[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 178 (Friday, September 17, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51951-51952]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-20158]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No. SSA-2021-0025]


Request for Information on Potential Disability Insurance and 
Supplemental Security Income Demonstrations

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice; request for information.

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SUMMARY: We administer the Disability Insurance (DI) and Supplemental 
Security Income (SSI) programs to provide income support to people with 
disabilities. The Commissioner of Social Security is authorized to test 
new program rules to promote attachment to the labor force and increase 
the employment and self-sufficiency of individuals receiving or 
applying for DI or SSI benefits, including children and youth; and to 
coordinate planning between private and public welfare agencies to 
improve the administration and effectiveness of the DI, SSI, and 
related programs. This request for information (RFI) seeks public input 
on potential services, supports, or DI and SSI policy changes that 
could achieve these goals. The input we receive will inform our 
deliberations about possible future demonstrations and tests. We will 
also use the responses as reference material as we provide Congress 
technical advice regarding any potential renewal of the section 234 
authorization.

DATES: To ensure that your comments are considered, we must receive 
them no later than November 16, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any one of three methods--
internet, fax, or mail. Do not submit the same comments multiple times 
or by more than one method. Regardless of which method you choose, 
please state that your comments refer to Docket No. SSA-2021-0025 so 
that we may associate your comments with the correct Federal Register 
notice.
    Caution: You should be careful to include in your comments only 
information that you wish to make publicly available. We strongly urge 
you not to include in your comments any personal information, such as 
Social Security numbers or medical information.
    1. Internet: We strongly recommend that you submit your comments 
via the internet. Please visit the Federal eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Use the Search function to find docket number 
SSA-2021-0025 and then submit your comments. The system will issue you 
a tracking number to confirm your submission. You will not be able to 
view your comments immediately because we must post each submission 
manually. It may take up to a week for your comments to be viewable.
    2. Fax: Fax comments to (410) 966-2830.
    3. Mail: Mail your comments to the Office of Regulations and 
Reports Clearance, Social Security Administration, 3100 West High Rise 
Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland, 21235-6401.
    Comments are available for public viewing on the Federal 
eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov or in person, during 
regular business hours, by arranging with the contact person identified 
below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey Hemmeter, Acting Deputy 
Associate Commissioner for Research, Demonstration, and Employment 
Support, Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, Social Security 
Administration, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401, 
(410) 597-1815, for information about this notice. 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:

Purpose

    Social Security pays benefits to more than 12 million adults ages 
18 to 64 who are unable to work due to a disability \1\ and to more 
than 1 million children with limited income and assets who have marked 
and severe functional limitations.\2\ The Commissioner of Social 
Security is authorized to test new program rules to promote the labor 
force and increase the employment and self-sufficiency of individuals 
receiving or applying for DI or SSI benefits, including children and 
youth, and to coordinate planning between private and public welfare 
agencies to improve the administration and effectiveness of the DI, 
SSI, and related programs. This RFI offers interested parties, 
including States, community-based and other non-profit organizations, 
philanthropic organizations, researchers, and members of the public, 
the opportunity to provide information and recommendations on effective 
approaches for achieving these goals.
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    \1\ https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_asr/2019/sect03.html.
    \2\ https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_asr/2019/sect04.html#table17.
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Background

    We conduct demonstration projects under two authorities. Section 
234 of the Social Security Act (Act) allows the Commissioner to test 
changes to the DI program designed to promote attachment to the labor 
force.\3\ Section 234(d)(2) of the Act provides that the authority to 
initiate projects under section 234 terminates on December 31, 2021, 
and the authority to carry out such projects terminates on December 31, 
2022, Second, Section 1110(a) of the Act allows us to enter into 
contracts, grants, and agreements to study a variety of topics related 
to reducing dependency on SSI, coordinating of social services, or 
improving the administration of our programs, while section 1110(b) of 
the Act allows us to waive SSI program rules to carry out such 
demonstrations in the course of conducting projects that are likely to 
assist in promoting the objectives or facilitate the administration of 
title XVI of the Act.\4\ Participants in demonstrations conducted under 
section 234 or section 1110(b) must be volunteers who provide informed 
written consent and are capable of withdrawing their agreement to 
participate at any time.\5\ In addition, SSI demonstrations cannot 
result in a substantial reduction in any individual's income because he 
or she participated in a demonstration. These authorities also include 
additional reporting and scope restrictions. We produce an annual 
report to Congress on current and recently completed demonstrations \6\ 
and maintain public web pages with demonstration reports.7 8
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    \3\ Section 234 of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 434. https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/ssact/title02/0234.htm.
    \4\ Section 1110(a) and (b) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 1310(a) and 
(b). https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/ssact/title11/1110.htm.
    \5\ Section 234(e)(1) of the Act, 42 U.S.C. 434(e)(1).
    \6\ https://www.ssa.gov/disabilityresearch/documents/Section%20234%20Report%202020.pdf.
    \7\ https://www.ssa.gov/disabilityresearch/demos.htm.
    \8\ https://www.ssa.gov/disabilityresearch/projects.htm.

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[[Page 51952]]

Request for Information

    Through this notice, we are soliciting suggestions for potential 
policy changes and services related to supporting DI beneficiaries, SSI 
recipients, and disability program applicants in their efforts to 
return to, remaining in, or enter the labor force. We are also 
soliciting suggestions for other potential demonstrations. Responses to 
this request may inform our decisions about future demonstrations and 
how to design such projects. This notice is for our internal planning 
purposes only and should not be construed as a solicitation or as an 
obligation on our part or on the part of any participating Federal 
agencies. For each proposed idea, please be as clear as possible about:
    1. The specific policy goal (e.g., increased labor force 
participation);
    2. The target population (e.g., youth, denied applicants, potential 
applicants, new beneficiaries, older applicants);
    3. The specific statute, regulation, or other policy being 
suggested for change, if any;
    4. The proposed service;
    5. The specific reason why the policy change or service is expected 
to achieve the policy goal for the target population (if available, 
logic models, theories of change, or other aids and evidence supporting 
the proposed policy change or service should be included);
    6. The specific partnerships (e.g., Department of Labor, State 
Departments of Education, private employers, legal aid agencies), if 
any, we should consider to implement the demonstration; and
    7. Any changes to our demonstration authorities that would be 
necessary to test the policy change or service.

Guidance for Submitting Documents

    We ask that each respondent include the name and address of his or 
her institution or affiliation, if any, and the name, title, mailing 
and email addresses, and telephone number of a contact person for his 
or her institution or affiliation, if applicable.

Rights to Materials Submitted

    By submitting material in response to this notice, you agree to 
grant us a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, 
nonexclusive license to use the material and to post it publicly. 
Further, you agree that you own, have a valid license, or are otherwise 
authorized to provide the material to us. In your response to this 
notice, you should not provide personally identifiable information or 
any material you consider confidential or proprietary. We will not 
provide any compensation for material submitted in response to this 
notice.
    The Acting Commissioner of Social Security, Kilolo Kijakazi, having 
reviewed and approved this document, has delegated the authority to 
electronically sign this document to Faye I. Lipsky, who is the primary 
Federal Register Liaison for SSA, for purposes of publication in the 
Federal Register.

Faye I. Lipsky,
Federal Register Liaison, Office of Legislation and Congressional 
Affairs, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2021-20158 Filed 9-16-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P