[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 234 (Thursday, December 6, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62943-62945]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-26363]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No: SSA-2018-0066]


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.

[[Page 62944]]

    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-2018-0066].
    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 
February 4, 2019. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection 
instruments by writing to the above email address.
    1. Application for Widow's or Widower's Insurance Benefits--20 CFR 
404.335-404.338, & 404.603--0960-0004. Section 2029(e) and 202(f) of 
the Social Security Act (Act) set forth the requirements for 
entitlement to widow(er)'s benefits, including the requirements to file 
an application. For SSA to make a formal determination for entitlement 
to widow(er)'s benefits, we use Form SSA-10-BK to determine whether an 
applicant meets the statutory and regulatory conditions for entitlement 
to widow(er)'s Title II benefits. SSA employees interview individuals 
applying for benefits either face-to-face or via telephone, and enter 
the information on the paper form or into the Modernized Claims System 
(MCS). The respondents are applicants for widow(er)'s benefits.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                  Average burden     Estimated
             Modality of completion                  Number of     Frequency of    per response    total annual
                                                    respondents      response        (minutes)    burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-10-BK MCS version...........................         518,784               1              14         121,050
SSA-10-BK Paper version.........................           2,255               1              15             564
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................         521,039  ..............  ..............         121,614
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    2. Notice Regarding Substitution of Party Upon Death of Claimant--
Reconsideration of Disability Cessation--20 CFR Sections 404.907-
404.921 and 416.1407-416.1421--0960-0351. When a claimant dies before 
we make a determination on that person's request for reconsideration of 
a disability cessation, SSA seeks a qualified substitute party to 
pursue the appeal. If SSA locates a qualified substitute party, the 
agency uses Form SSA-770 to collect information about whether to pursue 
or withdraw the reconsideration request. We use this information as the 
basis for the decision to continue or discontinue with the appeals 
process. Respondents are substitute applicants who are pursuing a 
reconsideration request for a deceased claimant.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                  Average burden     Estimated
             Modality of completion                  Number of     Frequency of    per response    total annual
                                                    respondents      response        (minutes)    burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-770.........................................           1,200               1               5             100
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    3. Centenarian and Medicare Non-Utilization Project Development 
Worksheets: Face-to-Face Interview and Telephone Interview--20 CFR 
416.204(b) and 422.135--0960-0780. SSA conducts interviews with 
centenary Title II beneficiaries and Title XVI recipients, and Medicare 
Non-Utilization Project (MNUP) beneficiaries age 90 and older to: (1) 
Assess if the beneficiaries are still living; (2) prevent fraud through 
identity misrepresentation; and (3) evaluate the well-being of the 
recipients to determine if they need a representative payee, or a 
change in representative payee. SSA field office personnel obtain the 
information through one-time, in-person interviews with the 
centenarians and MNUP beneficiaries. If the centenarians and MNUP 
beneficiaries have representatives or caregivers, SSA personnel invite 
them to the interviews. During these interviews, SSA employees make 
overall observations of the centenarians, MNUP beneficiaries, and their 
representative payees (if applicable). The interviewer uses the 
appropriate Development Worksheet as a guide for the interview, in 
addition to documenting findings during the interview.
    Non-completion of the Worksheets, or refusal of the interviews, may 
result in the suspension of the centenarians' or MNUP beneficiaries' 
payments. SSA conducts the interviews either over the telephone or 
through a face-to-face discussion with the respondents. Respondents are 
Centenarian and MNUP beneficiaries; their representative payees; or 
their caregivers.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

[[Page 62945]]



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                                                                                  Average burden     Estimated
             Modality of completion                  Number of     Frequency of    per response    total annual
                                                    respondents      response        (minutes)    burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Centenarian Project--Title XVI Only*............             194               1              15              49
MNUP--All Title II Responses....................           4,413               1              15           1,103
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................           4,607  ..............  ..............           1,152
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Some cases are Title II and Title XVI rollovers from prior Centenarian workloads

    II. SSA submitted the information collection below to OMB for 
clearance. Your comments regarding this 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 4, 2019. Individuals can obtain copies of the OMB 
clearance package by writing to [email protected].
    Site Review Questionnaire for Volume and Fee-for-Service Payees and 
Beneficiary Interview Form--20 CFR 404.2035, 404.2065, 416.665, 
416.701, and 416.708--0960-0633. SSA asks organizational representative 
payees to complete Form SSA-637, the Site Review Questionnaire for 
Volume and Fee-for-Service Payees, to provide information on how they 
carry out their responsibilities, including how they manage beneficiary 
funds. SSA then obtains information from the beneficiaries these 
organizations represent via Form SSA-639, Beneficiary Interview Form, 
to corroborate the payees' statements. Due to the sensitivity of the 
information, SSA employees always complete the forms based on the 
answers respondents give during the interview. The respondents are 
individuals; State and local governments; non-profit and for-profit 
organizations serving as representative payees; and the beneficiaries 
they serve.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                  Average burden     Estimated
             Modality of completion                  Number of     Frequency of     of response    total annual
                                                    respondents      response        (minutes)    burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-637.........................................           4,924               1             120           9,848
SSA-639.........................................          21,772               1              10           3,629
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................          26,696  ..............  ..............          13,477
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    Dated: November 29, 2018.
Naomi Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2018-26363 Filed 12-4-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4191-02-P