[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 11, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17494-17497]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-07174]
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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
[Docket No: SSA-2017-0017]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed 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, email, 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.
[[Page 17495]]
(OMB)
Office of Management and Budget, Attn: Desk Officer for SSA, Fax: 202-
395-6974, Email address: [email protected].
(SSA)
Social Security Administration, OLCA, Attn: Reports Clearance Director,
3100 West High Rise, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235, Fax:
410-966-2830, Email address: [email protected].
Or you may submit your comments online through www.regulations.gov,
referencing Docket ID Number [SSA-2017-0017].
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 June
12, 2017. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection instruments
by writing to the above email address.
1. Disability Case Development Information Collections By State
Disability Determination Services On Behalf of SSA--20 CFR, subpart P,
404.1503a, 404.1512, 404.1513, 404.1514, 404.1517, 404.1519; 20 CFR
subpart Q, 404.1613, 404.1614, 404.1624; 20 CFR subpart I, 416.903a,
416.912, 416.913, 416.914, 416.917, 416.919 and 20 CFR subpart J,
416.1013, 416.1014, 416.1024--0960-0555. State Disability Determination
Services (DDS) collect the information necessary to administer the
Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income
(SSI) programs. They collect medical evidence from consultative
examination (CE) sources; credential information from CE source
applicants; and medical evidence of record (MER) from claimants'
medical sources. The DDSs collect information from claimants regarding
medical appointments, pain, symptoms, and impairments. The respondents
are medical providers, other sources of MER, and disability claimants.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.
CE Collections
There are three CE information collections: (a) Medical evidence
about claimants' medical condition(s) the DDSs use to make disability
determinations when the claimant's own medical sources cannot, or will
not, provide the required information, and proof of credentials from CE
providers; (b) CE appointment letters; and (c) CE claimant reports sent
to claimants' doctors.
Medical Evidence and Credentials From CE Providers
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Average burden Total estimated
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of per response annual burden
respondents response (minutes) (hours)
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CE Paper Submissions................ 1,400,000 1 30 700,000
CE Electronic Submissions........... 296,000 1 10 49,333
CE Credentials...................... 4,000 1 15 1,000
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Totals.......................... 1,700,000 ................. ................. 750,333
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CE Appointment Letters and CE Claimants' Report to Medical Providers
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Average burden
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of per response Estimated annual
respondents response (minutes) burden (hours)
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(b) CE Appointment Letters.......... 880,000 1 5 73,333
(c) CE Claimants' Report to Medical 450,000 1 5 37,500
Providers..........................
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Totals.......................... 1,330,000 ................. ................. 110,833
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MER Collections
The DDSs collect MER information from the claimant's medical
sources to determine a claimant's physical or mental status prior to
making a disability determination.
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Average burden Total estimated
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of per response annual burden
respondents response (minutes) (hours)
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Paper Submissions................... 3,150,000 1 20 1,050,000
Electronic Submissions.............. 9,450,000 1 12 1,890,000
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Totals.......................... 12,600,000 ................. ................. 2,940,000
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Pain/Other Symptoms/Impairment Information From Claimants
The DDSs use information about pain/symptoms to determine how pain
and symptoms affect the claimant's ability to do work-related
activities prior to making a disability determination.
[[Page 17496]]
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Total estimated
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of Average burden per annual burden
respondents response response (minutes) (hours)
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Pain/Other Symptoms/Impairment 2,100,000 1 20 700,000
Information....................
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The total estimated annual burden for all categories described in
this information collection is 4,501,166 hours.
2. Teacher Questionnaire and Request for Administrative
Information--20 CFR 404.1513, 416.913, and 416.924a(a)--0960-0646. When
determining the effects of a child's impairment(s), SSA obtains
information about the child's functioning from teachers; parents; and
others who observe the child on a daily basis. SSA obtains results of
formal testing, teacher reports, therapy progress notes, individualized
education programs, and other records of a child's educational aptitude
and achievement using Forms SSA-5665-BK and SSA-5666. The respondents
are parents, teachers, and other education personnel.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.
