[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 9, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48548-48549]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-16986]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No. SSA-2022-0040]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed 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, 
Comments: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Submit your 
comments online referencing Docket ID Number [SSA-2022-0040].
    (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 https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, referencing Docket ID Number [SSA-
2022-0040].
    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 
October 11, 2022. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection 
instruments by writing to the above email address.
    1. Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS)--20 CFR 416.110(e), 
416.1180-416.1182, 416.1225-416.1227--0960-0559. The Supplemental 
Security Income (SSI) program encourages recipients to return to work. 
One of the program objectives is to provide incentives and 
opportunities that help recipients do so. The Plan to Achieve Self-
Support (PASS) provision allows individuals to develop a plan to enter 
(or re-enter) the workforce and become self-supporting. In turn, SSA 
does not count the income or resources (such as business equipment, 
education, or specialized training) recipients use to fund a PASS when 
determining an individual's SSI eligibility or payment amount. An SSI 
recipient who wants to take advantage of the PASS provision completes 
Form SSA-545. SSA uses the

[[Page 48549]]

information from the SSA-545 to evaluate the recipient's PASS, and to 
determine eligibility under the provisions of the SSI program. The 
respondents are SSI recipients who want to develop a return-to-work 
plan.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                           Average
                                                                     Average  burden     Estimated       theoretical     Average  field    Total annual
      Modality of completion          Number of       Frequency of    per  response     total annual     hourly cost      office  wait     opportunity
                                     respondents        response        (minutes)     burden  (hours)       amount      time  (minutes)  cost  (dollars)
                                                                                                         (dollars) *           **              ***
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-545..........................           7,000                1              120           14,000         * $11.70            ** 24     *** $196,560
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We based this figure on the average DI payments based on SSA's current FY 2022 data (https://www.ssa.gov/legislation/2022factsheet.pdf).
** We based this figure on the average FY 2022 wait times for field offices, based on SSA's current management information 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.

    2. Request for Accommodation in Communication Method--0960-0777. 
SSA allows disabled or impaired Social Security applicants, 
beneficiaries, recipients, and representative payees to choose one of 
seven alternative methods of communication they want SSA to use when we 
send them benefit notices and other related communications. The seven 
alternative methods we offer are: (1) standard print notice by first-
class mail; (2) standard print mail with a follow-up telephone call; 
(3) certified mail; (4) Braille; (5) Microsoft Word file on data CD; 
(6) large print (18-point font); or (7) audio CD. Respondents who want 
to receive notices from SSA through a communication method other than 
the seven methods listed above must explain their request to us. Those 
respondents use our iAccomodate Intranet or mySNO internet screens, or 
the paper Form SSA-9000-F6 to: (1) describe the type of accommodation 
they want from SSA; (2) disclose their condition necessitating the need 
for a different type of accommodation; and (3) explain why none of the 
seven methods described above are sufficient for their needs. SSA uses 
our internet and Intranet screens or Form SSA-9000-F6 to determine, 
based on applicable law and regulation, whether to grant the 
respondents' requests for an accommodation based on their impairment or 
disability. SSA collects this information electronically through either 
an in-person telephone interview during which the SSA employee keys in 
the information on our iAccommodate Intranet screens, or through the 
mySNO internet screens which respondents may complete for themselves 
using the application available through their mySSA accounts. The 
respondents are disabled or impaired Social Security or SSI applicants, 
beneficiaries, recipients, and representative payees who ask SSA to 
send notices and other communications in an alternative method besides 
the seven modalities we currently offer.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                              Average         Average
                                                                              Average        Estimated      theoretical     teleservice    Total annual
         Modality of completion              Number of     Frequency of     burden per     total annual     hourly cost     center wait     opportunity
                                            respondents      response        response         burden          amount           time            cost
                                                                             (minutes)        (hours)       (dollars) *    (minutes) **    (dollars) ***
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-9000/iAccommodate...................           5,000               1              20           1,667        * $11.70           ** 19     *** $38,025
mySNO...................................           8,414               1              20           2,805         * 11.70  ..............      *** 32,819
                                         ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals..............................          13,414  ..............  ..............           4,472  ..............  ..............      *** 70,844
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We based this figure on the average DI payments based on SSA's current FY 2022 data (https://www.ssa.gov/legislation/2022factsheet.pdf).
** We based this figure on the average FY 2022 wait times for teleservice centers, based on SSA's current management information 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.


    Dated: August 3, 2022.
Naomi Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-16986 Filed 8-8-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P