[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 98 (Tuesday, May 23, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23695-23698]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-10470]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No: SSA-2017-0028]


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,

[[Page 23696]]

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-2017-0028].
    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 
24, 2017. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection instrument by 
writing to the above email address.
    Statement Regarding Date of Birth and Citizenship--20CFR 404.716--
0960-0016. Section 205(a) of the Social Security Act (Act) gives the 
Commissioner of SSA the authority to make rules and regulations and to 
establish procedures for collecting evidence from individuals applying 
for Social Security benefits. When individuals apply for Social 
Security benefits and cannot provide preferred methods of proving age 
or citizenship, SSA uses Form SSA-702 to establish these facts. 
Specifically, SSA uses the SSA-702 to establish age as a factor of 
entitlement to Social Security benefits, or U.S. citizenship as a 
payment factor. Respondents are individuals with knowledge about the 
date of birth or citizenship of applicants filing for one or more 
Social Security benefits who need to establish age or citizenship.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                Average  burden     Estimated
           Modality  of completion               Number of      Frequency  of    per  response     total annual
                                                respondents        response        (minutes)     burden  (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-702.....................................           1,200                1               10              200
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    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 22, 2017. Individuals can obtain copies of the OMB 
clearance package by writing to [email protected].
    1. Authorization for the Social Security Administration to Obtain 
Wage and Employment Information from Payroll Data Providers--0960-NEW. 
Section 824 of the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) of 2015, Public Law 114-
74, authorizes the Social Security Administration (SSA) to enter into 
information exchanges with payroll data providers for the purposes of 
improving program administration and preventing improper payments in 
the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental 
Security Income (SSI) programs. SSA will use Form SSA-8240, 
``Authorization for the Social Security Administration to Obtain Wage 
and Employment Information from Payroll Data Providers,'' to secure the 
authorization needed from the relevant members of the public to obtain 
their wage and employment information from payroll data providers. 
Ultimately, SSA will use this wage and employment information to help 
determine program eligibility and payment amounts.
    The public will be able to complete form SSA-8240 using the 
following modalities: A paper form; the Internet; and an in-office or 
telephone interview, during which an SSA employee will document the 
wage and employment information authorization information on one of 
SSA's internal systems ((the Modernized Claims System (MCS); the 
Modernized Supplemental Security Income Claims System (MSSICS); eWork; 
or iMain)). The individual's authorization will remain effective until 
one of the following four events occurs:
     SSA makes a final adverse decision on the application for 
benefits, and the applicant has filed no other claims or appeals under 
the Title for which SSA obtained the authorization;
     the individual's eligibility for payments ends, and the 
individual has not filed other claims or appeals under the Title for 
which SSA obtained the authorization;
     the individual revokes the authorization verbally or in 
writing; or
     the deeming relationship ends (for SSI purposes only).
    SSA will request authorization on an as-needed basis as part of the 
following processes: (a) SSDI and SSI initial claims; (b) SSI 
redeterminations; and (c) SSDI Work Continuing Disability Reviews. The 
respondents are individuals who file for or are currently receiving 
SSDI or SSI payments, and any person whose income and resources SSA 
counts when determining an individual's SSI eligibility or payment 
amount.
    Type of Request: Request for a new information collection.

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                                                                                      Average        Estimated
                                                     Number of     Frequency of     burden per     total annual
             Modality of  completion                respondents   response  (per     response         burden
                                                                      annum)         (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-8240 (paper)................................         136,150               1               6          13,615
Title II & Title XVI Electronic (MCS, MSSICS,          2,769,800               1               2          92,327
 and eWork).....................................
Internet........................................         927,504               1               2          30,917
Revoking Authorization..........................         191,673               1              10          31,946
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................       4,025,127  ..............  ..............         168,805
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. Farm Arrangement Questionnaire--20 CFR 404.1082(c)--0960-0064. 
When self-employed workers submit earnings data to SSA, they cannot 
count rental income from a farm unless they demonstrate ``material 
participation'' in the farm's operation. A material participation 
arrangement means the farm owners must perform a combination of 
physical duties; management decisions; and capital investment in the 
farm they rent out. SSA uses Form SSA-7157, the Farm Arrangement 
Questionnaire, to document material participation. The

[[Page 23697]]

respondents are workers who are renting farmland to others; are 
involved in the operation of the farm; and want to claim countable 
income from work they perform relating to the farm.
    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-7157....................................           2,304                1               30            1,152
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    3. Railroad Employment Questionnaire--20 CFR 404.1401, 404.1406-
404.1408--0960-0078. Railroad workers, their dependents, or survivors 
can concurrently apply for railroad retirement and Social Security 
benefits at SSA if the number holder, or claimant on the number 
holder's Social Security Number, worked in the railroad industry. SSA 
uses Form SSA-671 to coordinate Social Security claims processing with 
the Railroad Retirement Board, and to determine benefit entitlement and 
amount. The respondents are Social Security benefit applicants 
previously employed by a railroad or dependents of railroad workers.
    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-671.....................................         125,000                1                5           10,417
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    4. Employee Identification Statement--20 CFR 404.702--0960-0473. 
When two or more individuals report earnings under the same Social 
Security Number (SSN), SSA collects information on Form SSA-4156 to 
credit the earnings to the correct individual and SSN. We send the SSA-
4156 to the employer to: (1) Identify the employees involved; (2) 
resolve the discrepancy; and (3) credit the earnings to the correct 
SSN. The respondents are employers involved in erroneous wage reporting 
for an employee.
    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-4156....................................           4,750                1               10              792
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    5. Appeal of Determination for Help with Medicare Prescription Drug 
Plan Costs--0960-0695. Public Law 108-173, the MMA of 2003 established 
the Medicare Part D program for voluntary prescription drug coverage 
for certain low-income individuals. The MMA stipulates the provision of 
subsidies for individuals who are eligible for the program and who meet 
eligibility criteria for help with premium, deductible, and co-payment 
costs. SSA uses Form SSA-1021, Appeal of Determination for Help With 
Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs, to obtain information from 
individuals who appeal SSA's decisions regarding eligibility or 
continuing eligibility for a Medicare Part D subsidy. The respondents 
are Medicare beneficiaries, or proper applicants acting on behalf of a 
Medicare beneficiary, who do not agree with the outcome of an SSA 
subsidy eligibility determination, and are filing an appeal.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                  Average burden     Estimated
             Modality of completion                  Number of     Frequency of    per response    total annual
                                                    respondents      response        (minutes)    burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-1021 (Paper Version)........................           3,283               1              10             547
SSA-1021 (Internet Version; Medicare Application          11,037               1              10           1,840
 Processing System).............................
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................          14,320  ..............  ..............           2,387
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[[Page 23698]]

    Dated: May 17, 2017.
Naomi R. Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-10470 Filed 5-22-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4191-02-P