[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 104 (Tuesday, May 30, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34523-34524]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-13409]


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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.
    I. The information collections listed below will be submitted to 
OMB within 60 days from the date of this notice. Therefore, comments 
and recommendations regarding the information collections 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 instruments 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. Electronic Death Registration (EDR) Survey--0960-NEW.

Background Information

    In January 1997, the report ``Toward an Electronic Death 
Registration System in the United States: Report of the Steering 
Committee to Reengineer the Death Registration Process'' was prepared 
by a task force representing federal agencies (the National Center for 
Health Statistics and the Social Security Administration) and 
professional organizations representing funeral directors, physicians, 
medical examiners, coroners, hospitals, medical records professionals, 
and vital records and statistics officials (NAPHSIS). The committee 
examined in detail the feasibility of developing electronic death 
registration in the United States. The conclusion of the report was 
that the introduction of automated registration processes in the States 
is a viable means to resolve several historical and continuing problems 
in the process of death registration.
    Death certificates are used in the United States for administrative 
and public health purposes. For nearly a century the States have 
maintained centralized vital records agencies to collect, process and 
archive death certificates. Death records are universally recognized as 
the primary source of death information, but registration processes 
remain labor intensive, employ disparate and limited automated 
procedures, and require several professionals at different locations to 
complete each of the more than 2.3 million death certificates 
registered each year.
    Even though each State has laws requiring the registration of death 
records within a specific time period, a significant number of 
certificates are not appropriately filed, may contain incorrect or 
inconsistent entries, or are not finalized until many weeks after the 
death occurred.
    The States and federal agencies understand the shortcomings of 
death registration methods currently practiced in the United Sates. Now 
that recent advances in computer and network access technology allow 
for the practical and efficient development and implementation of 
automated systems to register death information, several registration 
areas have independently pioneered electronic death registration 
methods. These different approaches will serve as the basis for 
developing standardized EDR attributes, methods and processes in order 
that the States may successfully implement electronic death 
registration to satisfy administrative and statistical death 
information needs.

Information Collection

    In support of the EDR project, SSA entered into a contract with the 
National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information 
Systems to foster the adoption of a standardized form of EDR throughout 
the country. As the beginning step in the process, this survey is 
planned to provide a current picture of the readiness of the States to 
adopt EDR. This will, in turn, assist SSA to direct available funding 
anticipated in future years to those States that demonstrate sufficient 
resources, available technical expertise, and the political will and 
statutory readiness to implement EDR within the contract timeframe. 
Respondents to the survey will be officials from States, U.S. 
Territories and the city of New York with the knowledge and expertise 
to complete the survey. One survey will be sent to each State and 
territory and New York City.
    Number of Respondents: 55.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 2 hours.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 110 hours.
    2. 0960-NEW. Information Collections Conducted by Adolescent 
Employment Readiness Center (AERC) of Children's Research Institute on 
behalf of SSA.

Background

    Opening Doors to the Future for Adolescents with Special Health 
Care Needs, Executive Order (E.O.) 13078 dated March 13, 1998, 
Increasing Employment for Adults with Disabilities, directs that a 
National Task Force be established to create a coordinated and 
aggressive national policy to bring adults with disabilities into 
gainful employment at a rate that is as close as possible to that of 
the general adult population. E.O. 13078 specifies that the Task Force 
``evaluate and, where appropriate, coordinate and collaborate on 
research and demonstration priorities of Task Force member agencies 
related to employment of adults with disabilities.'' In conjunction 
with the Task Force's Committee on Access to Employment and Lifelong 
Learning, the Subcommittee on Expanding Employment Opportunities for 
Young People with Disabilities was created.
    In acknowledgment of its commitment to serving Supplemental

[[Page 34524]]

Security Income (SSI) youth with disabilities, SSA awarded a 
Cooperative Agreement contract in accordance with E.O. 13078 in 
September of 1999. The project is designed to teach disabled school-age 
children, who live in an urban setting, that preparation for employment 
must begin at an early age to have maximum effect. Health care 
professionals and service providers from partnering agencies will be 
trained to prepare and implement 1,000 individualized transition plans 
for SSI recipients in the District of Columbia, between the ages of 11 
and 21. Of those SSI youth with transition plans, 150 will be given 
direct vocational rehabilitation and follow-up services through the 
AERC, such as career counseling, interest and ability testing, job-
seeking skills training, post-secondary education counseling, parent 
counseling, and mentor programs.

Information Collection

    AERC counselors will collect information from project participants 
through personal interviews. The data will provide information on the 
need for and use of comprehensive transition services, the utilization 
and efficiency of transition services, the cost effectiveness of 
transition services, and the value of program replication. This will 
contribute significantly to SSA's knowledge about transitioning youth 
with disabilities to employment and adult activities. Respondents are 
disabled school-aged SSI recipients in the Washington, D.C. 
Metropolitan area identified to participate in the project.
    Number of Respondents: 1000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 30 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 500 hours.
    3. 0960-NEW. Medical Parking Permit Application. SSA issues medical 
parking assignments at SSA-owned and leased facilities to individuals 
who have a medical condition that meets the criteria for medical 
parking. In order to issue a medical parking permit, SSA must obtain 
medical evidence from the applicant's physician. SSA uses the 
information to determine whether the individual qualifies for a medical 
parking permit and to issue the permit. The respondents are physicians 
of applicants for medical parking permits.

Physician

    Number of Respondents: 144.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 1 hour.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 144 hours.
    4. 0960-NEW. Authorization for Source to Release Information to the 
Social Security Administration (SSA). SSA must obtain sufficient 
medical evidence to make eligibility determinations for Social Security 
disability benefits and SSI payments. For SSA to obtain medical 
evidence, an applicant must authorize his or her medical source(s) to 
release the information to SSA. The applicant may use one of the forms 
SSA-827, SSA-827-OP1 or SSA-827-OP2 to provide consent for the release 
of information. Generally, the State Disability Determination Services 
completes the form(s), based on information provided by the applicant, 
and sends the form(s) to the designated medical source(s).
    Number of Respondents: 3,853,928.
    Frequency of Response (Average per case): 4.
    Average Burden Per Response: 3 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 770,786 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. 0960-NEW. Student Statement Regarding School Attendance. The 
information on Form SSA-1372-TEST is needed to determine whether 
children of an insured worker are eligible for benefits as a student. 
SSA will conduct a limited trial of the revised SSA-1372 (Student 
Statement Regarding School Attendance) designed as SSA-1372-TEST. This 
limited test will study the efficacy and usability of the new format. 
Results of the testing will formulate SSA's decision to reject, modify 
or institute the revised form. The respondents are student claimants 
for Social Security benefits and their respective schools.
    Number of respondents: 2,000.
    Number of Response: 1.
    Average burden per response: 10.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 333.
    (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: Desk Officer for SSA, New Executive Office Building, Room 
10230, 725 17th St., NW, Washington, DC 20503.

    Dated: May 23, 2000.
Nicholas E. Tagliareni
Director, Center for Publications Management, Social Security 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 00-13409 Filed 5-26-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4190-01-P