Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 65 / Friday, April 4, 1997 / Notices 16209

1724 is used by the Social Security

Administration to determine whether an

individual is entitled to the

underpayment. The respondents are

applicants for the underpayment of a

deceased beneficiary.

Number of Respondents: 300,000.

Frequency of Response: 1.

Average Burden Per Response: 10

minutes.

Estimated Annual Burden: 50,000

hours.

4. Supplement to Claim of Person

Outside the United States—0960–0051.

The information collected on Form

SSA–21 is used to determine the

continuing entitlement to Social

Security benefits and the proper benefit

amounts of alien beneficiaries living

outside the United States. It is also used

to determine whether benefits are

subject to tax withholding. The

respondents are individuals entitled to

Social Security benefits who are, will

be, or have been residing outside the

United States.

Number of Respondents: 35,000.

Frequency of Response: 1.

Average Burden Per Response: 5

minutes.

Estimated Annual Burden: 2,917

hours.

5. Statement of Care and

Responsibility for Beneficiary—0960–

0109. When an individual requests to

act as representative payee for someone

not in their custody, the Social Security

Administration must determine if this

individual is the most qualified to serve

in the beneficiary’s best interests. The

information collected on Form SSA–788

is used to corroborate the statements of

concern made by the representative

payee applicant and to identify other

potential representative payees. The

respondents are individuals who have

custody of the beneficiaries for whom

someone else has filed to be the

representative payee.

Number of Respondents: 130,000.

Frequency of Response: 1.

Average Burden of Response: 10

minutes.

Estimated Annual Burden: 21,667

hours.

6. Statement of Claimant or Other

Person—0960–0045. Form SSA–795 is

completed by Social Security or SSI

applicants when additional information

is needed and there is no standard form

which collects the information. The

information is used by the Social

Security Administration to process

claims for benefits. The respondents are

applicants for Social Security or SSI

benefits.

Number of Respondents: 305,500.

Frequency of Response: 1.

Average Burden Per Response: 15

minutes.

Estimated Annual Burden: 75,375

hours.

7. Application for Disability Insurance

Benefits—0960–0060. The information

collected on Form SSA–16 by the Social

Security Administration is used to

determine an applicant’s entitlement to

Social Security disability benefits. The

respondents are applicants for Social

Security disability benefits.

Number of Respondents: 1,000,000.

Frequency of Response: 1.

Average Burden Per Response: 20

minutes.

Estimated Annual Burden: 333,333.

8. Statement for Determining

Continuing Eligibility for Supplemental

Security Income Payment—0960–0145.

The information collected on Form

SSA–8202 is used by the Social Security

Administration to determine a

beneficiary’s continuing eligibility for

and the amount of their SSI payments.

The information collected also assists

SSI recipients to obtain food stamps and

is used by agencies administering

Medicaid programs in ascertaining the

legal liability of third parties to pay for

care and services. The respondents are

recipients of SSI benefits.

Number of Respondents: 818,000.

Frequency of Response: 1.

Average Burden Per Response: 11

minutes.

Estimated Annual Burden: 149,967

hours.

Written comments and

recommendations regarding the

information collection(s) should be sent

within 60 days from the date of this

publication, directly to the SSA Reports

Clearance Officer at the following

address: Social Security Administration,

DCFAM; Attn: Judith T. Hasche; 6401

Security Blvd., 1–A–21 Operations

Bldg.; Baltimore, MD 21235.

In addition to your comments on the

accuracy of the agency’s burden

estimate, we are soliciting comments on

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.

To receive a copy of any of the forms

or clearance packages, call the SSA

Reports Clearance Officer on (410) 965–

4123 or write to her at the address listed

above.

Dated: March 31, 1997.

Frederick W. Brickenkamp,

Forms Management Officer, Social Security

Administration.

