[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]
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