[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 158 (Wednesday, August 17, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50684-50685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-17627]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No: SSA-2022-0044]


Agency Information Collection Activities: 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 one new collection.
    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-2022-0044].
    (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-
2022-0044].
    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 September 16, 2022. Individuals can obtain copies of the 
OMB clearance package by writing to [email protected].

1. The National Beneficiary Survey (NBS)--0960-NEW

Background

    SSA's Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and SSI programs 
provide a crucial and necessary income for people with disabilities. By 
improving employment outcomes for SSDI beneficiaries and SSI 
recipients, SSA supports the effort to reduce the reliance of people 
with disabilities on these programs. SSA previously conducted seven 
rounds of the National Beneficiary Survey (NBS) in 2004, 2005, 2006, 
2010, 2015, 2017, and 2019. Conducting the prior rounds of the NBS 
provided SSA with an important understanding of the work interests and 
experiences of SSI recipients and SSDI beneficiaries, and helped SSA 
gain information about their impairments; health; living arrangements; 
family structure; pre-disability occupation; and use of non-SSA 
programs (e.g., the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). The 
prior rounds of NBS data are available to researchers and the public. 
SSA contracted with Mathematica to conduct the NBS data collection.

NBS Project Description

    The primary purpose of the new NBS is to: (1) assess beneficiary 
well-being and interest in work; (2) learn about beneficiary work 
experiences (successful and unsuccessful); and (3) identify factors 
that promote or restrict long-term work success. As with the previous 
NBS rounds, the current NBS will collect information on factors such as 
health; living arrangements; family structure; current occupation; use 
of non-SSA programs; knowledge of SSDI and SSI work incentive programs; 
obstacles to work; and beneficiary interest and motivation to return to 
work.
    SSA is requesting approval to administer Round 8 of the NBS in 
2023. The information we will collect is not something we could obtain 
from SSA administrative data or other sources. In the Round 8 NBS, the 
sample design is similar to the ones we used for the prior NBS. The 
sample includes the nationally representative beneficiary samples (RBS) 
of adult SSDI and SSI disability program participants, as well as the 
successful worker sample (SWS) which includes beneficiaries who worked 
above the substantial gainful activity for at least three consecutive 
months during the six months preceding their NBS interview. SSA plans 
to complete 8,000 interviews: 5,000 from a cross-sectional sample of 
active beneficiaries (SSI and SSDI) and 3,000 from a successful worker 
sample, and will conduct the survey interviews primarily by telephone. 
We will send a letter in advance informing the beneficiary that an 
interviewer will contact them to conduct, or schedule a date and time 
for the survey. The beneficiary can also contact the 800 number we 
provide in the sample letter to schedule the interview or take the 
survey with an interviewer. We will send follow-up letters and 
postcards reminding the beneficiary to contact us, if they have not 
already done so, and we will also send postcard messages about 
establishing the best time for the beneficiary to take the survey.
    In addition to the Round 8 NBS, we propose to conduct an 
experimental web and a paper-based data collection effort to test if 
these modes are feasible methods to collect data from nonrespondents. 
SSA will conduct this experiment during the administration of the Round 
8 NBS, and we will include a shorter version of the instrument for web 
and paper administration designed to collect critical data from 
nonrespondents to the telephone interview modality. We will mail the 
abbreviated experimental paper version survey to the beneficiaries to 
complete and send back to Mathematica.
    We will pull the sample for the experimental web and paper 
administration of the NBS from Round 8 SWS nonrespondents. Respondent 
participation in the NBS is voluntary and the decision to participate 
has no impact on current or future receipt of payments or benefits. 
Respondents are current SSDI beneficiaries and SSI recipients.
    Type of Request: Request for a new information collection.

[[Page 50685]]



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                                                                                                                         Average wait
                                                                                                            Average        time for
                                           Number of     Frequency of   Average burden     Estimated      theoretical     mathematica     Total annual
        Modality of completion            respondents      response      per response    total annual     hourly cost     teleservice   opportunity cost
                                                                           (minutes)    burden (hours)      amount          centers       (dollars) ***
                                                                                                          (dollars) *    (minutes) **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Representative Beneficiary Sample.....           5,000               1              60           5,000        * $11.70            ** 5       *** $63,379
Successful Worker Sample..............           3,000               1              70           3,500         * 11.70            ** 5         ***43,875
Successful Worker Sample web-based                 125               1              25              52         * 11.70  ..............           *** 608
 experiment...........................
Successful Worker Sample, paper-based              100               1              25              42         * 11.70  ..............           *** 491
 experiment respondent................
                                       -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals............................           8,225  ..............  ..............           8,594  ..............  ..............       *** 108,353
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* 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 Mathematica's FY 2022 average wait times for their teleservice centers, based on Mathematica'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 11, 2022.
Naomi Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-17627 Filed 8-16-22; 8:45 am]
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