[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 226 (Monday, November 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56098-56099]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25528]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No. SSA-2017-0051]


Consolidating the Retirement Research Consortium and the 
Disability Research Consortium Into the Retirement and Disability 
Research Consortium

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We intend to consolidate the current Retirement Research 
Consortium (RRC) and Disability Research Consortium (DRC) into a single 
program with a scope equivalent to the two currently existing programs. 
This single program will address issues related to Supplemental 
Security Income (SSI), and Retirement, Survivors, and Disability 
Insurance (RSDI).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nick Love, Office of Research, 
Evaluation, and Statistics, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, 
Maryland 21235-6401, (202) 358-6049. For information on eligibility or 
filing for benefits, call our national toll-free number, 1-800-772-
1213, or TTY 1-800-325-0778, or visit our Internet site, Social 
Security Online, at http://www.socialsecurity.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Research, Evaluation, and 
Statistics anticipates issuing a request for

[[Page 56099]]

applications (RFA) for the Retirement and Disability Research 
Consortium (RDRC) during FY18. The RDRC will consolidate the current 
RRC and DRC into a single program with a scope equivalent to the two 
current programs. These programs support ``centers'' at universities 
and other private research institutions. The centers organize experts 
from around the country to produce research on Social Security programs 
and related topics. Both programs consist of five-year agreements and 
both five-year cycles are set to end in FY 2018. RFAs for the current 
programs are archived at https://www.ssa.gov/oag/grants/ssagrant_archive.htm. This anticipated single program will address 
issues related to the SSI and RSDI programs.
    We intend to award five-year cooperative agreements to research 
centers of high merit that provide a comprehensive research program 
addressing issues in Social Security, retirement, and disability 
policy. This realignment in the research program will benefit the 
agency by increasing administrative efficiency and coordination. It may 
also provide greater flexibility for research centers; we will consider 
applications from research centers that provide both retirement and 
disability research as well as from smaller, specialized research 
centers (e.g., a center focused on issues relevant to the SSI program).
    For the anticipated RFA, the Grants Management Official (GMO) will 
use the policies in 2 CFR 200 in conjunction with the policies and 
procedures for solicitation, evaluation, and award prescribed in the 
Social Security Administration's internal Grants Administration Manual. 
The project period for all cooperative agreements awarded will cover 
the timeframe of September 2018 through September 2023. Section 1110 of 
the Social Security Act authorizes the agency to conduct research 
through cooperative agreements. We will make awards using a competitive 
review and approval process subject to open and free competition.
    The following is an estimated timeline of actions associated with 
this program:

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                  Action                                Date*
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1. Release of RFA package.................  On or about February 2018.
2. Notice of Intent Due Date (Optional)...  On or about April 2018.
3. Application Due Date...................  On or about May 2018.
4. Anticipated Award(s)...................  On or about September 2018.
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* Dates may change based upon administrative approval.

    The GMO will publish the agency's RFA, along with any amendments, 
and relevant questions and answers, electronically through the 
government-wide point of entry at www.grants.gov. Interested parties 
can sign up for notifications of funding opportunities at: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/manage-subscriptions.html.

Nancy A. Berryhill,
Acting Commissioner of Social Security.
[FR Doc. 2017-25528 Filed 11-24-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4191-02-P