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Average burden Estimated total
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of per response annual burden
respondents response (minutes) (hours)
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SSA-5665-BK (electronic)............ 293,375 1 40 195,583
SSA-5665 (paper form)............... 0 1 40 0
SSA-5666 (electronic)............... 111,189 1 30 55,595
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Totals.......................... 404,564 ................. ................. 251,178
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3. Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on
Agency Service Delivery--0960-0788. As part of our continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, SSA invites the general public
to take this opportunity to comment on the ``Generic Clearance for the
Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery'' for
approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501 et
seq.). We developed this collection as part of a Federal Government-
wide effort to streamline the process for seeking feedback from the
public on service delivery. Under the auspices of Executive Order
12862, Setting Customer Service Standards, SSA conducts multiple
satisfaction surveys each year. This proposed information collection
activity provides a means to garner qualitative customer and
stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with
SSA's commitment to improving service delivery. By qualitative
feedback, we mean information that provides useful insights on
perceptions and opinions, but are not statistical surveys that yield
quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of
study. This feedback will provide insights into customer or stakeholder
perceptions; experiences and expectations; provide an early warning of
issues with service; or focus attention on areas where communication;
training; or changes in operations might improve delivery of products
or services. These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative,
and actionable communications between SSA and our customers and
stakeholders. The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as:
Timeliness; appropriateness; accuracy of information; courtesy;
efficiency of service delivery; and resolution of issues with service
delivery. We will assess responses to plan and inform efforts to
improve or maintain the quality of service offered to the public. If we
do not collect this information, we would not have access to vital
feedback from customers and stakeholders on SSA's services.
We will only submit a collection for approval under this generic
clearance if it meets the following conditions: (1) The collections are
voluntary; (2) the collections are low-burden for respondents (based on
considerations of total burden hours, total number of respondents, or
burden-hours per respondent) and are low-cost for both the respondents
and the Federal Government; (3) the collections are non-controversial
and do not raise issues of concern to other Federal agencies; (4) any
collection targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents
who have experience with the program or may have experience with the
program in the near future; (5) we collect personally identifiable
information (PII) only to the extent necessary and we do not retain it;
(6) we will use information gathered only internally for general
service improvement and program management purposes and we will not
release it outside of the agency; (7) we will not use information we
gather for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy
decisions; and (8) information we gather will yield qualitative
information; the collections will not be designed or expected to yield
statistically reliable results or used as though the results are
generalizable to the population of study.
Feedback collected under this generic clearance provides useful
information, but it does not yield data that can be generalized to the
overall population. We will not use this type of generic clearance for
qualitative information collections designed to yield reliably
actionable results, such as monitoring trends over time or documenting
program performance. Such data uses require more rigorous designs that
address the target population to which generalizations will be made;
the sampling frame, the sample design (including stratification and
clustering); the precision requirements or power calculations that
justify the proposed sample size; the expected response rate, methods
for assessing potential non-response bias; the protocols for data
collection; and any testing procedures that were or will be undertaken
prior to fielding the study. Depending on the degree of influence the
results are likely to have, such collections may still be eligible for
submission for other generic mechanisms designed to yield quantitative
results. As a general matter, information collections will not result
in any new system of records containing privacy information and will
not ask questions of a sensitive nature, such as
[[Page 17497]]
sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters
commonly considered private.
The respondents are recipients of SSA services (including most
members of the public), professionals, and individuals who work on
behalf of SSA beneficiaries.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.
Affected Public: Individuals and households, businesses and
organizations, State, Local or Tribal government.
Total Estimated Number of Respondents: 205,485.
Below we provide projected average estimates for the next three
years:
Annual Respondents: 68,495.
Annual Responses: 68,495.
Frequency of Response: Once per request.
Average minutes per response: 18 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 205,549 hours.
Dated: April 5, 2017.
Naomi R. Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-07174 Filed 4-10-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P