[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 73 (Wednesday, April 16, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21499-21501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-08606]


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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 (Pub. L.) 
104-13, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, effective October 1, 1995. 
This notice includes revisions of OMB-approved information collections 
and one new information collection.
    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 June 
16, 2014. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection instruments 
by writing to the above email address.
    1. National Beneficiary Survey--0960-NEW. SSA is proposing to 
undertake the National Beneficiary Survey (NBS), a survey intended to 
gather data from Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients and 
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries about their 
characteristics, their well-being, and other factors that promote or 
hinder employment. In particular, the survey seeks to uncover important 
information about the factors that promote beneficiary self-sufficiency 
and, conversely, factors that impede beneficiary efforts to maintain 
employment. We will use this data to improve the administration and 
effectiveness of the SSDI and SSI programs. These results will be 
valuable as SSA and other policymakers continue efforts to improve 
programs and services that help SSDI beneficiaries and SSI recipients 
become more self-sufficient.

Background

    SSDI and SSI programs provide a crucial and necessary safety net 
for working-age people with disabilities. By improving employment 
outcomes for SSDI beneficiaries and SSI recipients, SSA supports the 
effort to reduce the reliance of people with disabilities on these 
programs. SSA conducted the prior NBS in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2010, 
and was an important first step in understanding the work interest and 
experiences of SSI recipients and SSDI beneficiaries, and in gaining 
information about their impairments, health, living arrangements, 
family structure, pre-disability occupation, and use of non-SSA 
programs (e.g., the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). The 
prior NBS data is available to researchers and the public.

The National Beneficiary Survey (NBS)

    The primary purpose of the new NBS-General Waves is to assess 
beneficiary well-being and interest in work, learn about beneficiary 
work experiences (successful and unsuccessful), and identify factors 
that promote or restrict long-term work success. Information collected 
in the survey includes factors such as health, living arrangements, 
family structure, current occupation, use of non-SSA programs, 
knowledge of SSDI and SSI work incentive programs, obstacles to work, 
and beneficiary interest and motivation to return to work.
    We propose to conduct the first wave of the NBS-General Waves in 
2015. We will further conduct subsequent rounds in 2017 (round 2) and 
2019 (round 3). The information we will collect is not available from 
SSA administrative data or other sources. In the NBS-General Waves, the 
sample design is similar to what we used for the prior NBS. Enhancement 
of the prior questionnaire includes additional questions on the factors 
that promote or hinder employment success. We also propose to conduct 
semi-structured qualitative interviews (in 2015 only) to provide SSA an 
in-depth understanding of factors that aid or inhibit individuals in 
their efforts to obtain and retain employment and advance in the 
workplace. We will use the qualitative data to add context and 
understanding when interpreting survey results, and to inform the 
sample and survey design of rounds 2 and 3.
    Respondents are current SSDI beneficiaries and SSI recipients. 
Respondent participation in the NBS is voluntary and the decision to 
participate or not has no impact on current or future receipt of 
payments or benefits.
    Type of Request: This is a new information collection request.

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                                                                                  Average burden     Estimated
               Administration year                   Number of     Frequency of    per response    total annual
                                                    respondents      response         (hours)     burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      2015                        ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
Cross-Sectional Samples:
    Representative Beneficiary Sample...........           4,000               1             .75           3,000
    Successful Worker Qualitative Interviews....              90               1            1.00              90
ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½
        Subtotal................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           3,090
                      2017                        ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
Cross-Sectional Samples:
    Representative Beneficiary Sample...........           4,000               1             .75           3,000
    Successful Workers..........................           4,500               1             .92           4,140
ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½
        Subtotal................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           7,140

[[Page 21500]]

