[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 167 (Monday, August 29, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59261-59263]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20559]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No: SSA-2016-0041]


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-2016-0041].
    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 
October 28, 2016. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection 
instrument by writing to the above email address.
    Methods for Conducting Personal Conferences When Waiver of Recovery

[[Page 59262]]

of a Title II or Title XVI Overpayment Cannot Be Approved--20 CFR 
404.506(e)(3), 404.506(f)(8), 416.557(c)(3), and 416.557(d)(8)--0960-
0769. SSA conducts personal conferences when we cannot approve a waiver 
of recovery of a Title II or Title XVI overpayment. The Social Security 
Act (Act) and our regulatory citations require SSA to give overpaid 
Social Security beneficiaries and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 
recipients the right to request a waiver of recovery and automatically 
schedule a personal conference if we cannot approve their request for 
waiver of overpayment. We conduct these conferences face-to-face, via 
telephone, or through video teleconferences. Social Security 
beneficiaries and SSI recipients or their representatives may provide 
documents to demonstrate they are without fault in causing the 
overpayment and do not have the ability to repay the debt. They may 
submit these documents by completing Form SSA-632, Request for Waive of 
Overpayment Recovery (OMB No. 0960-0037); Form SSA-795, Statement of 
Claimant or Other Person (OMB No. 0960-0045); or through a personal 
statement submitted by mail, telephone, personal contact, or other 
suitable method, such as fax or email. This information collection 
satisfies the requirements for request for waiver of recovery of an 
overpayment, and allows individuals to pursue further levels of 
administrative appeal via personal conference. Respondents are Social 
Security beneficiaries and SSI recipients or their representatives 
seeking reconsideration of an SSA waiver decision.
    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)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title II, Personal Conference, 404.506(e)(3) and          19,663               1              30           9,832
 404-506(f)(8): Submittal of documents,
 additional mitigating financial information,
 and verifications for consideration at personal
 conferences....................................
Title XVI, Personal Conference, 416.557(c)(3)             56,464               1              30          28,232
 and 416-557(d)(8): Submittal of documents,
 additional mitigating financial information,
 and verifications at personal conferences......
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................          76,127  ..............  ..............          38,064
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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 September 28, 2016. Individuals can obtain copies of the 
OMB clearance packages by writing to [email protected].
    1. Request for Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement--20 CFR 
404.810--0960-0466. Section 205(c)(2)(A) of the Act requires the 
Commissioner of SSA to establish and maintain records of wages paid to, 
and amounts of self-employment income derived by, each individual as 
well as the periods in which such wages were paid and such income 
derived. An individual may complete and mail Form SSA-7004 to SSA's 
Data Operations Center in Wilkes-Barre, PA, to obtain a Statement of 
Earnings or Quarters of Coverage. SSA uses the information Form SSA-
7004 collects to identify respondent's Social Security earnings 
records, extract posted earnings information, calculate potential 
benefit estimates, produce the resulting Social Security statements, 
and mail them to the requesters. The respondents are Social Security 
number holders requesting information about their Social Security 
earnings records and estimates of their potential 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-7004....................................          40,090                1                5            3,341
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. National Beneficiary Survey--0960-0800. SSA is continuing the 
National Beneficiary Survey (NBS), a survey which gathers data from SSI 
recipients and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) 
beneficiaries about their characteristics; well-being; and other 
factors that promote or hinder employment. In particular, the survey 
seeks to uncover important information about the factors promoting 
beneficiary self-sufficiency and, conversely, factors impeding 
beneficiary efforts to maintain employment. We use this data to improve 
the administration and effectiveness of the SSDI and SSI programs. 
These results are 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 it 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

[[Page 59263]]

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 conducted 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 collections. 
Enhancement of the prior questionnaire includes additional questions on 
the factors that promote or hinder employment success. In 2015, we 
conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews 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 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.
    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. Respondents are current SSDI beneficiaries and 
SSI recipients.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                      Average        Estimated
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per     total annual
             Modality of completion                 respondents      response        response         burden
                                                                                     (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      2017
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                             Cross-Sectional Samples
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Representative Beneficiary Sample...............           4,000               1              50           3,333
Successful Workers..............................           4,500               1              70           5,250
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Subtotal....................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           8,583
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      2019
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                             Cross-Sectional Samples
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Representative Beneficiary Sample...............           4,000               1              50           3,333
Successful Workers..............................           4,500               1              70           5,250
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                                              Longitudinal Samples
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr---------------------------------------------------------------
Successful Workers..............................           2,250               1              70           2,625
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    Subtotal....................................  ..............  ..............  ..............           9,458
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
        Total Burden............................          17,750  ..............  ..............          18,041
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    Dated: August 23, 2016.
Naomi R. Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2016-20559 Filed 8-26-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4191-02-P