[FR Doc. 97–8564 Filed 4–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4190–29–P

Testing Modifications to the Disability

Determination Procedures; Federal

Processing Center Testing

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice of the test site and the

duration of testing involving

modifications to the disability

determination procedures.

SUMMARY: The Social Security

Administration (SSA) is announcing the

location and the duration of additional

testing that it will conduct under the

current rules at 20 CFR §§ 404.906,

404.943, 416.1406, and 416.1443. Those

rules authorize the testing of several

modifications to the disability

determination procedures that we

normally follow in adjudicating claims

for disability insurance benefits under

title II of the Social Security Act (the

Act) and claims for supplemental

security income (SSI) based on

disability under title XVI of the Act.

This notice announces the test site and

duration of testing involving a

combination of features of the proposed

redesigned disability process. The

notice also describes additional features

that will allow us to test the

effectiveness of processing cases under

a combination of the models in a

Federal processing center.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Harry Pippin, Disability Models Team

Leader, Office of Disability, Disability

Process Redesign Staff, Social Security

Administration, 6401 Security

Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21235,

410–965–9203.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Current

regulations at 20 CFR §§ 404.906,

404.943, 416.1406, and 416.1443

authorize us to test different

modifications to the disability

determination procedures. We describe

the use of all four features of the testing

modifications to the disability

determination procedures as the full

process model. Those modifications are:

the use of a single decisionmaker who

may make the disability determination

without requiring the signature of a

medical consultant; the conducting of a

predecisional interview in which a

claimant, for whom SSA does not have

sufficient information to make a fully

favorable determination or the evidence

requires an initial determination

denying the claim, can present

additional information to the

decisionmaker; the elimination of the

reconsideration step in the

administrative review process; and the

use of an adjudication officer who will

conduct prehearing procedures and, if

appropriate, will issue a decision

wholly favorable to the claimant.
16210 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 65 / Friday, April 4, 1997 / Notices

We intend to test the full process

model in a Federal processing center.

The location for this test will be: Social

Security Administration, Western

Program Service Center, 2121 Nevin

Avenue, Richmond, California, 94802.

We may add other Federal sites later.

If we add other Federal sites, we will

publish another notice in the Federal

Register identifying the added sites. The

test in Richmond will involve claims by

individuals who wish to file by

telephone. These cases will be referred

to the Richmond processing center by

teleservice centers that service residents

of Arizona.

This test will combine the four

process modifications mentioned above,

plus two features designed to maximize

the resources of a Federal processing

center: having a two-person team

complete the application interview by

telephone; and effectuating, in the

processing center, the payment of

benefits to claimants who are found

disabled. We will begin selecting cases

for processing in this test on or about

April 28, 1997, will continue to select

cases for approximately one year, and

may continue to have cases processed

for an additional six months. In

addition, we may choose to extend the

test to obtain additional data. We will

publish another notice in the Federal

Register if we extend the duration of the

test. The adjudication officers under this

model will process cases as they are

doing in those States in which that

feature is being tested separately. (Refer

to 20 CFR §§ 404.943 and 416.1443.)

The single decisionmaker will process

cases as single decisionmakers are doing

in those States in which that feature is

being tested separately (see 20 CFR

§§ 404.906(b)(2) and 416.1406(b)(2)),

except that the single decisionmaker in

this model also will assist in the claims

interview and will offer a predecisional

interview to a claimant for whom a fully

favorable determination cannot be made

based on the initial information

obtained. If a claimant is dissatisfied

with the initial determination, he or she

may appeal directly to an administrative

law judge. The adjudication officer will

be the claimant’s primary point of

contact before a hearing is held with an

administrative law judge. Claims

authorizers will participate in the

telephone claims interview and will

effectuate payment to claimants who are

found disabled.

Dated: March 28, 1997.

Carolyn W. Colvin,

Deputy Commissioner for Programs and

Policy.

[FR Doc. 97–8711 Filed 4–3–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4190–29–P

Testing Modifications to the Disability

Determination Procedures; Disability

Determination Services Full Process

Model

AGENCY: Social Security Administration.

