[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 215 (Wednesday, November 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88105-88108]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-25782]


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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No: SSA-2024-0044]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and 
Comment Request

    The Social Security Administration (SSA) publishes a list of 
information collection packages requiring clearance by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) in compliance with Public Law 104-13, the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, effective October 1, 1995. This notice 
includes revisions of OMB-approved information collections.
    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 ways to minimize burden 
on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology. Mail, email, or fax your 
comments and recommendations on the information collection(s) to the 
OMB Desk Officer and SSA Reports Clearance Officer at the following 
addresses or fax numbers.

(OMB) Office of Management and Budget, Attn: Desk Officer for SSA
(SSA) Social Security Administration, OLCA, Attn: Reports Clearance 
Director, Mail Stop 3253 Altmeyer, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 
21235, Fax: 833-410-1631, Email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a7e8f589f5c2d7c8d5d3d489e4cbc2c6d5c6c9c4c2e7d4d4c689c0c8d1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2e617c007c4b5e415c5a5d006d424b4f5c4f404d4b6e5d5d4f00494158">[email protected]</span></a>

    Or you may submit your comments online through https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain by clicking on Currently under 
Review--Open for Public Comments and choosing to click on one of SSA's 
published items. Please reference Docket ID Number [SSA-2024-0044] in 
your submitted response.
    I. The information collections below are pending at SSA. SSA will 
submit them to OMB within 60 days from the date of this notice. To be 
sure we consider your comments, we must receive them no later than 
January 6, 2025. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection 
instruments by writing to the above email address.
    1. Integrated Registration Services (IRES) System--20 CFR 401.45--
0960-0626. IRES is an internet-based application that replaces the 
respondent's handwritten paper-based signature with a user 
identification number (User ID) and a password. IRES provides 
registration, authentication, and authorization gateway services for 
Business-to-Government (B2G) suites of services, including, but not 
limited to:

a. Business Services Online (BSO)
    [ssquf] Claimant Representative Services
b. Government Services Online (GSO) (OMB #0960-0757)
    [ssquf] Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) Services
    [ssquf] Secure exchange of information between SSA and third 
parties in support of SSA and other federal government-supported 
programs
c. Customer Support Application (CSA)
    [ssquf] CSA provides customer support service for IRES. CSA allows 
users to complete the registration process via a telephone interview 
with a Social Security customer service representative.

    The IRES System verifies the identity of individuals, businesses, 
organizations, entities, and government agencies seeking to use SSA's 
secured internet and telephone applications. Individuals need this 
verification to electronically request and exchange business data with 
SSA. Requestors provide SSA with the information needed to establish 
their identities. Once SSA verifies identity, the IRES system issues 
the requestor a user identification number and a password to conduct 
business with SSA. Respondents are employers; employees; third party 
submitters of wage data business entities providing taxpayer 
identification information; appointed representatives; representative 
payees; and data exchange partners conducting business in support of 
SSA programs.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                                              Average
                                                                                          Average burden     Estimated      theoretical    Total annual
                 Modality of completion                      Number of     Frequency of    per response    total annual     hourly cost     opportunity
                                                            respondents      response        (minutes)    burden (hours)      amount      cost (dollars)
                                                                                                                            (dollars) *         **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IRES Internet Registrations.............................         266,210               1               5          22,184        * $42.82     ** $949,919
IRES Internet Requestors................................      14,472,710               1               2         482,424         * 42.82   ** 20,657,396
IRES CS (CSA) Registrations.............................           2,216               1              11             406         * 42.82       ** 17,385
                                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total...............................................      14,741,136  ..............  ..............         505,014  ..............   ** 21,624,700
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* We based this figure on an overall average of the average U.S. citizen's hourly salary, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-00000); hourly wages for Information and Record Keeping Analysts hourly salary, as reported by Bureau of Labor
  Statistics data. (Information and Record Clerks, All Other (bls.gov)); and average hourly wages for paralegals/legal assistants (Paralegals and Legal
  Assistants (bls.gov); and lawyers (Lawyers (bls.gov) as posted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on recipients of Social Security payments to complete this application; rather,
  these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the application. There is no actual charge to
  respondents to complete the application.

    2. Notification of a Social Security Number (SSN) to an Employer 
for Wage Reporting Purposes--20 CFR 422.103(a)--0960-0778. Individuals 
applying for employment must provide an SSN or indicate they have 
applied for one. However, when an individual applies for an initial 
SSN, there is a delay between the assignment of the number and the 
delivery of the SSN card. At an individual's request, SSA uses Form 
SSA-132 to send the individual's SSN to an employer. Mailing this 
information to the employer: (1) ensures the employer has

[[Page 88106]]

the correct SSN for the individual; (2) allows SSA to receive correct 
earnings information for wage reporting purposes; and (3) reduces the 
delay in the initial SSN assignment and delivery of the SSN information 
directly to the employer. It also enables SSA to verify the employer as 
a safeguard for the applicant's personally identifiable information. 
The respondents are individuals applying for an initial SSN who ask SSA 
to mail confirmation of their application or the SSN to their 
employers.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                           Average
                                                                      Average burden  Estimated total    theoretical      Average wait     Total annual
      Modality of completion          Number of       Frequency of     per response    annual burden     hourly cost     time in field     opportunity
                                     respondents        response        (minutes)         (hours)           amount           office       cost (dollars)
                                                                                                         (dollars) *      (minutes) **         ***
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-132..........................         361,902                1                5           30,159         * $31.48            ** 24   *** $5,506,482
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* We based this figure on the average U.S. worker's hourly wages, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-0000).
** We based this figure on the average FY 2024 wait times for field offices, based on SSA's current management information data.
*** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on recipients of Social Security payments to complete this application; rather,
  these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the application. There is no actual charge to
  respondents to complete the application.