 
                      2019                        ..............  ..............  ..............  ..............
Cross-Sectional Samples:
    Representative Beneficiary Sample...........           4,000               1             .75           3,000
    Successful Workers..........................           3,000               1             .92           2,760
Longitudinal Samples:
    Successful Workers..........................           2,250               1             .75           1,688
ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½
        Subtotal................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           7,448
ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½
            Total Burden........................          26,550  ..............  ..............          17,678
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. Marriage Certification--20 CFR 404.725--0960-0009. Sections 
202(b) and 202(c) of the Social Security Act (Act) stipulate that every 
spouse of an individual entitled to Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability 
Insurance (OASDI) benefits is entitled to a spouse benefit if the wife 
or husband, in addition to meeting the entitlement requirements, meets 
the relationship criteria in Section 216(h)(1)(A) and (B). SSA uses 
Form SSA-3 to determine if a spouse claimant has the necessary 
relationship to the Social Security number holder (i.e., the worker) to 
qualify for the worker's OASDI benefits. The respondents are applicants 
for spouse's OASDI benefits.
    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-3.......................................         180,000                1                5           15,000
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    3. Supplemental Security Income (SSI)--Quality Review Case 
Analysis--0960-0133. To assess the SSI program and ensure the accuracy 
of payments, SSA conducts legally mandated periodic SSI case analysis 
quality reviews. SSA uses Form SSA-8508-BK to conduct these reviews, 
collecting information on operating efficiency, the quality of 
underlying policies, and the effect of incorrect payments. SSA also 
uses the data to determine SSI program payment accuracy rate, which is 
a performance measure for the agency's service delivery goals. 
Respondents are recipients of SSI payments selected for quality 
reviews.
    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-8508-BK (paper interview)...................             225               1              60             225
SSA-8508-BK (electronic)........................           4,275               1              60           4,275
ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½
    Total.......................................           4,500  ..............  ..............           4,500
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4. Claimant's Work Background--20 CFR 404.1512(a); 404.1520(a)(4); 
404.1565(b); 416.912(a); 416.920(a)(4); 416.965(b)--0960-0300. Sections 
205(a) and 1631(e) of the Act provide the Commissioner of Social 
Security with the authority to establish procedures for determining if 
a claimant is entitled to disability benefits. The administrative law 
judge (ALJ) may ask individuals to provide background information on 
Form HA-4633 about work they performed in the past 15 years. When a 
claimant requests a hearing before an ALJ to establish an entitlement 
to disability benefits, the ALJ may request that the claimant provide a 
work history to assist the ALJ in fully inquiring into statutory issues 
related to the disability. The ALJ uses the information collected from 
the claimants on Form HA-4633 to: (1) Identify the claimant's relevant 
work history; (2) decide if expert vocational testimony is required 
and, if so, have a vocational expert available to testify during the 
hearing; and (3) provide a reference for the ALJ to discuss the 
claimant's work history. The ALJ makes the completed HA-4633 part of 
the documentary evidence of record. The respondents are claimants for 
disability benefits under Title II or Title XVI who requested a hearing 
before an ALJ after SSA denied their application for disability 
payments.
    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)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HA-4633--PDF/paper version......................          20,000               1              15           5,000

[[Page 21501]]

 
Electronic Records Express......................         180,000               1              15          45,000
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    Total.......................................         200,000  ..............  ..............          50,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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 May 16, 2014. Individuals can obtain copies of the OMB 
clearance packages by writing to [email protected].
    1. 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 burden  Estimated total
           Modality of completion                Number of       Frequency of     per response    annual burden
                                                respondents        response        (minutes)         (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-721.....................................         319,811                1                4           21,321
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. Medicare Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount--Life-Changing 
Event Form--0960-0784. Federally mandated reductions in the Federal 
Medicare Part B and prescription drug coverage subsidies result in 
selected Medicare recipients paying higher premiums with income above a 
specific threshold. The amount of the premium subsidy reduction is an 
income-related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA). The Internal Revenue 
Service (IRS) transmits income tax return data to SSA for SSA to 
determine the IRMAA. SSA uses the Form SSA-44 to determine if a 
recipient qualifies for a reduction in the IRMAA. If affected Medicare 
recipients believe SSA should use more recent tax data because of a 
life-changing event that significantly reduces their income, they can 
report these changes to SSA and ask for a new initial determination of 
their IRMAA. The respondents are Medicare Part B and prescription drug 
coverage recipients and enrollees with modified adjusted gross income 
over a high-income threshold who experience one of the eight 
significant life-changing events.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                     Estimated
                                                     Number of     Frequency of   Average burden   total annual
             Modality of completion                 respondents      response      per response       burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Personal Interview (SSA field office)...........         147,000               1              30          73,500
SSA-44 Paper Form...............................          39,000               1              45          29,250
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................         186,000  ..............  ..............         102,750
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    Dated: April 11, 2014.
Faye Lipsky,
Reports Clearance Director, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2014-08606 Filed 4-15-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P