[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 165 (Friday, August 26, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52605-52608]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-18391]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No: SSA-2022-0046]


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 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-2022-0046].

(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-
2022-0046].
    SSA submitted the information collections below to OMB for 
clearance. Your comments regarding these information collections 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 26, 2022. Individuals can obtain copies of 
these OMB clearance packages by writing to 
[email protected].
    1. Supplemental Statement Regarding Farming Activities of Person 
Living Outside the United States--0960-0103. When a beneficiary or 
claimant reports farm work from outside the United States, SSA 
documents this work on Form SSA-7163A-F4. Specifically, SSA uses the 
form to determine if we should apply foreign work deductions to the 
recipient's Title II benefits. We collect the information either 
annually or every other year, depending on the respondent's country of 
residence. Once respondents complete the form, they mail it back to 
SSA. Respondents are Social Security recipients engaged in farming 
activities outside the United States.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                                            Average
                                                                                       Average burden  Estimated total    theoretical      Total annual
              Modality of completion                   Number of       Frequency of     per response    annual burden     hourly cost      opportunity
                                                      respondents        response        (minutes)         (hours)           amount       cost (dollars)
                                                                                                                          (dollars) *           **
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SSA-7163A-F4......................................              19                1               60               19         * $16.70          ** $317
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* We based this figure on the average farming occupations hourly wages, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes450000.htm).
** 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.


[[Page 52606]]

    2. Information About Joint Checking/Savings Account--20 CFR 
416.1201 and 416.1208--0960-0461. SSA considers a person's resources 
when evaluating eligibility for SSI. Generally, we consider funds in 
checking and savings accounts as resources owned by the individuals 
whose names appear on the account. However, individuals applying for 
SSI may rebut this assumption of ownership in a joint account by 
submitting certain evidence to establish the funds do not belong to 
them. SSA uses Form SSA-2574 to collect information from SSI applicants 
and recipients who object to the assumption that they own all or part 
of the funds in a joint checking or savings account bearing their 
names. SSA collects information about the account from both the SSI 
applicant or recipient and the other account holder(s). After receiving 
the completed form, SSA determines if we should consider the account to 
be a resource for the SSI applicant and recipient. The respondents are 
applicants and recipients of SSI, and individuals who list themselves 
as joint owners of financial accounts with SSI applicants or 
recipients.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                                         Average wait
                                                                                                            Average      time in field
                                           Number of     Frequency of   Average burden     Estimated      theoretical    office or for    Total annual
        Modality of completion            respondents      response      per response    total annual     hourly cost     teleservice   opportunity cost
                                                                           (minutes)    burden (hours)      amount          centers       (dollars) ***
                                                                                                          (dollars) *    (minutes) **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-2574 (Paper)......................          50,000               1               7           5,833        * $19.86  ..............      *** $115,843
SSA-2574 (SSI Claim System)...........         150,000               1               7          17,500         * 19.86           ** 21     *** 1,390,200
                                       -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals............................         200,000  ..............  ..............          23,333  ..............  ..............     *** 1,506,043
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* We based this figure by averaging both the average DI payments based on SSA's current FY 2022 data (https://www.ssa.gov/legislation/2022factsheet.pdf), and 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).
** We based this figure by averaging the average FY 2022 wait times for field offices and 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.

    3. Real Property Current Market Value Estimate--0960-0471. SSA 
considers an individual's resources when evaluating eligibility for SSI 
payments. The value of an individual's resources, including non-home 
real property, is one of the eligibility requirements for SSI payments. 
SSA obtains current market value estimates of the claimant's real 
property through Form SSA-L2794. We allow respondents to use readily 
available records to complete the form, or we can accept their best 
estimates. We use this form as part of initial applications and in 
post-entitlement situations. SSA fills out Form SSA-L2794, and mails it 
to the respondent along with a cover letter explaining why we need the 
information and what information we are requesting, and a prepaid 
envelope to send the SSA-L2794 back to SSA. The respondents are small 
business operators in real estate; state and local government employees 
tasked with assessing real property values; and other individuals 
knowledgeable about local real estate values.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                                            Average
                                                                                       Average burden  Estimated total    theoretical      Total annual
              Modality of completion                   Number of       Frequency of     per response    annual burden     hourly cost      opportunity
                                                      respondents        response        (minutes)         (hours)           amount       cost (dollars)
                                                                                                                          (dollars) *           **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-L2794.........................................             300                1               20              100         * $23.45        ** $2,345
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* We based this figure on the median hourly salary of Real Estate Brokers and Sales Agents, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm).
** 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.

