[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 39 (Monday, February 28, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11111-11113]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-04301]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No: SSA-2022-0009]


Agency Information Collection Activities: New Emergency 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 a new, emergency information collection.
    SSA is asking OMB for approval of this information collection 
fourteen days after the date of publication of this Federal Register 
Notice, independent of public comment, due to its emergency nature. 
However, we still welcome comment 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. We will consider 
any comments when

[[Page 11112]]

we ultimately extend this information collection beyond the standard 
six-month emergency approval. 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.

    Comments: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Submit your 
comments online referencing Docket ID Number [SSA-2022-0009].

(SSA) Social Security Administration, OLCA, Attn: Director, Office of 
Regulations and Reports Clearance, 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 https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, referencing Docket ID Number [SSA-
2022-0009]. We recommend submitting comments via this link as the 
fastest way for them to reach us.
    SSA is submitting the information collection below to OMB for 
clearance. If you wish to submit comments, we recommend you do so no 
later than March 30, 2022. However, please be aware that due to the 
emergency nature of this collection, SSA will be seeking OMB clearance 
in advance of this date. Individuals may obtain copies of this OMB 
clearance package by writing to [email protected].

Electronic Protective Filing Tool--20 CFR 404.630, and 20 CFR 416.340-
416.345--0960-NEW.

    The COVID-19 pandemic limited the public's access to Social 
Security Administration (SSA) Field Offices (FOs), requiring SSA to 
rapidly modernize and improve online services available to the public. 
Since the beginning of the pandemic, underserved populations who have 
historically relied on in-office appointments and service decreased 
their submissions of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims. SSA 
uses the term ``People facing barriers'' to refer to these vulnerable 
populations, which include low-income individuals (especially those 
over age 65), the homeless, people with limited English proficiency, 
and disabled children.

Background

    Historically, individuals contact SSA by phone, in person, or by 
mail to express interest in filing for benefits. Because same-day 
service to file an application is not always possible or individuals 
prefer to have an appointment, SSA technicians use eLAS (OMB No. 0960-
0822) to set up appointments and record the protective filing date for 
potential claimants. This process ensures that potential claimants do 
not miss out on possible benefits due to the lack of same-day service.
    Protective filing is the precursor to filing an application for 
benefits. Protective filing refers to the date by which SSA receives an 
individual's intent to file for Social Security benefits, Medicare Part 
A (Health Insurance), or SSI payments, which SSA then uses as the 
application date provided the individual files an application within a 
specific amount of time after that date. For instance, if an individual 
files an application for SSI payments within 60 days of the protective 
filing date, or an application for Social Security benefits within 6 
months of the protective filing date, SSA uses the protective filing 
date as the application filing date. Thus, it is as if the application 
was filed on the day the individual contacted SSA to express interest 
in filing, which often results in SSA processing the application faster 
for that individual.
    SSA developed an online tool to allow internet users to request an 
appointment to file an application for benefits and to establish a 
protective filing date with SSA. The electronic protective filing tool 
will allow individuals to submit information for the appointment 
request using a computing device, such as a personal computer or 
handheld (mobile) device instead of calling SSA by phone or visiting an 
FO. The tool will be available to potential claimants, as well as those 
individuals assisting them.

Information the Electronic Protective Filing Tool Will Collect

    After entering the tool from a landing page, individuals begin on a 
welcome screen with a link to the Terms of Service and a link to the 
Privacy Act statement. Following review of the information on the 
welcome screen, the system will ask the individual to tell us whether 
they are answering these questions about themselves, or about another 
person. To do so, the system will present several options for 
individual to select from the categories of individuals who, under 
current regulations, can establish a protective filing date. The next 
screens ask for basic information about the individual who will be 
claiming benefits, or requesting SSI payments. Additionally, the tool 
will collect the name, phone number, and email address (optional) of 
the person submitting the information, if that person is different than 
the person who will be claiming benefits or SSI payments.
    Once the system collects the data, it gives the individual the 
opportunity to review the information provided and electronically sign 
and submit the form. The system then transmits the information into 
eLAS and establishes a protective filing date. In addition, if the 
individual provided an email address(es), the electronic protective 
filing tool generates an email confirmation and sends it to the 
individual who will be claiming benefits or requesting SSI payments, 
and, if applicable, to the individuals submitting the appointment 
request on the claimant's behalf.
    Subsequently, eLAS will notify SSA of the pending request, and an 
SSA technician will use the information submitted to schedule an 
appointment and send a notification of the date, time, and type of 
appointment to the individual who will be claiming benefits.

Need for Information Collection; Collection Methodology; How 
Information Will Be Used

    To bridge the gap in services available to people facing barriers, 
SSA created a new online electronic protective filing tool that will 
allow individuals to request an appointment to file their application 
thereby establishing a protective filing date.
    SSA will inform the public of the availability of the tool through 
various public outreach campaigns. Individuals will access the tool 
online through SSA's website, SSA.gov. The tool will allow individuals 
to submit basic information for the appointment request using a 
computing device, such as a personal computer or handheld (mobile) 
device instead of calling SSA by phone or visiting an FO. The 
electronic protective filing tool will be available to potential 
claimants, as well as those individuals assisting them.
    Once the individual submits the requested information, the system 
will transmit the information into eLAS to document the protective 
filing date, and an SSA technician will schedule an appointment for an 
application interview.
    The respondents are individuals requesting an appointment with an 
intent to file for Social Security benefits, Medicare Part A (Health 
Insurance), or SSI payments, or other third-party individuals helping 
claimants with the filing process.

[[Page 11113]]

Alternatives to Completing the Information Collection

    Members of the public who prefer not to use the online version of 
this IC, or who do not have access to the internet, may continue to 
visit an FO, call SSA's 800 Number (or an FO), or write to SSA to 
establish a protective filing date for an application for benefits.

Need for Emergency Paperwork Reduction Act Approval

    Based on the unexpected decrease in SSI claim submissions, mostly 
from people facing barriers, SSA is concerned this population needs 
more options and flexibility to help them apply for SSI. Our goal in 
developing this new SSI claims tool is to offer that flexibility, and 
to make it as easy as possible to complete the process. We are seeking 
emergency PRA approval because it is important to us to start offering 
this new tool to everyone, particularly underserved populations, as 
soon as we can. An emergency PRA approval would facilitate rapid 
rollout of the tool, and would mitigate the delay inherent in the 
extensive time period of the standard OMB approval cycle.
    Type of Request: New (emergency) information collection.

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                                                                                                                              Average
                                                                                          Average burden     Estimated      theoretical    Total annual
                 Modality of completion                      Number of     Frequency of    per response    total annual     hourly cost     opportunity
                                                            respondents      response        (minutes)    burden (hours)      amount      cost (dollars)
                                                                                                                            (dollars) *         **
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Respondent Type 1 (ex: Potential Applicants)............          17,000               1               6           1,700        * $27.07      ** $46,019
Respondent Type 2 (ex: Professional Assistors)..........           2,125              10               7           2,479         * 25.09       ** 62,198
Respondent Type 3 (ex: Attorney Representatives)........           2,125               2               7             496         * 71.59       ** 35,509
                                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals..............................................          21,250  ..............  ..............           4,675  ..............      ** 143,726
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* We based this figure on the average U.S. worker's hourly wages, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-0000), on average wages for Community and Social Service Organizations as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes210000.htm), and on average lawyer's hourly salary as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes231011.htm).
** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on recipients of Social Security payments to complete this online tool; rather,
  these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the tool. There is no actual charge to respondents
  to complete the online tool.


    Dated: February 24, 2022.
Naomi Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-04301 Filed 2-25-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P