Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and Comment Request

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and

Comment Request

In compliance with Public Law 104-13, the Paperwork Reduction Act

of 1995, SSA is providing notice of its information collections that

require submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 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.

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I. The information collection listed below will be submitted to OMB

within 60 days from the date of this notice. Therefore, comments and

recommendations regarding the information collection would be most

useful if received by the Agency within 60 days from the date of this

publication. Comments should be directed to the SSA Reports Clearance

Officer at the address listed at the end of this publication. You can

obtain a copy of the collection instrument by calling the SSA Reports

Clearance Officer on (410) 965-4145, or by writing to him at the

address listed at the end of this publication.

1. Work Activity Report--Employee-0960-0059. The information on

form SSA-821-BK will be used by the Social Security Administration

(SSA) to obtain work information from beneficiaries in face-to-face

interviews, telephone interviews, or by mail during the initial claims

process, during the continuing disability review process, and whenever

a work issue arises in Supplemental Security Income claims. The purpose

of the SSA-821-BK is to collect information concerning whether

beneficiaries have worked in employment after becoming disabled and, if

so, whether that work is substantial gainful activity. The information

will be used to determine if the recipient continues to meet the

disability requirements of the law.

Number of Respondents: 300,000.

Frequency of Response: 1.

Average Burden Per Response: 45 minutes.

Estimated Annual Burden: 225,000 hours.

II. The information collections listed below have been submitted to

OMB for clearance. Written comments and recommendations on the

information collections would be most useful if received within 30 days

from the date of this publication. Comments should be directed to the

SSA Reports Clearance Officer and the OMB Desk Officer at the addresses

listed at the end of this publication. You can obtain a copy of the OMB

clearance packages by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer on

(410) 965-4145, or by writing to him.

1. Referral System for Vocational Rehabilitation Providers 0960--NEW

Background

In 1996 the Social Security Administration (SSA) initiated an

innovative expansion of its vocational rehabilitation (VR) referral and

payment program. Under this program, SSA pays VR providers for the

costs of VR services provided to disability beneficiaries, if such

services result in the individual going to work at a specified earnings

level for at least nine months. Throughout this project, SSA has

expanded its VR program to increase the base of providers who are

available to serve people with disabilities. By increasing this base,

more people will be able to get the services they need to go to work,

become independent of the benefit rolls, and thus achieve savings to

SSA's trust funds.

In September 1997, SSA contracted with Birch & Davis Associates,

Inc. (B&D), to provide management support to its expanded VR referral

and payment program. This contract is for a three-year demonstration

project known as the Referral System for Vocational Rehabilitation

Providers (Project RSVP). SSA continues to be responsible for awarding

Alternate Participant (AP) contracts to VR providers, determining the

appropriateness of claims submitted by APs, and reimbursing APs for the

costs of their services if the requirements for payment are met.

B&D supports SSA's efforts by marketing to and recruiting VR

providers, training providers on SSA's VR program requirements, and

operating an Information and Referral System to link providers with

beneficiaries. In addition, B&D will conduct surveys of beneficiaries

and APs to determine customer satisfaction and to identify program

areas requiring improvement.

Information Collection

In support of the RSVP project, SSA will conduct semi-annual

voluntary information collections of both AP's and Beneficiaries/

Recipients (B/R). The data collection effort will be conducted in

survey format and has four goals:

1. To help program administrators understand the reasons for

varying levels of satisfaction with the program; 2. To help program

administrators understand the potential causes for varying levels of

success of the program; 3. To guide program change; and 4. If

necessary, to plan continuation of the program after the initial trial

period.

Through these voluntary surveys, SSA will collect three types of

data:

1. Descriptive data that describe the B/R and data that describe

the APs' vocational rehabilitation practice that are not available and

are necessary to evaluate respondents' satisfaction in the context of

their actual experience; 2. Quantitative data on B/R and AP

satisfaction with the program; and 3. Free-text comments by B/Rs and

APs regarding their experience with the program.

The data will be aggregated for all B/Rs and for all APs. A semi-

annual report will be generated for SSA. The information will be used

by AP program administrators at SSA and by B&D project management

staff. The respondents will be SSI/SSDI beneficiaries and APs under

contract with SSA to provide vocational rehabilitation services to

beneficiaries.

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Average Estimated

Number of Frequency burden per annual

Survey form respondents of response response burden

(minutes) (hours)

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Survey for APs who have submitted claims.................... 12 2 20 8

Survey for APs who have not submitted a claim............... 314 2 20 210

Survey for B/Rs who have signed a Rehabilitation or 44 2 20 30

Employment Plan............................................

Survey for B/Rs who have not signed a Rehabilitation or 2,000 2 20 1,334

Employment Plan............................................

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Total Annual Burden Hours Requested..................... ........... ........... ........... 1,582

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2. Statement of Income and Resources--0960-0124. The information

collected by the Social Security Administration on Form SSA-8010 is

necessary in the SSI eligibility/payment process. Information about the

income and resources of ineligible spouses/parents/children and

sponsors of aliens is used in the ``Deeming'' process. ``Deeming'' is

the attribution of another's income to an eligible individual/child/

alien. The respondents are ineligible spouses, parents, and children

who live in the same household as an eligible individual/child, and

sponsors of aliens.

Number of Respondents: 355,000.

Frequency of Response: 1.

[[Page 61171]]

Average Burden Per Response: 25 minutes.

Estimated Annual Burden: 147,917 hours.

3. Public Law 105-306, Noncitizen Benefit Clarification and Other

Technical Amendments Act of 1998 provided that nonqualified aliens who

were receiving SSI on August 22, 1996 would remain eligible for SSI as

long as all other requirements for eligibility were met (e.g., income

and resources, etc.). Section 416.1618 of the Code of Federal

Regulations require nonqualified aliens to give SSA certain evidence

which proves that they are lawfully admitted to the United States, in

order to qualify for SSI benefits. Aliens who are alleging Permanent

Residence Under Color Of Law (PRUCOL) must present evidence of their

status at the time of application for SSI benefits and periodically

thereafter. The respondents are nonqualified aliens who apply for or

receive SSI benefits.

Number of Respondents: 9,000.

Frequency of Response: Annually.

Average Burden Per Response: 5 minutes.

Estimated Annual Burden: 750 hours.

(SSA Address)

Social Security Administration, DCFAM, Attn: Frederick W. Brickenkamp,

6401 Security Blvd., 1-A-21 Operations Bldg., Baltimore, MD 21235

(OMB Address)

Office of Management and Budget, OIRA, Attn: Lori Schack, New Executive

Office Building, Room 10230, 725 17th St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20503

Dated: November 3, 1999.

Frederick W. Brickenkamp,

Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.

[FR Doc. 99-29238 Filed 11-8-99; 8:45 am]

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