Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 210 / Thursday, October 30, 1997 / Notices 58761

II. The information collection(s) listed

below have been submitted to OMB:

1. Disability Report—0960–0573. The

information collected on Form SSA–

3368–F6 is needed for the determination

of disability by the State DDSs. The

information will be used to develop

medical evidence and to assess the

alleged disability. The respondents are

applicants for disability benefits.

Number of Respondents: 2,438,496.

Frequency of Response: 1.

Average Burden Per Response: 45

minutes.

Estimated annual Burden: 1,828,872

hours.

2. Work History Report–0960–0572.

The information collected on Form

SSA–3369–F6 is needed for the

determination of disability by the State

DDSs. The information will be used to

document an individual’s past work

history. The respondents are applicants

for OASDI and SSI benefits.

Number of Respondents: 1,000,000.

Frequency of Response: 1.

Average Burden Per Response: 30

minutes.

Estimated annual Burden: 500,000

hours.

3. Medical History and Disability

Report, Disabled Child—0960–0574.

The information collected on Form

SSA–3820–F4 is needed for the

determination of disability by the State

DDSs to obtain various types of

information about a child’s condition,

his/her treating sources and/or other

medical sources of evidence. The

respondents are SSI claimants who are

applying for disabled child’s benefits.

Number of Respondents: 523,000.

Frequency of Response: 1.

Average Burden Per Response: 20

minutes.

Estimated annual Burden: 174,333

hours.

Written comments and

recommendations regarding the

information collection(s) should be

directed within 30 days to the OMB

Desk Officer and SSA Reports Clearance

Officer at the following addresses:

(OMB) Office of Management and

Budget, OIRA, Attn: Laura Oliven,

New Executive Office Building, Room

10230, 725 17th St., NW.,

Washington, DC 20503

(SSA) Social Security Administration,

DCFAM, Attn: Nicholas E. Tagliareni,

1–A–21 Operations Bldg., 6401

Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235

To receive a copy of any of the forms

or clearance packages, call the SSA

Reports Clearance Officer on (410) 965–

4125 or write to him at the address

listed above.

Dated: October 24, 1997.

Nicholas E. Tagliareni,

Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security

Administration.

[FR Doc. 97–28831 Filed 10–29–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4190–29–M

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

Finding Regarding the Social

Insurance System of The Czech

Republic

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice of Finding Regarding the

Social Insurance System of The Czech

Republic.

FINDING: Section 202(t)(1) of the Social

Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(t)(1))

prohibits payment of monthly benefits

to any individual who is not a United

States citizen or national for any month

after he or she has been outside the

United States for 6 consecutive months,

and prior to the first month thereafter

for all of which, the individual has been

in the United States. This prohibition

does not apply to such an individual

where one of the exceptions described

in sections 202(t)(2) through 202(t)(5) of

the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.

402(t)(2)–(5)) affects his or her case.

Section 202(t)(2) of the Social

Security Act provides that, subject to

certain residency requirements of

section 202(t)(11), the prohibition

against payment shall not apply to any

individual who is a citizen of a country

which the Commissioner of Social

Security finds has in effect a social

insurance system which is of general

application in such country and which:

(a) pays periodic benefits, or the

actuarial equivalent thereof, on account

of old age, retirement, or death; and

(b) permits individuals who are

United States citizens but not citizens of

that country and who qualify for such

benefits to receive those benefits, or the

actuarial equivalent thereof, while

outside the foreign country regardless of

the duration of the absence.

The Commissioner of Social Security

has delegated the authority to make

such a finding to the Associate

Commissioner for International Policy.

Under that authority, the Associate

Commissioner for International Policy

has approved a finding that the Czech

Republic, as of January 1, 1993, has a

social insurance system of general

application which:

(a) pays periodic benefits, or the

actuarial equivalent thereof, on account

of old age, retirement, or death; and

(b) permits United States citizens who

are not citizens of the Czech Republic

and who qualify for the relevant benefits

to receive those benefits, or their

actuarial equivalent, while outside of

the Czech Republic, regardless of the

duration of the absence of these

individuals from the Czech Republic.

