[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 94 (Monday, May 16, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28297-28299]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-11958]
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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 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, e-mail, 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, Fax:
202-395-6974, E-mail address: [email protected].
(SSA)
Social Security Administration, DCBFM, Attn: Reports Clearance
Officer, 1333 Annex Building, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235,
Fax: 410-965-6400, E-mail address: [email protected].
I. The information collections below are pending at SSA. SSA will
submit them to OMB within 60 days from the date of this notice. To be
sure we consider your comments, we must receive them no later than July
15, 2011. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection instruments
by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer at 410-965-8783 or by
writing to the above e-mail address.
1. Application for Supplemental Security Income (SSI)--20 CFR
416.207 and 416.305-416-335, Subpart C--0960-0229. The SSI program
provides aged, blind, and disabled individuals, who have little or no
income, funds for food, clothing, and shelter. Individuals complete
Form SSA-8000 to apply for SSI. SSA uses information from Form SSA-8000
and its electronic Intranet counterpart, the Modernized SSI Claims
System (MSSICS), to determine: (1) Whether SSI claimants meet all
statutory and regulatory eligibility requirements and (2) SSI payment
amounts. The respondents are applicants for SSI.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.
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Average
Number of Frequency of burden per Total annual
Type of response respondents response response burden
(minutes) (hours)
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Paper Form...................................... 26,548 1 36 15,929
MSSICS.......................................... 143,095 1 34 81,087
MSSICS/w Signature Proxy........................ 1,157,767 1 34 656,068
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Totals...................................... 1,327,410 .............. .............. 753,084
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2. Disability Update Report--20 CFR 404.1589-404.1595 and 416.988-
416.996--0960-0511. SSA periodically reviews current disability
beneficiaries' cases to determine if they should continue to receive
disability payments. SSA uses Form SSA-455 to determine if: (1) There
is enough evidence to warrant referring the case for a full medical
Continuing Disability Review (CDR); (2) the beneficiary's impairment is
unchanged or only slightly changed, precluding the need for a CDR; or
(3) there are unresolved work-related issues. The respondents are
recipients of Social Security disability benefits.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.
Number of Respondents: 1,100,000.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden per Response: 15 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 275,000 hours.
[[Page 28298]]
II. SSA submitted the information collections below to OMB for
clearance. Your comments regarding the information collections would be
most useful if OMB and SSA receive them within 30 days from the date of
this publication. To be sure we consider your comments, we must receive
them no later than June 15, 2011. Individuals can obtain copies of the
OMB clearance packages by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer at
410-965-8783 or by writing to the above e-mail address.
1. Railroad Employment Questionnaire--20 CFR 404.1401, 404.1406-
404.1408--0960-0078. Railroad workers, their dependents, or survivors
can concurrently apply for railroad retirement and Social Security
benefits at SSA whenever the number holder, or claimant on the number
holder's Social Security number, worked in the railroad industry. SSA
uses the SSA-671 to coordinate Social Security claims processing with
the Railroad Retirement Board, and to determine benefit entitlement and
amount. The respondents are Social Security benefit applicants employed
by a railroad or are dependents of railroad workers.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.
Number of Respondents: 125,000.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden of Response: 5 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 10,417 hours.
2. Government Pension Questionnaire--20 CFR 404.408a--0960-0160.
When someone is concurrently receiving spouse or surviving spousal
Social Security benefits and a government pension based on non-Social
Security earnings, SSA may reduce the benefit amount by two-thirds the
amount of the government pension under the Social Security Act's
Government Pension Offset (GPO) provision. We use the SSA-3885,
Government Pension Questionnaire, to document such cases. SSA uses the
information to determine whether GPO applies, to identify exceptions,
and to determine the benefit-reduction amount and effective date. The
respondents are individuals and households.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.
Number of Respondents: 76,000.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden per Response: 12.5 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 15,833 hours.
3. Annual Earnings Test Direct Mail Follow-Up Program Notices--20
CFR 404.452-404.455--0960-0369. SSA developed the Annual Earnings Test
Direct Mail Follow-up Program to improve beneficiary reporting on work
and earnings during the year and earnings information at the end of the
year. SSA may reduce benefits payable under the Social Security Act
when an individual has wages or self-employment income exceeding the
annual exempt amount. SSA identifies beneficiaries likely to receive
more than the annual exempt amount, and requests more frequent
estimates of earnings from them. When applicable, SSA also requests a
future year estimate to reduce overpayments due to earnings. SSA sends
letters (SSA-L9778, L9779, L9781, L9784, L9785, and L9790) to
beneficiaries requesting earnings information the month prior to their
attainment of full retirement age. We send each beneficiary a tailored
letter that includes relevant earnings data from SSA records. The
Annual Earnings Test Direct Mail Follow-up Program helps to ensure
Social Security payments are correct. The respondents are working
Social Security beneficiaries.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.
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Average
Number of Frequency of burden per Total annual
Modality of completion paper version respondents response response burden
(minutes) (hours)
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SSA-L9778....................................... 42,630 1 10 7,105
SSA-L9779....................................... 158,865 1 10 26,478
SSA-L9781....................................... 472,437 1 10 78,740
SSA-L9784....................................... 1,270 1 10 212
SSA-L9785....................................... 15,870 1 10 2,645
SSA-L9790....................................... 45,000 1 10 7,500
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Totals...................................... 736,072 .............. .............. 122,680
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4. Medicare Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount--Life-Changing
Event Form--0960-0784. Per the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003,
reductions in the Federal subsidy for Medicare medical coverage
(Medicare Part B) result in selected Medicare Part B recipients paying
an income-related monthly adjustment amount (IRMAA). The Internal
Revenue Service transmits income tax return data to SSA for SSA to
determine the IRMAA. SSA uses Form SSA-44 to determine if a recipient
qualifies for a reduction in the IRMAA. If affected Medicare recipients
believe SSA should use more recent tax data because of a life-changing
event that significantly reduces their income, they can report these
changes to SSA and ask for a new initial determination of their IRMAA.
In November 2010, we requested emergency OMB clearance for a new
SSA-44 to fulfill the provisions of the Affordable Care Act (Pub. L.
111-148), which mandates reductions in the Federal Medicare Part D
prescription drug coverage subsidies, resulting in higher premiums for
those who have this coverage and who have income above a specific
threshold. The provisions of the law became effective January 1, 2011,
and we obtained emergency clearance for this form on November 23, 2010.
We are now seeking full OMB clearance for this form. The respondents
are Medicare Part B and prescription drug coverage recipients and
enrollees with modified adjusted gross income over a high-income
threshold who experience one of the eight significant life-changing
events.
Type of Request: Extension of an OMB-approved information
collection.
[[Page 28299]]
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Average
Number of Frequency of burden per Estimated
Method of information collection respondents response response annual burden
(minutes) (hours)
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Personal Interview (SSA field office)........... 147,000 1 30 73,500
Paper Form (mailed)............................. 39,000 1 45 29,250
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Totals...................................... 186,000 .............. .............. 102,750
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Dated: May 11, 2011.
Faye Lipsky,
Reports Clearance Officer, Center for Reports Clearance, Social
Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-11958 Filed 5-13-11; 8:45 am]
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