    II. SSA submitted the information collections below to OMB for 
clearance. Your comments regarding these information collections would 
be most useful if OMB and SSA receive them 30 days from the date of 
this publication. To be sure we consider your comments, we must receive 
them no later than December 6, 2024. Individuals can obtain copies of 
these OMB clearance packages by writing to the 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d19e83ff83b4a1bea3a5a2ff92bdb4b0a3b0bfb2b491a2a2b0ffb6bea7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="703f225e2215001f0204035e331c151102111e1315300303115e171f06">[email protected]</span></a>.
    1. Requests for Self-Employment Information, Employee Information, 
and Employer Information--20 CFR 422.120--0960-0508. When SSA cannot 
identify Form W-2 wage data for an individual, we place the data in an 
earnings suspense file and contact the individual (and certain 
instances the employer) to obtain the correct information. If the 
respondent furnishes the name and Social Security Number (SSN) 
information that agrees with SSA's records, or provides information 
that resolves the discrepancy, SSA adds the reported earnings to the 
respondent's Social Security record. We use Forms SSA-L2765, SSA-L3365, 
and SSA-L4002 for this purpose. The respondents are self-employed 
individuals and employees whose name and SSN information do not agree 
with their employer's and SSA's records.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                                              Average
                                                                                          Average burden     Estimated      theoretical    Total annual
                 Modality of completion                      Number of     Frequency of    per response    total annual     hourly cost     opportunity
                                                            respondents      response        (minutes)    burden (hours)      amount      cost (dollars)
                                                                                                                           (dollars) **         ***
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SSA-L2765 *.............................................               1               1              10               1       ** $31.48      *** $31.48
SSA-L3365 *.............................................               1               1              10               1        ** 31.48       *** 31.48
SSA-L4002 *.............................................               1               1              10               1        ** 31.48       *** 31.48
                                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals..............................................               1  ..............  ..............               3  ..............       *** 94.44
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* SSA does not currently send out any of these collections; however, we included 1 hour burden placeholders for each collection, in the event we need to
  send these notices out in the near future.
** We based this figure on average U.S. worker's hourly wages, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm).
*** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on recipients of Social Security payments to complete this application; rather,
  these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the application. There is no actual charge to
  respondents to complete the application.

    2. Representative Payee Report of Benefits and Dedicated Account--
20 CFR 416.546, 416.635, 416.640, and 416.665--0960-0576. SSA requires 
representative payees (RPs) to manage the dedicated account in 
accordance with our rules, including using the funds for permitted 
expenditures and reporting on the use of funds. When the SSI recipient 
requires a dedicated account, SSA notifies the RP to inform them of the 
need to open the dedicated account and of the rules for managing a 
dedicated account, including the required submission of a written 
report accounting for the use of money paid to Supplemental Security 
Income (SSI) recipients into the dedicated account. SSA allows the 
respondent to submit their own written report, or use Form SSA-6233, 
which simplifies the process for the respondents. SSA uses Form SSA-
6233 to: (1) ensure the RPs use the payments for the recipient's 
current maintenance and personal needs and properly conserves the 
remainder; and (2) confirm the funds paid into the dedicated account 
are spent and saved in compliance with the law. Respondents are RPs for 
SSI recipients.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                                          Average wait
                                                                                                           Average       time in field
                                      Number of       Frequency of    Average burden  Estimated total    theoretical     office or for
      Modality of completion         respondents        response       per response    annual burden     hourly cost      teleservice
                                                                        (minutes)         (hours)           amount          centers
                                                                                                         (dollars) **     (minutes) **
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-6233.........................          68,000                1               20           22,667         $31.48 *            21 **   $1,462,781 ***
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* We based this figure on average U.S. worker's hourly wages, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-0000).
** We based this figure on averaging both the average FY 2024 wait times for field offices (24 minutes) and teleservice centers (19 minutes), based on
  SSA's current management information data.

[[Page 88107]]

 
*** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on recipients of Supplemental Security Income payments to complete this
  application; rather, these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the application. There is no
  actual charge to respondents to complete the application.

