[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 29, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81409-81412]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32643]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No SSA-2015-0076]


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].

    Or you may submit your comments online through www.regulations.gov, 
referencing Docket ID Number [SSA-2015-0076].
    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 
February 29, 2016. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection 
instrument by writing to the above email address.

Statement for Determining Continuing Eligibility for Supplemental 
Security Income Payment--20 CFR 416.204--0960-0145

    SSA uses Form SSA-8202-BK to conduct low-and middle-error-profile 
telephone or face-to-face redetermination interviews with Supplemental 
Security Income (SSI) recipients and representative payees. The 
information SSA collects during the interview is necessary to determine 
whether SSI recipients met and continue to meet all statutory and 
regulatory requirements for SSI eligibility, and whether they received, 
and still receive the correct payment amount.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

[[Page 81410]]



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                              Average burden    Estimated total
       Modality of completion             Number of         Frequency of       per response      annual burden
                                          responses           response          (minutes)           (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-8202-BK.........................             10,307                  1                 21              3,607
MSSICS..............................          2,289,599                  1                 20            763,200
                                     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals..........................          2,299,906  .................  .................            766,807
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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 January 28, 2016. Individuals can obtain copies of the 
OMB clearance package by writing to [email protected].

Promoting Readiness of Minors in SSI (PROMISE) Evaluation--0960-0799

Background

    The Promoting Readiness of Minors in SSI (PROMISE) demonstration 
pursues positive outcomes for children with disabilities who receive 
SSI and their families by reducing dependency on SSI. The Department of 
Education (ED) awarded six cooperative agreements to states to improve 
the provision and coordination of services and support for children 
with disabilities who receive SSI and their families to achieve 
improved education and employment outcomes. ED awarded PROMISE funds to 
five single-state projects, and to one six-state consortium.\1\ With 
support from ED, the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Department of 
Health and Human Services (HHS), SSA is evaluating the six PROMISE 
projects. SSA contracted with Mathematica Policy Research to conduct 
the evaluation. Under PROMISE, targeted outcomes for youth include an 
enhanced sense of self-determination; achievement of secondary and 
post-secondary educational credentials; an attainment of early work 
experiences culminating with competitive employment in an integrated 
setting; and long-term reduction in reliance on SSI. Outcomes of 
interest for families include heightened expectations for and support 
of the long-term self-sufficiency of their youth; parent or guardian 
attainment of education and training credentials; and increases in 
earnings and total income. To achieve these outcomes, we expect the 
PROMISE projects to make better use of existing resources by improving 
service coordination among multiple state and local agencies and 
programs.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The six-state consortium project goes by the name Achieving 
Success by Promoting Readiness for Education and Employment (ASPIRE) 
rather than by PROMISE.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ED, SSA, DOL, and HHS intend the PROMISE projects to address key 
limitations in the existing service system for youth with disabilities. 
By intervening early in the lives of these young people, at ages 14-16, 
the projects engage the youth and their families well before critical 
decisions regarding the age 18 redetermination are upon them. We expect 
the required partnerships among the various state and Federal agencies 
that serve youth with disabilities to result in improved integration of 
services and fewer dropped handoffs as youth move from one agency to 
another. By requiring the programs to engage and serve families and 
provide youth with paid work experiences, the initiative is mandating 
the adoption of critical best practices in promoting the independence 
of youth with disabilities.

Project Description

    SSA is requesting clearance for the collection of data needed to 
implement and evaluate PROMISE. The evaluation provides empirical 
evidence on the impact of the intervention for youth and their families 
in several critical areas, including: (1) Improved educational 
attainment; (2) increased employment skills, experience, and earnings; 
and (3) long-term reduction in use of public benefits. We base the 
PROMISE evaluation on a rigorous design that entails the random 
assignment of approximately 2,000 youth in each of the six projects to 
treatment or control groups (12,000 total). The PROMISE projects 
provide enhanced services for youth in the treatment groups; whereas 
youth in the control groups are eligible only for those services 
already available in their communities independent of the 
interventions.
    The evaluation assesses the effect of PROMISE services on 
educational attainment, employment, earnings, and reduced receipt of 
disability payments. The three components of this evaluation include:
     The process analysis, which documents program models, 
assesses the relationships among the partner organizations, documents 
whether the grantees implemented the programs as planned, identifies 
features of the programs that may account for their impacts on youth 
and families, and identifies lessons for future programs with similar 
objectives.
     The impact analysis, which determines whether youth and 
families in the treatment groups receive more services than their 
counterparts in the control groups. It also determines whether 
treatment group members have better results than control group members 
with respect to the targeted outcomes noted above.
     The cost-benefit analysis, which assesses whether the 
benefits of PROMISE, including increases in employment and reductions 
in benefit receipt, are large enough to justify its costs. We conduct 
this assessment from a range of perspectives, including those of the 
participants, state and Federal governments, SSA, and society as a 
whole.
    SSA planned several data collection efforts for the evaluation. 
These include: (1) Follow-up interviews with youth and their parent or 
guardian 18 months and 5 years after enrollment; (2) phone and in-
person interviews with local program administrators, program 
supervisors, and service delivery staff at two points in time over the 
course of the demonstration; (3) two rounds of focus groups with 
participating youth in the treatment group; (4) two rounds of focus 
groups with parents or guardians of participating youth; (5) staff 
activity logs which provide data on aspects of service delivery; and 
(6) collection of administrative data. At this time, SSA requests 
clearance for the staff activity logs. SSA will request clearance for 
the 5-year survey interviews in a future submission. The respondents 
are the administrative and direct service staff, as well as some 
subcontractors whose primary roles with their organizations involve 
PROMISE service delivery.
    Type of Request: Revision to an OMB-approved information 
collection.

