[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 205 (Monday, October 23, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63282-63284]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-26889]


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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. Blood Donor Locator Service--0960-0501

    Regulation 20 CFR 401.200 requires that participating State 
agencies provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) Blood Donor 
Locator Service (BDLS) specific information on blood donors who have 
tested positive for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). SSA uses the 
information to identify the donor, and locate the donor's address in 
SSA records for the purpose of notifying the states and to assure that 
states meet regulatory requirements to qualify for using the BDLS. SSA 
will retain no record of the request or the information after 
processing has been completed. The respondents are participating State 
agencies acting on behalf of authorized blood donor facilities.
    Number of Respondents: 10.
    Frequency of Response: 5.
    Average Burden Per Response: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 12.5 hours.

2. Affective Disorder Treatment Demonstration Project--0960-NEW

Background

    There is substantial research evidence that affective disorders 
(i.e., mental

[[Page 63283]]

disorders that affect a person's mood, such as depression and bipolar 
disorder) usually respond to treatment; there is also evidence that 
many individuals with affective disorders do not receive effective 
treatment. The cost of care is one of the reasons for the low treatment 
rates of individuals with affective disorder. This may be true for many 
beneficiaries, particularly those in the Medicare waiting period. 
Therefore, SSA will test the hypothesis that providing access to 
treatment will result in improved health status of Disability Insurance 
(DI) beneficiaries with affective disorders, which might, in turn, lead 
to increased labor force participation and self-sufficiency. This 
outcome would benefit both participants and taxpayers.

The Demonstration Project

    SSA plans to implement a 5-year demonstration project that will 
test the effectiveness of providing better access to quality affective 
disorder treatments for DI beneficiaries who have an affective disorder 
as their primary reason for disability. Several forms and survey 
instruments will be used during the demonstration to collect 
information for screening program participants, beneficiary protection, 
and program evaluation. Some of the data will be collected from 
beneficiaries, and other data will be collected from the medical 
service providers who treat beneficiaries during the study.
    The respondents to this collection will be randomly selected DI 
beneficiaries with an affective disorder and their health care 
providers.

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                                                  Annual  number                      Average
                                                        of         Frequency of     burden per       Estimated
                                                    respondents      response        response     annual  burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Beneficiary
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beneficiary Telephone Screening.................           1,146               1              25             478
Authorization for Release of Medical Information             894               1               5              75
Baseline Survey.................................             430               1              40             287
8-Month Follow-up Survey........................             410               1              30             205
16-Month Follow-up Survey.......................             392               1              30             196
24-Month Follow-up Survey.......................             374               1              30             187
32-Month Follow-up Survey.......................             357               1              40             238
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Health Provider
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copy Medical Records............................             715               1              20             238
Medical Records Questionnaire...................             715               1              10             119
Treatment Participation Screen..................             215               1              15              54
Provider Credentialing Questionnaire............             215               1              15              54
Initial Treatment Plan..........................             161               1              30              81
Quarterly Progress Report.......................             161               8              30             645
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    Total.......................................           6,185  ..............  ..............           2,857
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Reporting Changes That Affect Your Social Security Payment--
0960-NEW

    SSA plans to offer Social Security beneficiaries a new Internet 
service for conducting business with the Agency. The Internet based 
form SSA-1425 will enable individuals to report events that may affect 
their Social Security Benefits. The information collected by SSA will 
be used to determine continuing entitlement to Social Security benefits 
and to determine the proper benefit amount. Currently, beneficiaries 
report these changes by phoning, visiting a Social Security office or 
completing the paper form SSA-1425. The respondents are Social Security 
beneficiaries who need to report a change to SSA.
    Number of Respondents: 7,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 583 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. Representative Payee Report--Special Veterans Benefits--0960-
0621

    The information collected on form SSA-2001 is used to determine 
whether payments certified to the representative payee have been used 
properly and whether the representative payee continues to demonstrate 
strong concern for the beneficiary's best interests. The form will be 
completed annually by all representative payees receiving special 
veterans benefits (SVB) payments on behalf of beneficiaries outside the 
United States. It will also be required at anytime SSA has reason to 
believe that the representative payee could be misusing the payments. 
Respondents are representative payees of veterans receiving SVB 
Payments under title VIII.
    Number of Respondents: 200.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 33 hours.

Background Information

    In November 1999, Congress passed the Foster Care Independence Act, 
and on December 14, 1999, the President signed it into law (Pub. L. 
106-169). An important part of this legislation, section 251, creates a 
new title VIII of the Social Security Act. Title VIII provides for a 
program of special benefits for certain World War II veterans.
    As a part of the title VIII administration, Section 807(a) of PL 
106-169, also provides that, if the Social Security Administration 
determines that it is not in the best interest of the beneficiary to 
receive benefits directly, payments may be certified to a relative, 
another person or an organization interested in or concerned about the 
welfare of the beneficiary. These individuals or organizations are 
called representative payees.

[[Page 63284]]

2. Annual Earning Test--Direct Mail Follow-Up Program Notices--
0960-0369

    In 1997, as part of the initiative to reinvent government, SSA 
began to use the information reported on W-2's and self-employment tax 
returns to adjust benefits under the earnings test rather than have 
beneficiaries make a separate report, which often showed the same 
information. As a result, Beneficiaries under full retirement age (FRA) 
complete forms SSA-L9778-SM-SUP, SSA-L9779-SM-SUP and SSA-L9781-SM 
under this information collection.
    With the passage of the ``Senior Citizen Freedom to Work Act of 
2000,'' the annual earnings test (AET) at FRA was eliminated. As a 
result SSA designed 2 new Midyear Mailer Forms, SSA-L9784-SM and SSA-
L9785-SM, to request an earnings estimate (in the year of FRA) for the 
period prior to the month of FRA. Social Security benefits maybe 
adjusted based on the information provided and this information is 
needed to comply with the law. Consequently, the Midyear Mailer program 
has become an even more important tool in helping SSA to ensure that 
Social Security payments are correct. Respondents are beneficiaries who 
must update their current year estimate of earnings, give SSA an 
estimate of earnings for the following year and an earnings estimate 
(in the year of FRA) for the period prior to the month of FRA.
    Number of Respondents: 225,000.
    Frequency of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 37,500 hours.

3. Student Statement Regarding School Attendance--0960-0105

    The information collected on Form SSA-1372 is needed to determine 
whether children of an insured worker are eligible for benefits as a 
student. The respondents are student claimants for Social Security 
benefits and their respective schools.
    Number of Respondents: 200,000.
    Number of Response: 1.
    Average Burden Per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Annual Burden: 33,333 hours.
(SSA Address)
Social Security Administration, DCFAM, Attn: Frederick W. Brickenkamp, 
1-A-21 Operations Bldg., 6401 Security Blvd., 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: October 13, 2000.
Liz Davidson,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 00-26889 Filed 10-20-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4190-29-P