    3. Social Security Number Verification Services--20 CFR 401.45--
0960-0660. Internal Revenue Service regulations require employers to 
provide wage and tax data to SSA using Form W-2, or its electronic 
equivalent. As part of this process, the employer must furnish the 
employee's name and SSN. In addition, the employee's name and SSN must 
match SSA's records for SSA to post earnings to the employee's earnings 
record, which SSA maintains. SSA offers the Social Security Number 
Verification Service (SSNVS), which allows employers to verify the 
reported names and SSNs of their employees match those in SSA's 
records. SSNVS is a cost-free, voluntary method for employers to verify 
employee information via the internet. SSA annotates data an employer 
supplies to SSA for verification that does not match SSA's records with 
a no match indicator and returns it to the employer. The respondents 
are employers who need to verify SSN data using SSA's records.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

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                                                                                                                            Average
                                                                                       Average burden  Estimated total    theoretical      Total annual
      Modality of completion          Number of       Frequency of      Number of       per response    annual burden     hourly cost      opportunity
                                     respondents        response        responses        (minutes)         (hours)           amount       cost (dollars)
                                                                                                                          (dollars) **         ***
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSNVS............................          44,891               60        2,663,460                5          221,955         $43.65 *    $9,688,336 **
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* We based this figure on the average hourly wage for Accountants and Auditors, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data (Accountants and
  Auditors (bls.gov)).
** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on recipients of Social Security payments to complete this application; rather,
  these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the application. There is no actual charge to
  respondents to complete the application.

    4. Request for Deceased Individual's Social Security Record--20 CFR 
402.130--0960-0665. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), at 5 U.S.C. 
552(a)(3) of the U.S. Code, provides instructions for members of the 
public to request records from Federal Agencies. When a member of the 
public requests an individual's Social Security record under FOIA, SSA 
needs the name and address of the requestor as well as a description of 
the requested record to process the request. While SSA respondents may 
submit these requests in writing, SSA also allows for the use of Form 
SSA-711, Deceased Individual's Social Security Records, for FOIA 
requests for a deceased individual's records for genealogical research, 
family estate matters, and other reasons. SSA then uses the information 
the respondent provides on Form SSA-711, or via an internet request 
through SSA's electronic Freedom of Information Act Xpress (FOIAXpress) 
website, to: (1) verify the wage earner is deceased; and (2) access the 
correct Social Security record. Respondents are members of the public 
requesting deceased individuals' Social Security records.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                                                Average wait      Total
                                                                                                                   Average      time in field     annual
                                  Number of     Frequency of      Number of    Average burden     Estimated      theoretical    office or for  opportunity
    Modality of completion       respondents      response        responses     per response    total annual     hourly cost     teleservice       cost
                                                                                  (minutes)    burden (hours)      amount          centers      (dollars)
                                                                                                                (dollars) **    (minutes) **       ***
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------
Internet Request through               49,800               1               7           5,810        * $31.48  ..............    *** $182,899
 FOIAXpress..................
SSA-711 (paper)..............             200               1               7              23        * $31.48           ** 21      *** $2,928
                              --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total....................          50,000  ..............  ..............           5,833  ..............  ..............    *** $185,827
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* We based this figure on average U.S. worker's hourly wages, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm).
** We based this figure on averaging both the average FY 2024 wait times for field offices and teleservice centers, based on SSA's current management
  information data.
*** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on recipients of Social Security payments to complete this application; rather,
  these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the application. There is no actual charge to
  respondents to complete the application.

    5. Sheltered Workshop Wage Reporting--0960-0771. Sheltered 
workshops are private non-profit organizations or institutions that 
implement a recognized program of rehabilitation for handicapped 
workers or provide such workers with remunerative employment or other 
occupational rehabilitating activity of an educational or therapeutic 
nature. Sheltered workshops perform a service for their clients by 
reporting monthly wages directly to SSA. SSA uses the information these 
workshops provide to verify and post monthly wages to SSI recipient's 
records. Most workshops report monthly wage totals to their local SSA 
office, so we can adjust the client's SSI payment amount in a timely 
manner and prevent overpayments. Sheltered workshops are motivated to 
report wages voluntarily as a service to their clients. Respondents are 
sheltered workshops that report monthly wages for services performed in 
the workshop.
    Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information 
collection.

[[Page 88108]]



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                                                                                                                                                   Average
                                                                                                              Average burden  Estimated total    theoretical      Average wait     Total annual
                 Modality of completion                      Number of       Frequency of   Total number of    per response    annual burden     hourly cost     time in field     opportunity
                                                            respondents        response        responses        (minutes)         (hours)           amount           office       cost (dollars)
                                                                                                                                                 (dollars) **     (minutes) **         ***
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sheltered Workshop Wage Reporting.......................             244               12            2,928               15              732         $23.28 *            24 **      $44,302 ***
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* We based this on average Rehabilitation Counselors hourly salary, as reported in Bureau of Labor Statistics data (Rehabilitation Counselors (bls.gov))
** We based this figure on the average FY 2024 wait times for field offices, based on SSA's current management information data.
*** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on recipients of Social Security payments to complete this application; rather, these are theoretical opportunity costs for
  the additional time respondents will spend to complete the application. There is no actual charge to respondents to complete the application.


    Dated: November 1, 2024.
Naomi Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-25782 Filed 11-5-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P


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