ACTION: Notice of the additional test

sites and the duration of tests involving

modifications to the disability

determination procedures.

SUMMARY: The Social Security

Administration (SSA) is announcing the

locations and the duration of additional

tests that it will conduct under the

current rules at §§ 404.906, 404.943,

416.1406, and 416.1443. Those rules

authorize the testing of several

modifications to the disability

determination procedures that we

normally follow in adjudicating claims

for disability insurance benefits under

title II of the Social Security Act (the

Act) and claims for supplemental

security income (SSI) payments based

on disability under title XVI of the Act.

This notice announces the test sites and

duration of tests involving a

combination of features of the proposed

redesigned disability process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Harry Pippin, Disability Models Team

Leader, Office of Disability, Disability

Process Redesign Staff, Social Security

Administration, 6401 Security

Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21235,

410–965–9203.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Current

regulations at §§ 404.906, 404.943,

416.1406, and 416.1443 authorize us to

test different modifications to the

disability determination procedures.

The tests are designed to provide us

with information so that we can

determine the effectiveness of the

models in improving the disability

process. On or about April 7, 1997, we

will begin tests of a full process model

that combines four features of the

proposed redesigned disability process.

These features are: The use of a single

decisionmaker who may make the

disability determination without

requiring the signature of a medical

consultant; the conducting of a

predecisional interview in which a

claimant, for whom SSA does not have

sufficient information to make a fully

favorable determination or the evidence

requires an initial determination

denying the claim, can present

additional information to the

decisionmaker; the elimination of the

reconsideration step in the

administrative review process; and the

use of an adjudication officer who will

conduct prehearing procedures and, if

appropriate, issue a decision wholly

favorable to the claimant. We plan to

test this model in eight States. We will

select cases for evaluation of these tests

for approximately nine months, and

may continue to have cases processed

for another six months. In addition, we

may choose to extend the test to obtain

additional data. We will publish another

notice in the Federal Register if we

extend the duration of the test. For the

purpose of these tests, the single

decisionmaker will be an employee of

the State agency that makes disability

determinations for us, while the

adjudication officer will be either a

State employee or a Federal employee.

The sites selected represent a mix of

geographic areas, case loads, and both

Federal and State employees. The

adjudication officer under this model

will process cases as adjudication

officers are doing in those States in

which that feature is being tested

separately. (Refer to Federal Register,

February 1, 1996 (61 FR 3757).) The

single decisionmaker will process cases

as single decisionmakers are doing in

those States in which that feature is

being tested separately (see Federal

Register, May 3, 1996 (61 FR 19969)),

except that the single decisionmaker in

this combined model will offer a

predecisional interview to a claimant for

whom a fully favorable determination

cannot be made based on the initial

information obtained. If a claimant is

dissatisfied with the initial

determination, he or she may appeal

directly to an administrative law judge.

The adjudication officer will be the

claimant’s primary point of contact

before a hearing is held with an

administrative law judge. Tests of the

model will be held at the following

locations: *COM007*

• Disability Determination Services,

Division of Rehabilitation Services,

Department of Social Services, 10065

Harvard Avenue, Denver, CO 80231–

5941;

• Disability Adjudication Section,

Division of Rehabilitation, Clark

Harrison Building, 330 W. Ponce De

Leon Avenue, Decatur, GA 30030;

• Office of Disability Determinations,

New York State Department of Social

Services, 99 Washington Avenue, Room

1239, Albany, NY 12260;

• Office of Disability Determinations,

New York State Department of Social

Services, 300 Cadman Plaza West, 13th

Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201–2701;

• Office of Disability Determinations,

New York State Department of Social

Services, Ellicott Square Building, Room

664, 295 Main Street, Buffalo, NY

14203–2412;

• Bureau of Disability Determination,

Office for Collections and

Compensation, Room 220—Central