2996 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 13 / Wednesday, January 21, 2015 / Notices 

1 In this notice, we use the term ‘‘beneficiary’’ to 

include a beneficiary under Title II of the Act, a 

beneficiary under Title VIII of the Act, and an SSI 

recipient under Title XVI of the Act. 

2 42 U.S.C. 405(j)(3) and 1383(a)(2)(C); 42 U.S.C. 

405(j)(6)(A) and 1383(a)(2)(G). 

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 

35): 

SSS FORMS 2, 3A, 3B and 3C 

Title: Selective Service System 

Change of Information, Correction/

Change Form, and Registration Status 

Forms. 

Purpose: To ensure the accuracy and 

completeness of the Selective Service 

System registration data. 

Respondents: Registrants are required 

to report changes or corrections in data 

submitted on the SSS Form 1. 

Frequency: When changes in a 

registrant’s name or address occur. 

Burden: A burden of two minutes or 

less on the individual respondent. 

Copies of the above identified forms 

can be obtained upon written request to 

the Selective Service System, Reports 

Clearance Officer, 1515 Wilson 

Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22209– 

2425. 

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

extension of clearance of the form 

should be sent within 30 days of the 

publication of this notice to the 

Selective Service System, Reports 

Clearance Officer, 1515 Wilson 

Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia 22209– 

2425. 

A copy of the comments should be 

sent to the Office of Information and 

Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Desk 

Officer, Selective Service System, Office 

of Management and Budget, New 

Executive Office Building, Room 3235, 

Washington, DC 20503. 

Dated: January 14, 2015. 

Lawrence Romo, 

Director. 

[FR Doc. 2015–00846 Filed 1–20–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8015–01–P 

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION 

[Docket No. SSA–2014–0070] 

Monitoring Reviews for Certain 

Representative Payees 

AGENCY: Social Security Administration. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: We are requesting information 

from the public regarding how we 

should conduct periodic onsite reviews 

of certain representative payees under 

Titles II, VIII, and XVI of the Social 

Security Act (Act) and how we can 

improve the representative payee 

program. We are seeking this 

information to decide whether and how 

we should make any changes to the 

representative payee program to further 

protect our beneficiaries from misuse of 

their benefits by representative payees. 

DATES: To ensure that your comments 

are considered, we must receive them 

no later than March 9, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by any one of three methods—Internet, 

fax, or mail. Do not submit the same 

comments multiple times or by more 

than one method. Regardless of which 

method you choose, please state that 

your comments refer to Docket No. 

SSA–2014–0070 so that we may 

associate your comments with the 

correct document. 

Caution: You should be careful to 

include in your comments only 

information that you wish to make 

publicly available. We strongly urge you 

not to include in your comments any 

personal information, such as Social 

Security numbers or medical 

information. 

1. Internet: We strongly recommend 

that you submit your comments via the 

Internet. Please visit the Federal 

eRulemaking portal at http://

www.regulations.gov. Use the Search 

function to find docket number SSA– 

2014–0070. The system will issue you a 

tracking number to confirm your 

submission. You will not be able to 

view your comment immediately 

because we must post each comment 

manually. It may take up to a week for 

your comment to be viewable. 

2. Fax: Fax comments to (410) 966– 

2830. 

3. Mail: Address your comments to 

the Office of Regulations and Reports 

Clearance, Social Security 

Administration, 3100 West High Rise 

Building, 6401 Security Boulevard, 

Baltimore, Maryland 21235–6401. 

