[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 62 (Friday, March 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19339-19340]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-06706]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No. SSA-2022-0064]


Guaranteed Income Financial Treatment Trial (GIFTT)

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are announcing a demonstration project for the Social 
Security Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program under title XVI of 
the Social Security Act (Act). In this project, we will test the effect 
of providing guaranteed income to adults with cancer in active 
treatment to learn about its interaction with the SSI program. We will 
modify the program rules that apply to certain project participants who 
apply for and who already receive SSI payments under the title XVI 
program.

DATES: We plan to begin this project in March 2023 and end it in April 
2030.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Debra Engler, Office of Retirement and 
Disability Policy, Social Security Administration, 6401 Security 
Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235, 443-729-6727. 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 https://www.socialsecurity.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Guaranteed Income Financial Treatment Trial (GIFTT)

    Under the GIFTT, we will test the effect of providing guaranteed 
income payments to adults with cancer in active treatment. We are 
conducting this project under section 1110 of the Social Security Act, 
which provides the Commissioner the authority to carry out 
demonstrations which are likely to assist in promoting the objectives 
or facilitating the administration of title XVI. This test will inform 
how providing a level of guaranteed income

[[Page 19340]]

interacts with the SSI program and its effects on individuals with 
cancer who may apply for and already receive SSI. We will also analyze 
participant outcomes related to their SSI payments, earnings, and 
mortality.
    We have a cooperative agreement with the University of Pennsylvania 
and Humanity Forward Foundation to implement and evaluate the GIFTT. 
For the evaluation, we will modify the program rules that apply to 
certain project participants and provide aggregated data that will 
compare outcomes between intervention group and control group 
participants with regard to benefits, earnings, and mortality. One 
Family Foundation will fund the guaranteed income payments. Humanity 
Forward Foundation will administer the guaranteed income payments and 
benefits counseling. The University of Pennsylvania will recruit 
participants and conduct the surveys and evaluation.
    Potential participants are adults with cancer in active treatment. 
All participants must have an annual household income at or below 200 
percent of the Federal Poverty Line. The adults with cancer are 
individuals who are in treatment at Jefferson Health or Penn Abramson 
Comprehensive Cancer Center \1\ and who reside in one of the following 
counties:
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    \1\ Other adults with cancer who reside in the listed counties 
but who receive treatment from other cancer centers are also 
eligible for the GIFTT if they meet the other eligibility criteria 
(are in active treatment and have household income at or below 200 
percent of the Federal Poverty Line).
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     Pennsylvania: Philadelphia (to include City of 
Philadelphia), Montgomery, Delaware, Upper Darby, Chester, Berks, 
Lancaster, Bucks, Lehigh, Northampton.
     New Jersey: Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Mercer, 
Hunterdon, Warren.
    The University of Pennsylvania expects to recruit up to 600 
individuals to participate in the GIFTT. Participation is voluntary and 
individual participants will sign an informed consent. The University 
of Pennsylvania will randomly assign participants to a control group or 
an intervention group. The control group consists of participants who 
will not receive guaranteed income payments; they will receive the 
typical supports available to patients with cancer at their hospital, 
including a referral to a social worker or navigator. The intervention 
group consists of participants who will receive guaranteed income 
payments of $1,000 per month for 12 months, along with benefits 
counseling.
    Under title XVI of the Act, we make SSI payments to persons who are 
aged, blind, or disabled, and who also have limited income and 
resources. We expect some participants in the GIFTT will apply for or 
already receive SSI payments. We will apply the alternate rules, as 
described below, to those participants in the intervention group who 
consent to sharing their data with us in the informed consent. All 
participants can withdraw from the project at any time. We will apply 
all usual program rules to all applicable participants three years 
after the receipt of their final guaranteed income payment.

Provisions of the Act and Regulations We Are Waiving To Provide 
Alternate Rules Under the GIFTT

    The following alternate program rules will apply to those who apply 
for and those who already receive SSI that are assigned to the 
intervention group during participation in the GIFTT and consent to 
share data with SSA:
     Exclusion of the guaranteed income payments as income when 
determining eligibility and payments;
     Exclusion of guaranteed income as resources during the 12-
month payment period plus a period of up to three years after receipt 
of the final guaranteed income payment; and
     Protection of the household from offsetting SSI payments 
and resource limits because of guaranteed income payments. When deeming 
rules apply, guaranteed income payments will be excluded from income 
and resources. The limitation on resources will be removed with respect 
to guaranteed income payments.
    Applying these alternate rules involves waiving or altering certain 
provisions included in sections 1611(a)(1)(B), (a)(2)(B), (a)(3)(A), 
1612(a)(2), 1614(f)(1), (f)(2)(A) of the Act and 20 CFR 416.1102, 
416.1123, 416.1160, 416.1163, 416.1165, 416.1201, 416.1202, 416.1205, 
416.1207.

Authority for the Waivers Under GIFTT

    Section 1110(b) of the Act authorizes us to waive any requirements, 
conditions, or limitations of title XVI necessary to carry out 
demonstration projects. Consistent with the requirements in section 
1110(b)(2)(B) of the Act, participation in the GIFTT is voluntary and 
based on informed consent, and the voluntary agreement to participate 
may be withdrawn by the participant at any time.
    The Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, 
Kilolo Kijakazi, Ph.D., M.S.W., having reviewed and approved this 
document, is delegating the authority to electronically sign this 
document to Faye I. Lipsky, who is the primary Federal Register Liaison 
for the Social Security Administration, 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. 2023-06706 Filed 3-30-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P