Accordingly, it is hereby determined

and found that the Czech Republic has

in effect, as of January 1, 1993, a social

insurance system which meets the

requirements of section 202(t)(2) of the

Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 402(t)(2)).

This is our first finding under section

202(t) of the Social Security Act for the

Czech Republic. Before January 1993,

the United States did not recognize the

Czech Republic as an independent

nation. Czechoslovakia divided into two

separate states, the Czech Republic and

the Slovak Republic, on January 1, 1993.

At that time, and until January 1996, the

Czech Republic continued to use the old

Czechoslovak social insurance system

which was determined to meet the

provisions of Section 202(t)(2) of the

Social Security Act on July 1, 1968. The

Czech Republic also considered itself

bound by the Diplomatic Notes on

reciprocity of payments that were

exchanged between the United States

and Czechoslovakia in 1968 and the

addendum in 1969.

The new social insurance law, the

Pension Insurance Act, entered into

force in the Czech Republic on January

1, 1996. Prior to that date, Czech

citizens met an exception under the

provisions of section 202(t)(2) based on

the old Czechoslovak law that was still

in effect.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Donna Powers, Room 1104, West High

Rise Building, P.O. Box 17741, 6401

Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD

21235, (410) 965–3568.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance:

Program Nos. 96.001 Social Security—

Disability Insurance; 96.002 Social

Security—Retirement Insurance; 96.004

Social Security—Survivors Insurance)

Dated: October 24, 1997.

James A. Kissko,

Associate Commissioner for International

Policy.

[FR Doc. 97–28770 Filed 10–29–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4190–29–P

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

Senior Executive Service; Performance

Review Board Membership

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice of Senior Executive

Service Performance Review Board

Membership.
58762 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 210 / Thursday, October 30, 1997 / Notices

Title 5, U.S. Code, Section 4314(c)(4)

of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978,

Pub. L. 95–454, requires that the

appointment of Performance Review

Board members be published in the

Federal Register.

The following persons will serve on

the Performance Review Board which

oversees the evaluation of performance

appraisals of Senior Executive Service

members of the Social Security

Administration:

Kathleen M. Adams

Eli N. Donkar

Glennalee K. Donnelly

Armando A. Gonzalez

Charlotte A. J. Hardnett

W. Burnell Hurt

Carolyn J. Shearin-Jones

Gordon M. Sherman

Barbara S. Sledge

Miguel A. Torrado

Dated: October 21, 1997.

Paul D. Barnes,

Deputy Commissioner for Human Resources.

[FR Doc. 97–28769 Filed 10–29–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4190–29–P

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

Office of the Commissioner; 1998

Cost-of-Living Increase and Other

Determinations

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Commissioner has

determined—

(1) A 2.1 percent cost-of-living

increase in Social Security benefits

under title II of the Social Security Act

(the Act), effective for December 1997;

(2) An increase in the Federal

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

monthly benefit amounts under title

XVI of the Act for 1998 to $494 for an

eligible individual, $741 for an eligible

individual with an eligible spouse, and

$247 for an essential person;

(3) The national average wage index

for 1996 to be $25,913.90;

(4) The Old-Age, Survivors, and

Disability Insurance (OASDI)

contribution and benefit base to be

$68,400 for remuneration paid in 1998

and self-employment income earned in

taxable years beginning in 1998;

(5) For beneficiaries under age 65, the

monthly exempt amount under the

Social Security retirement earnings test

for taxable years ending in calendar year

1998 to be $760;

(6) The dollar amounts (‘‘bend

points’’) used in the benefit formula for

workers who become eligible for

benefits in 1998 and in the formula for

computing maximum family benefits;

(7) The amount of earnings a person

must have to be credited with a quarter

of coverage in 1998 to be $700;

(8) The ‘‘old-law’’ contribution and

benefit base to be $50,700 for 1998;

(9) The monthly amount of substantial

gainful activity applicable to statutorily

blind individuals in 1998 to be $1,050;

(10) The domestic worker coverage

threshold to be $1,100 for 1998; and

(11) The OASDI fund ratio to be 152.9

percent for 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Jeffrey L. Kunkel, Office of the Chief

