Federal Register, Volume 67 Issue 164 (Friday, August 23, 2002)

[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 164 (Friday, August 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54690-54692]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-21483]

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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and
Comment Request

The Social Security Administration (SSA) publishes a list of
information collection packages that will require clearance by the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with Pub. L. 104-13
effective October 1, 1995, The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The
information collection packages that may be included in this notice are
for new information collections, revisions to OMB-approved information
collections and extensions (no change) 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 on ways to minimize
burden on respondents, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology. Written comments
and recommendations regarding the information collection(s) should be
submitted to the OMB Desk Officer and the SSA Reports Clearance Officer
at the following addresses:

(OMB) Office of Management and Budget, Attn: Desk Officer for SSA, New
Executive Office Building, Room 10235, 725 17th St., NW., Washington,
DC 20503.
(SSA) Social Security Administration, DCFAM, Attn: Reports Clearance
Officer, 1300 Annex Bldg., 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235.

I. The information collections listed below are pending at SSA and
will be submitted to OMB within 60 days from the date of this notice.
Therefore, your comments should be submitted to SSA within 60 days from
the date of this publication. You can obtain copies of the collection
instruments by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer at 410-965-
0454, or by writing to the address listed above.
1. Application for Disability Insurance Benefits--0960-0060--20 CFR
Subpart P--404.1501-1512 and Subpart D--404.315-404.322. The
information collected on form SSA-16 helps to determine eligibility for
social security disability benefits. The respondents are applicants for
Social Security disability benefits.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-Approved Information
Collection.
Number of Respondents: 1,513,677.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: 20 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 504,559 hours.
2. Worker's Compensation/Public Disability Benefit Questionnaire--
0960-0247--20 CFR Subpart R--404.1720 and 404.1725, Subpart F--
410.686b, Subpart O--416.1520. Section 224 of the Act provides for the
reduction of disability insurance benefit (DIB) when the combination of
DIB benefits and any worker's compensation (WC) and/or certain Federal,
State or Local public disability benefits (PDB) exceeds 80% of the
worker's predisability earnings. SSA-546 collects the information to
determine whether or not the worker's receipt of WC/PDB payments will
cause a reduction of DIB. The respondents are applicants for title II
DIB.
Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-Approved Information
Collection.

[[Page 54691]]

Number of Respondents: 100,000.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: 15 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 25,000 hours.
3. Medical Report on Adult with Allegation of Human Immune
Deficiency Virus Infection and Medical Report on Child with Allegation
of Human Immune Deficiency Virus Infection--0960-0500--20 CFR Subpart
I--416.933. The information collected on forms SSA-4814-F5 and SSA-
4815-F6 assist the field offices/disability determination services to
make findings of presumptive disability that confirms the claimants'
disease manifestations meet the severity of listing-level criteria for
Human Immunodeficency Virus (HIV) infection. The respondents are
medical sources of claimants for title XVI disability payments based on
HIV infection.
Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-Approved Information
Collection.
Number of Respondents: 59,100.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: 10 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 9,850.
II. The information collection listed below has been submitted to
OMB for clearance. Your comments on the information collections would
be most useful if received by OMB and SSA within 30 days from the date
of this publication. You can obtain a copy of the OMB clearance package
by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer on (410) 965-0454, or by
writing to the address listed above.
1. Petition To Obtain Approval Of A Fee For Representing A Claimant
Before the Social Security Administration--0960-0104--20 CFR Subpart R-
-404.1720, 404.1725, Subpart F--410.686b, Subpart O--416.1520 and
416.1525. A representative of a claimant for Social Security benefits
must file either a fee petition or a fee agreement with SSA in order to
charge a fee for representing a claimant in proceedings before SSA. The
representative uses Form SSA-1560 to petition SSA for authorization to
charge and collect a fee. A claimant may also use the form to agree or
disagree with the requested fee amount or other information the
representative provides on the form. SSA uses the information to
determine a reasonable fee that a representative may charge and collect
for his or her services. The respondents are claimants, their attorneys
and other persons representing them.
Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-Approved Information
Collection
Number of Respondents: 34,624.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: 30 minutes.
Estimated Average Burden: 17,312 hours.
2. Coverage of Employees of State and Local Governments--0960-0425-
-20 CFR Subpart M. In order for State and local employees working in
positions covered by Social Security to get credit for their covered
wages, States and Interstate Instrumentalities are required to provide
wage and deposit contribution information (for Pre-1987 periods) to
SSA. The information collected is needed to post wages to individuals'
Social Security earnings records and to perform audit and Trust Fund
accounting functions. The respondents are State and Local Governments,
or Interstate Instrumentalities, that are required to provide SSA with
wage and deposit contribution information for Pre-1987 periods.
Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-Approved Information
Collection.
Number of Respondents: 55.
Frequency of Response: varies.
Average Burden Per Response: varies (.5-5 hours) .
Estimated Annual Burden: 434 hours.
3. Application for Mother's or Father's Insurance Benefits--0960-
0003--20 CFR Subpart D--404.339-.342, Subpart G--404.601-.603. SSA uses
the information collected on the Form SSA-5-F6 or during a personal
interview with a claimant to entitle an individual to mother's or
father's insurance benefits. The respondents are applicants for
mother's or father's insurance Benefits.
Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-Approved Information
Collection
Number of Respondents: 50,000.
Frequency of Response: 1 .
Average Burden Per Response: 15 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 12,500 hours.
4. Marriage Certification--0960-0009--20 CFR Subpart H--404.725.
Form SSA-3-F6 is used by SSA to determine if the claimant filing for
spouse's benefits has the necessary relationship to the worker for
eligibility to benefits as required by section 216(h)(1) of the Social
Security Act. The respondents are applicants for spouse's benefits.
Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-Approved Information
Collection
Number of Respondents: 180,000.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: 5 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 15,000 hours.
5. Claimant's Work Background--0960-0300--20 CFR P--404.1565,
Subpart I--416.965. SSA uses the information collected on form HA-4633
to provide claimant's their statutory right to a hearing and decision
under the Social Security Act. A completed form provides an updated
summary of a claimant's past relevant work and helps the Administrative
Law Judge to decide whether or not the claimant is disabled. The
respondents are claimants requesting hearings on entitlement to
benefits based on disability under titles II and/or XVI of the Act.
Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-Approved Information
Collection
Number of Respondents: 120,000.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: 30 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 60,000 hours.
6. Letter to Landlord Requesting Rental Information--0960-0454--20
CFR Subpart K--416.1130. Form SSA-L5061 is used by SSA to provide a
nationally uniform vehicle for collecting information from landlords in
making a rental subsidy determination in the Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) Program. The information is used in deciding whether
income limits are met for SSI eligibility. The respondents are
landlords who provide subsidized rental arrangements to SSI applicants
and recipients.
Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-Approved Information
Collection Number of Respondents: 49,000.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: 10 minutes.
Estimated Average Burden: 8,167.
7. Pay.Gov Pilot--Phase-2 Testing--0960-New; 20 CFR 401.45(b)

