[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 103 (Thursday, May 29, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30922-30924]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-12428]


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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 and extensions 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 collection below is pending at SSA. SSA will 
submit it 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 July 
28, 2014. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection instruments 
by writing to the above email address.
    Authorization to Disclose Information to SSA--20 CFR 404.1512 and 
416.912, 45 CFR 160 and 164--0960-0623. Sections 223(d)(5)(A) and 
1614(a)(3)(H)(i) of the Social Security Act (Act) require claimants to 
furnish such medical and other evidence as the Commissioner of Social 
Security may need to prove they are disabled. SSA must obtain 
sufficient evidence to make eligibility determinations for Title II and 
Title XVI payments. Therefore, the applicant must authorize release of 
information from various sources to SSA. The applicants use Form SSA-
827 to provide consent for the release of medical records, education 
records, and other information related to their ability to perform 
tasks. Once the applicant completes Form SSA-827, SSA or the State 
Disability Determination Service sends the form to the designated 
source(s) to obtain pertinent records. The respondents are applicants 
for Title II benefits and Title XVI payments.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                  Average burden     Estimated
             Modality of completion                  Number of     Frequency of    per response    total annual
                                                    respondents      response        (minutes)    burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-827 with electronic signature                      1,922,938               1               9         288,441
 (eAuthorization)...............................
SSA-827 with wet signature (paper version)......       1,441,052               1              10         240,175
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................       3,363,990  ..............  ..............         528,616
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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 June 30, 2014. Individuals can obtain copies of the OMB 
clearance packages by writing to [email protected].
    1. Statement Regarding Marriage--20 CFR 404.726--0960-0017. 
According to section 216(h)(1)(A) of the Act, SSA must apply state law 
when determining an individual's marital status. Some state laws 
recognize marriages without a ceremony (i.e., common-law marriages). In 
such cases, SSA provides the same spouse or widow(er) benefits to the 
common-law spouses as it does to ceremonially married spouses. To 
determine common-law spouses, SSA must elicit information from blood 
relatives or other persons who are knowledgeable about the alleged 
common-law relationship. SSA uses Form SSA-753, Statement Regarding 
Marriage, to collect information from third parties to verify the 
applicant's statements about intent, cohabitation, and holding out to 
the public as married, which are the basic tenets of a common-law 
marriage. SSA uses the information to determine if a valid marital 
relationship exists, and if the common-law spouse is entitled to Social

[[Page 30923]]

Security spouse or widow(er) benefits. The respondents are third 
parties who can confirm or deny the alleged common-law marriage.
    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-753.....................................          40,000                1                9            6,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. Request for Waiver of Overpayment Recovery or Change in 
Repayment Notice--20 CFR 404.502-404.513, 404.515 and 20 CFR 416.550-
416.570, 416.572--0960-0037. When Social Security beneficiaries and 
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients receive an overpayment, 
they must return the extra money. These beneficiaries and recipients 
can use Form SSA-632-BK to take one of three actions: (1) Request an 
exemption from repaying, as recovery of the payment would cause 
financial hardship; (2) inform SSA they want to repay the overpayment 
at a monthly rate over a period longer than 36 months; and
    (3) request a different rate of recovery. In the latter two cases, 
the respondents must also provide financial information to help the 
agency determine how much the overpaid person can afford to repay each 
month. Respondents are overpaid beneficiaries or SSI recipients who are 
requesting: (1) A waiver of recovery of an overpayment, or (2) a lesser 
rate of withholding.
    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)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Waiver of Overpayment (Completes Whole Paper             400,000               1             120         800,000
 Form)..........................................
Change in Repayment (Completes Partial Paper             100,000               1              45          75,000
 Form)..........................................
Regional Application (New York Debt Management).          44,000               1             120          88,000
Internet Instructions...........................         500,000               1               5          41,667
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................       1,044,000  ..............  ..............       1,004,667
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    3. Annual Earnings Test Direct Mail Follow-Up Program Notices--20 
CFR 404.452-404.455--0960-0369. SSA developed the Annual Earnings Test 
Direct Mail Follow-up Program to improve beneficiary reporting on work 
and earnings during the year and earnings information at the end of the 
year. SSA may reduce benefits payable under the Act when an individual 
has wages or self-employment income exceeding the annual exempt amount. 
SSA identifies beneficiaries likely to receive more than the annual 
exempt amount, and requests more frequent estimates of earnings from 
them. When applicable, SSA also requests a future year estimate to 
reduce overpayments due to earnings. SSA sends letters (SSA-L9778, SSA-
L9779, SSA-L9781, SSA-L9784, SSA-L9785, and SSA-L9790) to beneficiaries 
requesting earnings information the month prior to their attainment of 
full retirement age. We send each beneficiary a tailored letter that 
includes relevant earnings data from SSA records. The Annual Earnings 
Test Direct Mail Follow-up Program helps to ensure Social Security 
payments are correct, and enables us to prevent earnings-related 
overpayments, and avoid erroneous withholding. The respondents are 
working Social Security beneficiaries with earnings over the exempt 
amount.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