Comments are available for public 

viewing on the Federal eRulemaking 

portal at http://www.regulations.gov or 

in person, during regular business 

hours, by arranging with the contact 

person identified below. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric 

Ice, Office of Income Security Programs, 

Social Security Administration, 6401 

Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 

21235–6401, (410) 966—3233. For 

information on eligibility or filing for 

benefits, call our national toll-free 

number, 1–800–772–1213 or TTY 1– 

800–325–0778, or visit our Internet site, 

Social Security Online, at http://

www.socialsecurity.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

A representative payee is a third party 

who manages the Social Security 

benefits or Supplemental Security 

Income (SSI) payments of a beneficiary 1

to meet the beneficiary’s needs for food, 

clothing, and shelter. After meeting the 

beneficiary’s basic needs, the 

representative payee must conserve any 

remaining Social Security benefits or 

payments for the beneficiary’s future 

use. We presume that a legally 

competent adult beneficiary is capable 

of managing or directing someone else 

to manage his or her benefits, unless 

there are indicators or evidence to the 

contrary. We are required to pay 

children under age 15 and legallyincompetent adult beneficiaries through 

representative payees. 

We monitor representative payees’ 

fiduciary performance in several ways. 

For certain representative payees, one of 

the ways we monitor their fiduciary 

performance is through our periodic 

onsite review process. The Act requires 

us to use onsite reviews for: 

Æ All fee-for-service representative 

payees; 

Æ all organizational representative 

payees serving 50 or more beneficiaries 

or recipients; and 

Æ all individual representative payees 

serving 15 or more beneficiaries or 

recipients. In addition, we also use 

onsite reviews for state mental 

hospitals.2

We also conduct discretionary site 

reviews of representative payees beyond 

those required by the Act. The site 

reviews help us determine whether 

representative payees are performing 

their duties and responsibilities 

satisfactorily and complying with our 

rules. The reviews include: 

Æ A face-to-face interview with the 

representative payee and, in most cases, 

a visit to the representative payee’s 

location; 

Æ interviews with a sample of 

beneficiaries represented by the 

representative payee; 

Æ examination of financial records; 

and 

Æ examination of supporting 

documentation. 

When we uncover problems during 

the reviews, we resolve the problems 

with the representative payee and 

remind the representative payee about 

his or her duties and responsibilities. 

Sometimes during site reviews, we 

uncover poor performance or misuse of 

funds by a representative payee. When 

we are unable to resolve a major 

performance issue with a representative 

payee, we remove the representative 

payee and find a new representative 

payee for the affected beneficiaries, or 

pay the beneficiaries directly. 


asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 13 / Wednesday, January 21, 2015 / Notices 2997 

1This included governments that received 

government-to-government assistance and or 

assistance to be provided through implementing 

partners. Additional governments may receive 

assistance through regional or global programs, but 

the governments identified in the report represent 

the vast majority of foreign assistance recipients. 

Request for Comments 

To identify ways we may enhance our 

periodic onsite review process and 

improve the representative payee 

program, we are asking for your 

comments on the following questions. 

(1) Besides those representative 

payees that the Act requires us to 

review, what representative payees 

should we include in our site review 

process? What criteria should we use to 

select representative payees for review? 

(2) What data sources should we 

consider when we select which 

representative payees to review, and 

which of these data sources should we 

use to detect improper use of 

beneficiary payments? 

(3) What tools or processes should we 

use to hold our representative payees 

accountable for their responsibilities? 

(4) How can we reduce the likelihood 

of mismanagement or misuse of a 

beneficiary’s payments? 

(5) Currently, when we do a site 

review we focus on how a 

representative payee manages a 

beneficiary’s funds. Should our reviews 

focus on any other issues? 

(6) What ideas do you have to 

improve the representative payee 

program overall? 

Please see the information under 

ADDRESSES earlier in this document for 

methods to give us your comments. We 

will not respond to your comments, but 

we will consider them as we review our 

policies and instructions to determine if 

we should revise or update them. 

Dated: January 13, 2015. 

Carolyn W. Colvin, 

Acting Commissioner of Social Security. 

[FR Doc. 2015–00931 Filed 1–20–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4191–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 9006] 

2014 Fiscal Transparency Report 

AGENCY: Department of State. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of State 

hereby presents the findings from the 

FY 2014 fiscal transparency review 

process in its Fiscal Transparency 

Report. This report describes the 

minimum requirements of fiscal 

transparency developed by the 

Department of State in consultation 

with other relevant federal agencies, 

identifies governments that are potential 

beneficiaries of FY 2014 foreign 

assistance funds, assesses those that did 

not meet the minimum fiscal 

transparency requirements, and 

indicates whether those governments 

made significant progress towards 

meeting the requirements. 

