[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11174-11176]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-03847]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No: SSA-2020-0008]


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-2020-0008].
    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 
April 27, 2020. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection 
instruments by writing to the above email address.
    Requests for Self-Employment Information, Employee Information, and 
Employer Information--20 CFR 422.120--0960-0508. When SSA cannot 
identify Form W-2 wage data for an individual, we place the data in an 
earnings suspense file and contact the individual (and in certain 
instances the employer) to obtain the correct information. If the 
respondent furnishes the name and Social Security Number (SSN) 
information that agrees with SSA's records, or provides information 
that resolves the discrepancy, SSA adds the reported earnings to the 
respondent's Social Security record. We use Forms SSA-L2765, SSA-L3365, 
and SSA-L4002 for this purpose. The respondents are self-employed 
individuals and employees whose name and SSN information do not agree 
with their employer's and SSA's records.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                                              Average
                                                                                              Average        Estimated      theoretical    Total annual
                 Modality of completion                      Number of     Frequency of     burden per     total annual     hourly cost     opportunity
                                                            respondents      response        response         burden          amount           cost
                                                                                             (minutes)        (hours)       (dollars) *    (dollars) **
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SSA-L2765...............................................          12,321               1              10           2,054         * 22.50       ** 46,215
SSA-L3365...............................................         179,749               1              10          29,958           22.50      ** 674,055
SSA-L4002...............................................         121,679               1              10          20,280         * 22.50      ** 456,300
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    Totals..............................................         313,749  ..............  ..............          52,292  ..............    ** 1,176,570
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* We based these figures on average U.S. citizen's hourly salary, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on recipients of Social Security payments to complete this application; rather,
  these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the application. There is no actual charge to
  respondents to complete the application.

    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 March 27, 2020. Individuals can obtain

[[Page 11175]]

copies of the OMB clearance packages by writing to 
[email protected].
    Consent Based Social Security Number Verification Process--20 CFR 
400.100--0960-0760. The Consent Based Social Security Number 
Verification (CBSV) process is a fee-based automated SSN verification 
service available to private businesses and other requesting parties. 
To use the system, private businesses and requesting parties must 
register with SSA and obtain valid consent from SSN holders prior to 
verification. We collect the information to verify if the submitted 
name and SSN match the information in SSA records. After completing a 
registration process and paying the fee, the requesting party can use 
the CBSV process to submit a file containing the names of number 
holders who gave valid consent, along with each number holder's 
accompanying SSN and date of birth (if available) to obtain real-time 
results using a web service application or SSA's Business Services 
Online (BSO) application. SSA matches the information against the SSA 
master file of SSNs, using SSN, name, date of birth, and gender code 
(if available). The requesting party retrieves the results file from 
SSA, which indicates only a match or no match for each SSN submitted.
    Under the CBSV process, the requesting party does not submit the 
consent forms of the number holders to SSA. SSA requires each 
requesting party to retain a valid consent form for each SSN 
verification request. The requesting party retains the consent forms in 
either electronic or paper format.
    SSA added a strong audit component to ensure the integrity of the 
CBSV process. At the discretion of the agency, we require audits 
(called ``compliance reviews'') with the requesting party paying all 
audit costs. Independent certified public accounts (CPAs) conduct these 
reviews to ensure compliance with all the terms and conditions of the 
party's agreement with SSA, including a review of the consent forms. 
CPAs conduct the reviews at the requesting party's place of business to 
ensure the integrity of the process. In addition, SSA reserves the 
right to perform unannounced onsite inspections of the entire process, 
including review of the technical systems that maintain the data and 
transaction records. The respondents to the CBSV collection are the 
participating companies; members of the public who consent to the SSN 
verification; and CPAs who provide compliance review services.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

Time Burden

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                                                                                                                                                Total
                                                                                                        Average     Estimated     Average       annual
                                                                Number of    Frequency    Number of    burden per     total     theoretical  opportunity
                         Requirement                           respondents  of response   responses     response      annual    hourly cost      cost
                                                                                                       (minutes)      burden       amount     (dollars)
                                                                                                                     (hours)    (dollars) *       **
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                                                                 Participating Companies
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Registration process for new participating companies.........       *** 10            1           10          120           20      * 36.98       ** 740
Creation of file with SSN holder identification data;                   80     **** 251       20,080           60       20,080      * 36.98   ** 742,558
 maintaining required documentation/forms....................
Using the system to upload request file, check status, and              80          251       20,080            5        1,673      * 36.98    ** 61,868
 download results file.......................................
Storing Consent Forms........................................           80          251       20,080           60       20,080      * 36.98   ** 742,558
Activities related to compliance review......................           80          251       20,080           60       20,080      * 36.98   ** 742,558
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    Totals...................................................          330  ...........       80,330  ...........       61,933  ...........           **
                                                                                                                                               2,290,282
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                                         Participating Companies Who Opt for External Testing Environment (ETE)
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ETE Registration Process (includes reviewing and completing             30            1            1          180           90      * 36.98     ** 3,328
 ETE User Agreement).........................................
Web Service Transactions.....................................           30           50        1,500            1           25      * 36.98       ** 925
Reporting Issues Encountered on Web service testing (e.g.,              30           50        1,500            1           25      * 36.98       ** 925
 reports on application's reliability).......................
Reporting changes in users' status (e.g., termination or                30            1            1           60           30      * 36.98     ** 1,109
 changes in users' employment status; changes in duties of
 authorized users)...........................................
Cancellation of Agreement....................................           30            1            1           30           15      * 36.98       ** 555
Dispute Resolution...........................................           30            1            1          120           60      * 36.98     ** 2,219
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    Totals...................................................          180  ...........        3,004  ...........          245  ...........     ** 9,061
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                                                            People Whose SSNs SSA Will Verify
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Reading and signing authorization for SSA to release SSN         2,500,000            1    2,500,000            3      125,000      * 10.22           **
 verification (Form SSA-89)..................................                                                                                  1,277,500
Responding to CPA re-contact.................................        4,000            1        4,000            5          333      * 36.98    ** 12,314
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
    Totals...................................................    2,504,000  ...........    2,504,000  ...........      125,333  ...........           **
                                                                                                                                               1,289,814
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* We based these figures on average Business and Financial operations occupations hourly salaries, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data, and
  per average DI payments, as reported in SSA's disability insurance payment data.
** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on recipients of Social Security payments to complete this application; rather,
  these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the application. There is no actual charge to
  respondents to complete the application.
*** One-time registration process/approximately 10 new participating companies per year.
**** Please note there are 251 Federal business days per year on which a requesting party could submit a file.

    There is one CPA respondent conducting compliance reviews and 
preparing written reports of findings. The average burden per the 80 
responses is 4,800 minutes for a total burden of 6,400 hours annually.

Cost Burden

    The public cost burden is dependent upon the number of companies 
and transactions per year. In FY 2019, 80

[[Page 11176]]

companies enrolled; 80 companies submitted an advance; and 70 actually 
performed verifications. The cost estimates below are based upon 80 
participating companies in FY 2019 (includes an average of 10 new 
companies per year since 2016) submitting a total of 2,500,000 
transactions.
    One-Time per Company Registration Fee--$5,000.
    Estimated per SSN Transaction Fee--$1.00.
    Estimated per Company Cost to Store Consent Forms--$300.

    Dated: February 21, 2020.
Naomi Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2020-03847 Filed 2-25-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P