Background

The Government Paperwork Elimination Act of 1998 directed federal
agencies to develop electronic service delivery instruments as an
alternative to traditional paper-based methods. SSA plans to expand its
Internet services to enable citizens to complete the application
process as well as to process their requests for post-entitlement
transactions online. A major requirement for filing applications and
for processing transactional requests is SSA's ability to adequately
authenticate the citizen. SSA cannot disclose information unless it is
under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act and the Privacy
Act of 1974. Because these transactions will be taking place online,
SSA must authenticate citizens by asking for information that would
positively

[[Page 54692]]

identify the requester of the information as the proper party. This
information will be validated against identifying information residing
in databases outside of SSA. Resultantly, SSA is planning to conduct a
series of tests of the Treasury Department's ``Pay.Gov'' authentication
engine as a possible tool for out-of-band authentication.

The Collection Pay.Gov--Phase-2

SSA plans to conduct a limited pilot using its online Direct
Deposit application to test the Treasury Department's Pay.Gov
authentication engine as a possible tool for the Agency to validate
beneficiaries online that do not have a current Pin/Password. The
respondents to this test will be SSA Title II recipients who need to be
authenticated before access can be granted to SSA's Direct Deposit
online service.
Type of Request: New Information Collection
Number of Respondents: 161.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: 5 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 13 hours.
8. Statement for Determining Continuing Eligibility for
Supplemental Security Income Payments--Adult, Form SSA-3988-TEST;
Statement for Determining Continuing Eligibility for Supplemental
Security Income Payments--Child, Form SSA-3989-TEST--0960-0643; 20 CFR
Subpart B--416.204.

Background

The Social Security Act mandates periodic redeterminations of the
non-medical factors that relate to the SSI recipients' continuing
eligibility for SSI payments. Recent SSA studies have indicated that as
many as \2/3\ of all scheduled redeterminations completed, with the
assistance of a SSA employee, did not result in any change in
circumstances that affected payment. Therefore, SSA is planning to
expand the respondents and revise the test methodology of the currently
approved test forms. The expansion of the test is needed to further
validate whether the test redetermination process actually results in
significant operational savings and a decrease in recipient
inconvenience, while still timely obtaining the accurate data needed to
determine continuing eligibility through the process.

The Collection

A test of forms SSA-3988-TEST and SSA-3989-TEST will be used to
determine whether SSI recipients have met and continue to meet all
statutory and regulatory non-medical requirements for SSI eligibility,
and whether they have been and are still receiving the correct payment
amount. The SSA-3988-TEST and SSA-3989-TEST are designed as self-help
forms that will be mailed to recipients or to their representative
payees for completion and return to SSA. The objectives of the expanded
test are to determine the public's ability to understand and accurately
complete the test forms. The respondents are recipients of SSI benefits
or their representatives.
Type of Request: Revision of Currently Approval OMB Collection.

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Average burden
Respondents Frequency of per response Estimated
response (in minutes) annual burden
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SSA-3988-TEST................................... 46,500 1 20 15,500
SSA-3989-TEST................................... 8,500 1 20 2,833
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Total..................................... .............. .............. .............. 18,333
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Dated: August 19, 2002.
Nicholas E. Tagliareni,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 02-21483 Filed 8-22-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P