States to 
complete this form annually or every other year (depending on the 
country of residence).
    Respondents for this collection are beneficiaries or claimants for 
Social Security benefits who are engaged in work outside the United 
States.
    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)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-7163....................................          20,000                1               12            4,000
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    2. Statement of Death by Funeral Director--20 CFR 404.715 and 
404.720--0960-0142. When an SSA-insured worker dies, the funeral 
director or funeral home responsible for the worker's burial or 
cremation completes Form SSA-721 and sends it to SSA. SSA uses this 
information for three purposes: (1) To establish proof of death for the 
insured worker; (2) to determine if the insured individual was 
receiving any pre-death benefits SSA needs to terminate; and (3) to 
ascertain which surviving family member is eligible for the lump-sum 
death payment or for other death benefits. The respondents are funeral 
directors who handled death arrangements for the insured individuals.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                      Average
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per       Estimated
             Modality of completion                 respondents      response        response      total annual
                                                                                     (minutes)    burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-721.........................................         319,811               1               4          21,321
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    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 30 days from the date of this 
publication. To be sure we consider your comments, we must receive them 
no later than March 3, 2014. Individuals can obtain copies of the OMB 
clearance packages by writing to [email protected].
    1. Statement of Agricultural Employer (Year Prior to 1988; and 1988 
and later)--20 CFR 404.702, 404.802, 404.1056--0960-0036. If 
agricultural workers believe their employers (1) did not report their 
wages or (2) reported incorrect wage amounts, SSA will assist them in 
resolving this issue. Specifically, SSA will send Forms SSA-1002-F3 or 
SSA-1003-F3 to the agricultural employers to collect evidence of wages 
paid. The respondents are agricultural employers whose workers request 
wage verification or correction for their earnings records.
    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)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-1002....................................           7,500                1               30            3,750
SSA-1003....................................          25,000                1               30           12,500
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    Total...................................          32,500   ...............  ...............          16,250
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    2. 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 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.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                Average  burden  Estimated total
           Modality of completion                Number of       Frequency of    per  response    annual burden
                                                respondents        response        (minutes)         (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-2032-BK.................................             450                1              120              900
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[[Page 5017]]

    Dated: January 27, 2014.
Faye Lipsky,
Reports Clearance Director, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2014-01827 Filed 1-29-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P