[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 7, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12878-12879]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-04355]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No: SSA-2017-0009]


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-2017-0009].
    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 May 
8, 2017. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection instruments by 
writing to the above email address.
    1. Representative Payee Report-Adult, Representative Payee Report-
Child, Representative Payee Report-Organizational Representative 
Payees--20 CFR 404.635, 404.2035, 404.2065, and 416.665--0960-0068. 
When SSA determines it is not in an Old Age, Survivors, and Disability 
Insurance (OASDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipient's 
best interest to receive Social Security payments directly, the agency 
will designate a representative payee for the recipient. The 
representative payee can be: (1) A family member; (2) a non-family 
member who is a private citizen and is acquainted with the beneficiary; 
(3) an organization; (4) a state or local government agency; or (5) a 
business. In the capacity of representative payee, the person or 
organization receives the SSA recipient's payments directly and manages 
these payments. As part of its stewardship mandate, SSA must ensure the 
representative payees are properly using the payments they receive for 
the recipients they represent. The agency annually collects the 
information necessary to make this assessment using the SSA-623, 
Representative Payee Report-Adult; SSA-6230, Representative Payee 
Report-Child; SSA-6234, Representative Payee Report-Organizational 
Representative Payees; and through the electronic internet application 
Internet Representative Payee Accounting (iRPA). The respondents are 
representative payees of OASDI and SSI recipients.
    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-623.............................          2,812,662                  1                 15            703,166
SSA-6230............................          2,968,986                  1                 15            742,247
SSA-6234............................            719,684                  1                 15            179,921
iRPA*...............................            650,195                  1                 15            162,549
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    Totals..........................          7,151,527  .................  .................          1,787,883
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* One Internet platform encompasses all three paper forms.

    2. 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 Social Security Act 
(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: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

[[Page 12879]]



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                                                                             Average  burden    Estimated  total
       Modality of completion             Number of         Frequency of      per  response      annual  burden
                                         respondents          response          (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
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    Totals..........................            736,072  .................  .................            122,680
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    3. Request for Social Security Earnings Information--20 CFR 401.100 
and 404.810--0960-0525. The Social Security Act permits wage earners, 
or their authorized representatives, to request Social Security 
earnings information from SSA using Form SSA-7050-F4. SSA uses the 
information the respondent provides on Form SSA-7050-F4 to verify the 
wage earner has: (1) Earnings; (2) the right to access the correct 
Social Security Record; and (3) the right to request the earnings 
statement. If we verify all three items, SSA produces an Itemized 
Statement of Earnings (Form SSA-1826) and sends it to the requestor. 
Respondents are wage earners and their authorized representatives who 
are requesting Itemized Statement of 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-7050-F4.....................             66,800                   1                  11              12,247
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    Cost Burden:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Type of respondent                       Annual cost
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Non-Certified Respondent................................      $2,211,105
Certified Respondent....................................       1,601,656
                                                         ---------------
  Totals................................................       3,812,761
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    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 April 6, 2017. Individuals can obtain copies of the OMB 
clearance package by writing to [email protected].
    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 (U.S.), SSA uses Form SSA-7163 to determine if foreign 
work deductions are applicable. Specifically, SSA uses Form SSA-7163 to 
determine: (1) Whether work the beneficiaries performed outside the 
United States (U.S.) 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. SSA determines whether the annual earnings test applies to 
all earnings from work covered by the Social Security Act, including 
earnings from covered work performed outside the U.S. However, because 
of the differences in foreign currency values, it is administratively 
impractical to apply this test to earnings from non-covered work 
performed outside the U.S. and base it on U.S. 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 U.S. to complete this form 
annually or every other year (depending on the country of residence). 
Respondents 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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    Dated: March 2, 2017.
Naomi R. Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-04355 Filed 3-6-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4191-02-P