    4. Employer Verification of Earnings After Death--20 CFR 404.821 
and 404.822--0960-0472. When SSA records show a wage earner is 
deceased, and we receive wage reports from an employer for the wage 
earner for a year subsequent to the year of death, SSA mails the 
employer Form SSA-L4112 (Employer Verification of Earnings After Death) 
with a prepaid envelope to send back to SSA. SSA uses the information 
Form SSA-L4112 provides to verify wage information previously received 
from the employer is correct for the employee and the year in question 
(the year subsequent to the year of death), to ensure we avoid wage 
fraud on the deceased's account. The respondents are employers who 
report wages for employees who died.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                                            Average
                                                                                       Average burden  Estimated total    theoretical      Total annual
              Modality of completion                   Number of       Frequency of     per response    annual burden     hourly cost      opportunity
                                                      respondents        response        (minutes)         (hours)           amount       cost (dollars)
                                                                                                                          (dollars) *           **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-L4112.........................................          13,114                1               10            2,186         * $28.01       ** $61,230
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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).

[[Page 52607]]

 
** 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.

    5. Child Care Dropout Questionnaire--20 CFR 404.211(e)(4)--0960-
0474. If individuals applying for Title II disability benefits care for 
their own or their spouse's children under age 3, and have no steady 
earnings during the time they care for those children, they may exclude 
that period of care from the disability computation period. We call 
this the child-care dropout exclusion. SSA uses the information from 
Form SSA-4162 to determine if an individual qualifies for this 
exclusion. Respondents are applicants for Title II disability benefits.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                         Average
                                                                   Average  burden  Estimated total    theoretical      Average wait      Total annual
     Modality of completion         Number of       Frequency of    per  response     annual burden    hourly cost     time in field    opportunity cost
                                   respondents        response        (minutes)         (hours)           amount           office        (dollars) ***
                                                                                                       (dollars) *      (minutes) **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-4162.......................           1,563                1               10              261         * $11.70            ** 24        *** $10,366
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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 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.

    6. Medical Report on Adult with Allegation of Human 
Immunodeficiency Virus Infection; Medical Report on Child with 
Allegation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection--20 CFR 416.933-
416.934--0960-0500. Section 1631(e)(i) of the Act authorizes the 
Commissioner of SSA to gather information to make a determination about 
an applicant's claim for SSI payments. Section 1631(a)(4) of the Act 
provides that the Commissioner may pay SSI payments to an applicant for 
a period not exceeding six months prior to the determination of the 
individual's disability, if the individual is presumptively disabled 
and is determined to be otherwise eligible for benefits; this procedure 
is called Presumptive Disability (PD). SSA uses Forms SSA-4814 and SSA-
4815 to collect information necessary to determine if an individual 
with human immunodeficiency virus infection, who is applying for SSI 
disability benefits, meets the requirements for PD. The respondents are 
the medical sources of the applicants for SSI disability payments.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                            Average      Average wait
                                                                        Average burden     Estimated      theoretical      time for       Total annual
        Modality of completion             Number of     Frequency of    per response    total annual     hourly cost     teleservice   opportunity cost
                                          respondents      response        (minutes)    burden (hours)      amount          centers       (dollars) ***
                                                                                                          (dollars) *    (minutes) **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-4814..............................           1,307               1               8             174        * $16.02           ** 19        *** $9,420
SSA-4815..............................              20               1              10               3         * 16.02           ** 19            ***144
                                       -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals............................           1,327  ..............  ..............             177  ..............  ..............         *** 9,564
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* We based this figure on the average Healthcare Support Occupations, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes310000.htm).
** 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.

    7. Certificate of Election for Reduced Widow(er)s and Surviving 
Divorced Spouse's Benefits--20 CFR 404.335--0960-0759. Section 202(q) 
of the Act provides SSA the authority to reduce benefits under certain 
conditions when elected by a Title II beneficiary. However, reduced 
benefits are not payable to an already entitled spouse (or divorced 
spouse) who:
     Is at least age 62 and under full retirement age in the 
month of the number holder's death; and
     Is receiving both reduced spouse's (or divorced spouse's) 
benefits and either retirement or disability benefits in the month 
before the month of the number holder's death.
    To elect reduced widow(er) benefits, a recipient completes Form 
SSA-4111, and mails it back to SSA. SSA uses the information collected 
to pay a qualified dually entitled widow(er) (or surviving divorced 
spouse) who elects to receive a reduced widow(er) benefit. The 
respondents are qualified dually entitled widow(er)s (or surviving 
divorced spouse) who elect to receive a reduced widow(er) benefit.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                                          Average
                                                                                     Average burden  Estimated total    theoretical       Total annual
             Modality of completion                  Number of       Frequency of     per response    annual burden     hourly cost     opportunity cost
                                                    respondents        response        (minutes)         (hours)           amount         (dollars) **
                                                                                                                        (dollars) *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-4111........................................          30,000                1                2            1,000         * $28.01         ** $28,010
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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).

[[Page 52608]]

 
** 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 22, 2022.
Naomi Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-18391 Filed 8-25-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P