[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23834-23836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-10297]
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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
[Docket No. SSA-2010-0018]
Occupational Information System
AGENCY: Social Security Administration (SSA).
ACTION: Request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We are requesting comments on the recommendations submitted to
us by the Occupational Information Development Advisory Panel (Panel)
in its report entitled ``Content Model and Classification
Recommendations for the Social Security Administration Occupational
Information System, September 2009.'' The complete Panel report
(including appendices) is available online at: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/oidap/Documents/FinalReportRecommendations.pdf.
DATES: To ensure that we receive your feedback in a timely manner for
consideration as the project develops, please submit your comments no
later than June 30, 2010.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any one of three methods--
Internet, fax, or mail. Do not submit the same comments multiple times
or by more than one method. Regardless of which method you choose,
please state that your comments refer to Docket No. SSA-2010-0018 so
that we may associate your comments with the correct document.
Caution: You should be careful to include in your comments only
information that you wish to make publicly available. We strongly urge
you not to include in your comments any personal information, such as
Social Security numbers or medical information.
1. Internet: We strongly recommend that you submit your comments
via the
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Internet. Please visit the Federal eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov. Use the Search function of the Web page to find
docket number SSA-2010-0018. The system will issue a tracking number to
confirm your submission. You will not be able to view your comment
immediately because we must post each comment manually. It may take up
to a week for your comment to be viewable.
2. Fax: Fax comments to (410) 597-0825.
3. Mail: Address your comments to the Office of Program Development
and Research, Occupational Information Development Project, Social
Security Administration, 3-E-26 Operations Building, 6401 Security
Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401.
Comments are available for public viewing on the Federal
eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov or in person, during
regular business hours, by sending a request to the project staff at
OIDAP@ssa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Occupational Information Development
Advisory Panel, Social Security Administration, 6401 Security
Boulevard, 3-E-26 Operations, Baltimore, MD 21235-0001. Fax: 202-410-
597-0825. E-mail to OIDAP@ssa.gov. For additional information, please
visit the Panel Web site at http://www.ssa.gov/oidap.
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 http://www.socialsecurity.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Version
The electronic file of this document is available on the date of
publication of this notice in the Federal Register at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html.
Background
In 2008, we established the Occupational Information Development
Advisory Panel to provide independent advice and recommendations on
creating an occupational information system tailored specifically for
our disability programs and adjudicative needs. The Panel's advice and
recommendations will relate to our disability programs in the following
areas:
1. Medical and vocational analysis of disability claims;
2. Occupational analysis, including definitions, ratings, and
capture of physical and mental/cognitive demands of work;
3. Occupational information critical to our disability programs;
4. Data collection; and,
5. Other area(s) that will enable us to develop an occupational
information system (OIS) and improve our medical-vocational
adjudication policies and processes.
Request for Comments
In the first year, the Panel presented general recommendations
regarding an occupational information system and also identified
attributes of occupations and people that we should measure for
purposes of disability adjudication. For occupations, these attributes
included the work activities and related demands that a job requires of
workers. For people, these attributes described characteristics that
each worker brings to the job situation that may be involved when
performing the job successfully. The Panel presented the full report,
including the following seven general recommendations, to the
Commissioner in September 2009. Both the recommendations and the
proposed OIS are specific to our disability program needs.
1. A New Occupational Information System: Technical, Legal, and Data
Requirements
The Panel recommended that SSA develop a new OIS to replace the
Dictionary of Occupational Titles for use in our disability
adjudication process. The Panel recommended that we design the new OIS
to assure its data are not only useful, but also reliable, valid, and
able to withstand any legal challenges.
Characteristics to support these requirements include: (a) Grouping
of occupations at a level to support individualized disability
assessment; (b) a cross-reference to the Standard Occupational
Classification; (c) precise occupationally-specific data; (d) core work
activities; (e) minimum levels of requirements needed to perform work;
(f) discrete, observable measures of both work activities and worker
characteristics; (g) a manageable number of data elements; (h) sampling
methodology capturing the full range of work; (i) measures that are
psychometrically sound; (j) collection of high quality data; (k) valid,
accurate, and reproducible data; (l) information about whether core
work activities could be performed in alternative ways; and, (m)
terminology that is consistent with medical practice and human
function.
2. Data Elements for the New Occupational Information System
Based upon previous research related to job analytic techniques,
the Panel recommended a list of work activities applicable to all
occupations and recommended that this list serve as a stimulus to
develop SSA-specific instruments that measure the requirements of work.
The Panel also recommended that new instruments include not only work
activities, but also the physical and psychological abilities required
to do work, work context, and any other attributes appropriate to
disability adjudication.
3. The Classification of Occupations
The Panel recommended that once a large database representative of
all work in the national economy is available, we should use various
methods to classify jobs based upon work activities and identify work
activities that we can use as a common language to match the abilities
of people to appropriate work available within the economy.
4. Development of Internal and External Expertise for the Creation and
Maintenance of the New Occupational Information System
The Panel recommended that we make the creation and continued
maintenance of an up-to-date and legally defensible OIS a priority and,
to support that effort, we should develop an independent, internal unit
staffed with experts on work analysis and other related disability
research needs. The Panel also recommended that we develop and maintain
online research and professional communities to inform the unit's
emerging and ongoing ideas, research, and methods.
5. Need for Basic & Applied Research
The Panel acknowledged that developing a new OIS requires
significant research and recommended that early efforts should focus on
the development and pilot-tests of measures of work requirements,
usability analysis of these measures, and creation of an appropriate
sampling plan. The Panel recommended that we conduct research to
determine the most accurate and defensible sources of data for the OIS,
the best methods for measuring the required work attributes, and if any
other attributes are appropriate for study due to their potential for
use in the adjudication process. They also cited the need to perform
research focused on exploring and validating the link between the work
requirements and attributes of the person, the environment, and other
job-related factors. Finally, the Panel recommended
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applied research examining user needs and the effects of new
instruments on our disability process and programs.
6. Measurement Considerations
In addition to the research needs described in Recommendation 5,
the Panel recommended that we should consider research related to
appropriate scales for inclusion in any new instruments that we
develop. The Panel further stated that we should use scales that are
legally defensible for our needs and focus on observable, discrete,
characteristics such as frequency and duration.
7. Communication with Users, the Public & the Scientific Community
The Panel recommended that we use both traditional and emerging
government and private media outlets to inform or solicit input from
various audiences about all activities regarding the OIS development.
Dated: April 26, 2010.
Debra Tidwell-Peters,
Designated Federal Officer, Occupational Information Development
Advisory Panel.
[FR Doc. 2010-10297 Filed 5-3-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P