[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 4 (Thursday, January 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 1123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00007]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No. SSA-2020-0066]


Notice on Penalty Inflation Adjustments for Civil Monetary 
Penalties

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice announcing updated penalty inflation adjustments for 
civil monetary penalties for 2021.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Social Security Administration is giving notice of its 
updated maximum civil monetary penalties. These amounts are effective 
from January 15, 2021 through January 14, 2022. These figures represent 
an annual adjustment for inflation. The updated figures and 
notification are required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation 
Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Rodriguez, Senior Counsel, Room 
3-ME-1, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-6401, 410-965-
3498. For information on eligibility or filing for benefits, call the 
Social Security Administration's national toll-free number, 1-800-772-
1213 or TTY 1-800-325-0778, or visit the Social Security 
Administration's internet site, Social Security Online, at http://www.socialsecurity.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 27, 2016, pursuant to the Federal 
Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 (the 
2015 Act),\1\ we published an interim final rule to adjust the level of 
civil monetary penalties (CMP) under Sections 1129 and 1140 of the 
Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 1320a-8 and 1320b-10, respectively, with 
an initial ``catch-up'' adjustment effective August 1, 2016.\2\ We 
announced in the interim final rule that for any future adjustments, we 
would publish a notice in the Federal Register to announce the new 
amounts. The annual inflation adjustment in subsequent years must be a 
cost-of-living adjustment based on any increases in the October 
Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) (not seasonally 
adjusted) each year.\3\ Inflation adjustment increases must be rounded 
to the nearest multiple of $1.\4\ We last updated the maximum penalty 
amounts effective January 15, 2020.\5\ Based on Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) guidance,\6\ the information below serves as public 
notice of the new maximum penalty amounts for 2021. The adjustment 
results in the following new maximum penalties, which will be effective 
as of January 15, 2021.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ See https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1314/text. See also 81 FR 41438, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/06/27/2016-13241/penalty-inflation-adjustments-for-civil-money-penalties.
    \2\ See 81 FR 41438, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/06/27/2016-13241/penalty-inflation-adjustments-for-civil-money-penalties.
    \3\ See OMB Memorandum, Implementation of the Federal Civil 
Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, M-16-
06, p. 1 (February 24, 2016), https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/memoranda/2016/m-16-06.pdf. See also 81 FR 
41438, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/06/27/2016-13241/penalty-inflation-adjustments-for-civil-money-penalties.
    \4\ OMB Memorandum, Implementation of the Federal Civil 
Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015, M-16-
06, p. 3 (February 24, 2016), https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/memoranda/2016/m-16-06.pdf. See also 81 FR 
41438, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/06/27/2016-13241/penalty-inflation-adjustments-for-civil-money-penalties.
    \5\ See 85 FR 1369, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/01/10/2020-00236/notice-on-penalty-inflation-adjustments-for-civil-monetary-penalties.
    \6\ See OMB Memorandum, Implementation of Penalty Inflation 
Adjustments for 2021, Pursuant to the Federal Civil Penalties 
Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements of 2015, M-21-10 (December 23, 
2020), https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/M-21-10.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 1129 CMPs (42 U.S.C. 1320a-8):

    $8,116.00 (current maximum per violation for fraud facilitators 
in a position of trust) x 1.01182 (OMB-issued inflationary 
adjustment multiplier) = $8,211.93. When rounded to the nearest 
dollar, the new maximum penalty is $8,212.00.
    $8,606.00 (current maximum per violation for all other 
violators) x 1.01182. (OMB-issued inflationary adjustment 
multiplier) = $8,707.72. When rounded to the nearest dollar, the new 
maximum penalty is $8,708.00.
    Section 1140 CMPs (42 U.S.C. 1320b-10):
    $10,705.00 (current maximum per violation for all violations 
other than broadcast or telecasts) x 1.01182 (OMB-issued 
inflationary adjustment multiplier) = $10,831.53. When rounded to 
the nearest dollar, the new maximum penalty is $10,832.00.
    $53,524.00 (current maximum per violative broadcast or telecast) 
x 1.01182 (OMB-issued inflationary adjustment multiplier) = 
$54,156.65. When rounded to the nearest dollar, the new maximum 
penalty is $54,157.00.


Gail S. Ennis,
Inspector General, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2021-00007 Filed 1-6-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P