Time Burden on Respondents

[[Page 81411]]



                                  2014--Interviews and Focus Group Discussions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                              Average burden    Estimated total
       Modality of completion             Number of         Frequency of       per response      annual burden
                                          responses           response          (minutes)           (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Interviews with Administrators                 24                  1                 66                 26
 or Directors.......................
Staff Interviews with PROMISE                        48                  1                 66                 53
 Project Staff......................
Youth Focus Groups--Non-participants                100                  1                  5                  8
Youth Focus Groups--Participants....                 20                  1                100                 33
Parents or Guardian Focus Groups--                  100                  1                  5                  8
 Non-participants...................
Parents or Guardian Focus Groups--                   20                  1                100                 33
 Participants.......................
                                     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals..........................                312  .................  .................                161
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                  2015--Interviews and Focus Group Discussions, and 18-Month Survey Interviews
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                              Average burden    Estimated total
       Modality of completion             Number of         Frequency of       per response      annual burden
                                          responses           response          (minutes)           (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Interviews with Administrators                 51                  1                 66                 56
 or Directors.......................
Staff Interviews with PROMISE                        97                  1                 66                107
 Project Staff......................
Youth Focus Groups--Non-participants                220                  1                  5                 18
Youth Focus Groups--Participants....                 60                  1                100                100
Parents or Guardian Focus Groups--                  220                  1                  5                 18
 Non-participants...................
Parents or Guardian Focus Groups--                   60                  1                100                100
 Participants.......................
18 Month Survey Interviews--Parent..                850                  1                 41                595
18 Month Survey Interviews--Youth...                850                  1                 30                425
                                     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals..........................              2,408  .................  .................              1,405
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


        2016--Interviews and Focus Group Discussions, Staff Activity Logs, and 18 Month Survey Interviews
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                              Average burden    Estimated total
       Modality of completion             Number of         Frequency of       per response      annual burden
                                          responses           response          (minutes)           (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff Interviews with Administrators                 75                  1                 66                 83
 or Directors.......................
Staff Interviews with PROMISE                       145                  1                 66                160
 Project Staff......................
Activity Logs for Administrators or                  45                 14                  5                 52
 Directors..........................
Activity Logs for PROMISE Project                   160                 14                  5                187
 Staff..............................
Youth Focus Groups--Non-participants                320                  1                  5                 27
Youth Focus Groups--Participants....                 80                  1                100                133
Parents or Guardian Focus Groups--                  320                  1                  5                 27
 Non-participants...................
Parents or Guardian Focus Groups--                   80                  1                100                133
 Participants.......................
18 Month Survey Interviews--Parent..              5,100                  1                 41              3,485
18 Month Survey Interviews--Youth...              5,100                  1                 30              2,550
                                     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals..........................             11,425  .................  .................              6,837
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                        2017--18 Month Survey Interviews
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                              Average burden    Estimated total
       Modality of completion             Number of         Frequency of       per response      annual burden
                                          responses           response          (minutes)           (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18 Month Survey Interviews--Parent..              4,250                  1                 41              2,904
18 Month Survey Interviews--Youth...              4,250                  1                 30              2,125
                                     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals..........................              8,500  .................  .................              5,029
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                                   Grand Total
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                              Average burden    Estimated total
       Modality of completion             Number of         Frequency of       per response      annual burden
                                          responses           response          (minutes)           (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grand Total.........................             22,645  .................  .................             13,432
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cost Burden on Respondents

[[Page 81412]]



                                                            2014--Annual Cost to Respondents
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                   Average burden     Median hourly
                     Respondent type                           Number of         Frequency of       per response        wage rate       Total respondent
                                                              respondents          response          (minutes)          (dollars)       cost  (dollars)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parent or Guardian Focus Group--Non-Participants.........                100                  1                  5               7.38              61.00
Parent or Guardian Focus Group--Participants.............                 20                  1                100               7.38             246.00
                                                          ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total................................................                120  .................  .................  .................             307.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                                            2015--Annual Cost to Respondents
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                   Average burden     Median hourly
                     Respondent type                           Number of         Frequency of       per response        wage rate       Total respondent
                                                              respondents          response          (minutes)          (dollars)       cost  (dollars)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parent or Guardian Focus Group--Non-Participants.........                220                  1                  5               7.38             135.00
Parent or Guardian Focus Group--Participants.............                 60                  1                100               7.38             738.00
                                                          ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total................................................                280  .................  .................  .................             873.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                                            2016--Annual Cost to Respondents
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                   Average burden     Median hourly
                     Respondent type                           Number of         Frequency of       per response        wage rate       Total respondent
                                                              respondents          response          (minutes)          (dollars)       cost  (dollars)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parent or Guardian Focus Group--Non-Participants.........                320                  1                  5               7.38             196.00
Parent or Guardian Focus Group--Participants.............                 80                  1                100               7.38             984.00
                                                          ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total................................................                400  .................  .................  .................           1,180.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                                                       Grand Total
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                   Average burden     Median hourly
                     Respondent type                           Number of         Frequency of       per response        wage rate       Total respondent
                                                              respondents          response          (minutes)          (dollars)       cost  (dollars)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Grand Total......................................                800  .................  .................  .................           2,360.00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


     Dated: December 22, 2015.
Naomi R. Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-32643 Filed 12-28-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4191-02-P