Fiscal Transparency 

Fiscal transparency is a critical 

element of effective public financial 

management, helps in building market 

confidence, and sets the stage for 

economic sustainability. Transparency 

also provides a window into 

government budgets for citizens of any 

country, helping them to hold their 

leadership accountable. The Department 

of State’s fiscal transparency review 

process assesses whether governments 

meet minimum requirements of fiscal 

transparency. The review includes an 

assessment of the transparency of 

processes for administering government 

contracts and licenses for natural 

resource extraction. 

Annual reviews of the fiscal 

transparency of governments that 

receive U.S. assistance help ensure U.S. 

taxpayer money is used appropriately 

and to sustain a dialogue with 

governments to improve their fiscal 

performance, leading to greater 

macroeconomic stability and better 

development outcomes. 

Section 7031(b) of the Department of 

State, Foreign Operations, and Related 

Programs Appropriations Act, 2014 

(Div. K, Pub. L. 113–76) (‘‘the Act’’) 

requires the Secretary to develop, for 

each government receiving assistance 

appropriated by the Act, minimum 

requirements of fiscal transparency, in 

consultation with heads of other 

relevant federal agencies, and to make a 

determination of ‘‘significant’’ or ‘‘no 

significant progress’’ in meeting the 

minimum requirements of fiscal 

transparency for each government that 

did not meet the minimum 

requirements. Through authority 

delegated from the Secretary, the 

Deputy Secretary of State for 

Management and Resources made those 

determinations for FY 2014. 

This report describes the minimum 

requirements of fiscal transparency 

developed by the Department, identifies 

whether governments met the 

requirements, and indicates whether 

those governments that did not meet the 

minimum requirements made 

significant progress toward meeting 

them. The report includes a description 

as to how those governments fell short 

of the minimum requirements, outlines 

any significant progress being made 

toward meeting the minimum 

requirements, and provides specific 

recommendations of short and longterm steps such governments should 

take to improve fiscal transparency. The 

report also outlines the process followed 

by the Department in completing the 

assessments and describes how funds 

appropriated by the FY 2014 and earlier 

appropriations acts are being used to 

support fiscal transparency. 

Fiscal Transparency Review Process 

and Criteria 

The Department reviewed its 

minimum requirements of fiscal 

transparency in consultation with other 

relevant federal agencies, and updated 

and strengthened its review criteria. In 

determining which governments were 

subject to fiscal transparency 

assessments and inclusion in the report, 

the Department identified those 

governments it anticipated would 

receive bilateral allocations of assistance 

appropriated by the Act based upon a 

review of the Congressional Budget 

Justification for FY 2014, and in 

consultation with the Department’s 

Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance 

Resources, as well as the Department’s 

regional and functional bureaus.1

The Department then assessed the 

fiscal transparency of the 140 

governments identified as potential 

recipients of bilateral allocations of 

assistance from FY 2014 foreign 

assistance funds, determined whether 

the minimum requirements were met, 

and identified any measures those 

governments had implemented to make 

significant progress towards meeting the 

requirements. 

In conducting the FY 2014 review, the 

Department assessed the fiscal 

transparency of governments as of 

January 17, 2014, the date the Act, 

which mandated this review, became 

law. In reaching a determination, the 

Department considered information 

from U.S. embassies and consulates, 

other U.S. government agencies, 

international organizations such as the 

IMF and multilateral development 

banks, and civil society organizations. 

U.S. diplomatic missions consulted 

with foreign government officials, 

NGOs, international organizations, and 

civil society to obtain information for 

these assessments. 

Minimum Requirements of Fiscal 

Transparency 

Subsection 7031(b)(2) of the Act 

provides that the minimum 

requirements of fiscal transparency 

developed by the Department are 


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