Actuary, Social Security

Administration, 6401 Security

Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235, (410)

965–3013. For information on eligibility

or claiming benefits, call 1–800–772–

1213. A summary of the information in

this announcement is available in a

recorded message by telephoning (410)

965–3053. Information relating to this

announcement is also available on the

Internet. The address is http://

www.ssa.gov/OACT/COLA/Intro.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Commissioner is required by the Act to

publish within 45 days after the close of

the third calendar quarter of 1997 the

benefit increase percentage and the

revised table of ‘‘special minimum’’

benefits (section 215(i)(2)(D)). Also, the

Commissioner is required to publish on

or before November 1 the national

average wage index for 1996 (section

215(a)(1)(D)), the OASDI fund ratio for

1997 (section 215(i)(2)(C)(ii)), the

OASDI contribution and benefit base for

1998 (section 230(a)), the amount of

earnings required to be credited with a

quarter of coverage in 1998 (section

213(d)(2)), the monthly exempt amounts

under the Social Security retirement

earnings test for 1998 (section

203(f)(8)(A)), the formula for computing

a primary insurance amount for workers

who first become eligible for benefits or

die in 1998 (section 215(a)(1)(D)), and

the formula for computing the

maximum amount of benefits payable to

the family of a worker who first

becomes eligible for old-age benefits or

dies in 1998 (section 203(a)(2)(C)).

Cost-of-Living Increases

General. The cost-of-living increase is

2.1 percent for benefits under titles II

and XVI of the Act.

Under title II, OASDI benefits will

increase by 2.1 percent beginning with

the December 1997 benefits, which are

payable in January 1998. This increase

is based on the authority contained in

section 215(i) of the Act (42 U.S.C.

415(i)).

Under title XVI, Federal SSI payment

levels will also increase by 2.1 percent

effective for payments made for the

month of January 1998 but paid on

December 31, 1997. This is based on the

authority contained in section 1617 of

the Act (42 U.S.C. 1382f). The

percentage increase effective January

1998 is the same as the title II

percentage increase and the annual

payment amount is rounded, when not

a multiple of $12, to the next lower

multiple of $12.

Automatic Benefit Increase

Computation. Under section 215(i) of

the Act, the third calendar quarter of

1997 is a cost-of-living computation

quarter for all the purposes of the Act.

The Commissioner is, therefore,

required to increase benefits, effective

with December 1997, for individuals

entitled under section 227 or 228 of the

Act, to increase primary insurance

amounts of all other individuals entitled

under title II of the Act, and to increase

maximum benefits payable to a family.

For December 1997, the benefit increase

is the percentage increase in the

Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage

Earners and Clerical Workers from the

third quarter of 1996 through the third

quarter of 1997.

Section 215(i)(1) of the Act provides

that the Consumer Price Index for a

cost-of-living computation quarter shall

be the arithmetic mean of this index for

the 3 months in that quarter. The

arithmetic mean is rounded, if

necessary, to the nearest 0.1. The

Department of Labor’s Consumer Price

Index for Urban Wage Earners and

Clerical Workers for each month in the

quarter ending September 30, 1996, is:

for July 1996, 154.3; for August 1996,

154.5; and for September 1996, 155.1.

The arithmetic mean for this calendar

quarter is 154.6. The corresponding

Consumer Price Index for each month in

the quarter ending September 30, 1997,

is: for July 1997, 157.5; for August 1997,

157.8; and for September 1997, 158.3.

The arithmetic mean for this calendar

quarter is 157.9. Thus, because the

Consumer Price Index for the calendar

quarter ending September 30, 1997,

exceeds that for the calendar quarter

ending September 30, 1996 by 2.1

percent, a cost-of-living benefit increase

of 2.1 percent is effective for benefits

under title II of the Act beginning

December 1997.

Title II Benefit Amounts. In

accordance with section 215(i) of the

Act, in the case of insured workers and

family members for whom eligibility for

benefits (i.e., the worker’s attainment of

age 62, or disability or death before age

62) occurred before 1998, benefits will

increase by 2.1 percent beginning with

benefits for December 1997 which are

payable in January 1998. In the case of