    Note:  This is a correction notice. When we published the 60-day 
Notice for this collection on 3/21/14 at 79 FR 15782 we listed it as 
a revision; however, this is an extension of a currently approved 
information collection.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                     Estimated
                                                     Number of     Frequency of   Average burden   total annual
             Modality of completion                 respondents      response      per response       burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-L9778.......................................          42,630               1              10           7,105
SSA-L9779.......................................         158,865               1              10          26,478
SSA-L9781.......................................         472,437               1              10          78,740
SSA-L9784.......................................           1,270               1              10             212
SSA-L9785.......................................          15,870               1              10           2,645
SSA-L9790.......................................          45,000               1              10           7,500
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................         736,072  ..............  ..............         122,680
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4. Questionnaire for Children Claiming SSI Benefits--0960-0499. 
Section 1631(d)(2) of the Act allows SSA to determine the eligibility 
of an applicant's claim for SSI payments. Parents or legal guardians 
seeking to obtain or retain SSI eligibility for their children use Form 
SSA-3881-BK to provide SSA with the addresses of non-medical sources 
such as schools, counselors, agencies, organizations, or therapists who 
would have information about a child's functioning. SSA uses this 
information to help determine a child's claim or continuing eligibility

[[Page 30924]]

for SSI. The respondents are applicants who appeal SSI childhood 
disability decisions or recipients undergoing a continuing disability 
review.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                  Average burden
             Modality of collection                  Number of     Frequency of    per response    Total annual
                                                    respondents      response        (minutes)    burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appeals Cases...................................          65,000               1              30          32,500
Disability Review Cases.........................          45,000               1              30          22,500
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................         110,000  ..............  ..............          55,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    5. Social Security Administration Eligible Non-Attorney 
Representative--20 CFR 404.1717, 404.1745--404.1799, 416.1517, and 
416.1545--416.1599 --0960-0699. Section 3 of the Social Security 
Disability Applicants Access to Professional Representation Act (PRA) 
of 2010, Public Law 111-142, permanently extends the direct payment 
provision of Section 303 of the Social Security Protection Act (SSPA) 
of 2004, Public Law 108-203. The PRA permits SSA to extend direct 
payment of approved fees from claimants' past-due benefits to certain 
non-attorney representatives. Prior to the enactment of the SSPA and 
PRA, only attorneys could receive direct payment of SSA-approved fees. 
Under the PRA, non-attorneys must meet certain prerequisites to be 
eligible for direct payment of fees. These prerequisites include: (1) A 
bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher education, 
or four years of relevant professional experience and a high school 
diploma or General Education Development (GED) certificate; (2) passing 
a written examination administered by SSA testing the knowledge of 
relevant provisions of the Act under Titles II and XVI; (3) securing 
and maintaining continuous professional liability insurance, or 
equivalent, to protect claimants from malpractice; (4) passing a 
criminal background check; (5) demonstrating ongoing completion of 
continuing education courses. The PRA requires SSA to collect the 
information needed to determine if applicants have satisfied these 
prerequisites. SSA uses the information we collect on Form SSA-1691 to 
determine whether an applicant has fulfilled the statutory 
prerequisites and regulatory requirements as listed above. To verify 
this information, we also request the five required items listed above 
from each new applicant, and we request items 3 and 5 
from all non-attorney representatives (new and existing) on a yearly 
basis. Every year, SSA evaluates the applications, conducts 
verification investigations, and issues recommendations regarding 
applicants' eligibility to sit for the examination and eligibility to 
receive direct payment. The respondents are non-attorneys who want to 
receive direct payment of their fees for representational services 
before SSA.
    Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

    Note:  This is a correction notice. When we published the 60-day 
Notice for this collection on 3/21/14 at 79 FR 15782 we listed it as 
a revision; however, this is an extension of a currently approved 
information collection.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Average        Estimated
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per     total annual
             Modality of completion                 respondents      response        response         burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Respondents--Paper Application (complete and             200               1              45             150
 submit)--404.1717(b)&(c); 416.1517(b)&(c)......
New Respondents Examination--404.1717(a)(5);                 200               1             120             400
 416.1517(a)(5).................................
New Respondents--Submission of proof of                      200               1              10              33
 Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent Qualifications--
 404.1717(a)(3); 416.1517(a)(3).................
New and Existing Respondents--CE Submission via              710               1              20             237
 email/mail/or FAX of training courses taken as
 prescribed by SSA--404.1717(a)(7);
 416.1517(a)(7).................................
New and Existing Respondents--Proof of                       672               1              10             112
 Continuous Professional or Business Liability
 Insurance Coverage (Scan and Email)--
 404.1717(a)(6); 416.1517(a)(6).................
New and Existing Respondents--Proof of                        38               1              15              10
 Continuous Professional or Business Liability
 Insurance Coverage (Copy and Mail)--
 404.1717(a)(6); 416.1517(a)(6).................
New and Existing Respondents--Written Protests--              45               1              45              34
 404.1717(d); 416.1517(d).......................
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................           2,065  ..............  ..............             976
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Dated: May 23, 2014.
Faye Lipsky,
Reports Clearance Director, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2014-12428 Filed 5-28-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P