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 a new information collection, and 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, Fax: 202-395-6974, Email address: OIRA_Submission@omb.eop.gov.

(SSA) Social Security Administration, OLCA, Attn: Reports Clearance Director, 3100 West High Rise, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235, Fax: 410-966-2830, Email address: OR.Reports.Clearance@ssa.gov.

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 September 2, 2014. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection instruments by writing to the above email address.

1. Statement of Funds You Provided to Another and Statement of Funds You Received—20 CFR 404.1520(b), 404.1571-404.1576, 404.1584-404.1593 and 416.971-416.976—0960-0059. SSA uses Form SSA-821-BK to collect employment information to determine whether applicants or recipients worked after becoming disabled and, if so, whether the work is substantial gainful activity. SSA's field offices use Form SSA-821-BK to obtain work information during the initial claims process, the continuing disability review process, and for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) claims involving work issues. SSA's processing centers and the Office of Disability and International Operations use the form to obtain post-adjudicative work issue from recipients. SSA reviews and evaluates the data to determine if the applicant or recipient meets the disability requirements of the law. The respondents are Title II and Title XVI disability applicants or recipients.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information collection.

2. Coverage of Employees of State and Local Governments—20 CFR 404, Subpart M—0960-0425. The Code of Federal Regulations at 20 CFR 404, Subpart M, prescribes the rules for States submitting reports of deposits and recordkeeping to SSA. These regulations require States (and interstate instrumentalities) to provide wage and deposit contribution information for pre-1987 periods. Since some States still need to satisfy their pending wage report and contribution liability with SSA for pre-1987 tax years completely, SSA needs these regulations until we can close out all pending items with all States. We also need these regulations to provide for collection of this information in the future, if necessary. The respondents are State and local governments or interstate instrumentalities.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information collection.

3. Marital Relationship Questionnaire—20 CFR 416.1826—0960-0460. SSA uses Form SSA-4178, Marital Relationship Questionnaire, to determine if unrelated individuals of the opposite sex who live together are misrepresenting themselves as husband and wife. SSA needs this information to determine whether we are making correct payments to couples and individuals applying for, or currently receiving, SSI payments. The respondents are applicants for and recipients of SSI payments.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information collection.

II. SSA submitted the information collections below to OMB for clearance. Your comments regarding the 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 August 1, 2014. Individuals can obtain copies of the OMB clearance packages by writing to OR.Reports.Clearance@ssa.gov.

1. National Beneficiary Survey—0960-NEW. SSA is proposing to undertake the National Beneficiary Survey (NBS), a survey intended to gather data from SSI recipients and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) beneficiaries about their characteristics, their well-being, and other factors that promote or hinder employment. In particular, the survey seeks to uncover important information about the factors that promote beneficiary self-sufficiency and, conversely, factors that impede beneficiary efforts to maintain employment. We will use this data to improve the administration and effectiveness of the SSDI and SSI programs. These results will be valuable as SSA and other policymakers continue efforts to improve programs and services that help SSDI beneficiaries and SSI recipients become more self-sufficient.

Background

SSDI and SSI programs provide a crucial and necessary safety net for working-age people with disabilities. By improving employment outcomes for SSDI beneficiaries and SSI recipients, SSA supports the effort to reduce the reliance of people with disabilities on these programs. SSA conducted the prior NBS in 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2010, and was an important first step in understanding the work interest and experiences of SSI recipients and SSDI beneficiaries, and in gaining information about their impairments, health, living arrangements, family structure, pre-disability occupation, and use of non-SSA programs (e.g., the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). The prior NBS data is available to researchers and the public.

The National Beneficiary Survey (NBS)

The primary purpose of the new NBS-General Waves is to assess beneficiary well-being and interest in work, learn about beneficiary work experiences (successful and unsuccessful), and identify factors that promote or restrict long-term work success. Information collected in the survey includes factors such as health, living arrangements, family structure, current occupation, use of non-SSA programs, knowledge of SSDI and SSI work incentive programs, obstacles to work, and beneficiary interest and motivation to return to work. We propose to conduct the first wave of the NBS-General Waves in 2015. We will further conduct subsequent rounds in 2017 (round 2) and 2019 (round 3). The information we will collect is not available from SSA administrative data or other sources. In the NBS-General Waves, the sample design is similar to what we used for the prior NBS. Enhancement of the prior questionnaire includes additional questions on the factors that promote or hinder employment success. We also propose to conduct semi-structured qualitative interviews (in 2015 only) to provide SSA an in-depth understanding of factors that aid or inhibit individuals in their efforts to obtain and retain employment and advance in the workplace. We will use the qualitative data to add context and understanding when interpreting survey results, and to inform the sample and survey design of rounds 2 and 3. Respondents are current SSDI beneficiaries and SSI recipients. Respondent participation in the NBS is voluntary and the decision to participate or not has no impact on current or future receipt of payments or benefits.

Type of Request: This is a new information collection request.

2. Marriage Certification—20 CFR 404.725—0960-0009. Sections 202(b) and 202(c) of the Social Security Act (Act) stipulate that every spouse of an individual entitled to Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits is entitled to a spouse benefit if the wife or husband, in addition to meeting the entitlement requirements, meets the relationship criteria in Section 216(h)(1)(A) and (B). SSA uses Form SSA-3 to determine if a spouse claimant has the necessary relationship to the Social Security number (SSN) holder (i.e., the worker) to qualify for the worker's OASDI benefits. The respondents are applicants for spouse's OASDI benefits.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information collection.

3. Statement Regarding Contributions—20 CFR 404.360—404.366 and 404.736—0960-0020. SSA uses Form SSA-783 to collect information regarding a child's current sources of support when determining the child's entitlement to Social Security benefits. We request this information from adults acting on behalf of the child claimants who can provide SSA with any sources of support or substantial contributions for the child. These adults inform the claims representative of these sources and contributions as part of the initial claims process. If the individual capable of providing the information does not accompany the child claimant, we mail the SSA-783 to the individual for completion, or if the person has access to a computer, we will refer them to SSA's Web site where they can download a copy of the form for completion and submission. The respondents are individuals providing information about a child's sources of support.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information collection.

4. Farm Arrangement Questionnaire—20 CFR 404.1082(c)—0960-0064. When self-employed workers submit earnings data to SSA, they cannot count rental income from a farm unless they demonstrate “material participation” in the farm's operation. A material participation arrangement means the farm owners must perform a combination of physical duties, management decisions, and capital investment in the farm they are renting out. SSA uses Form SSA-7157, the Farm Arrangement Questionnaire, to document material participation. The respondents are workers who are renting farmland to others; are involved in the operation of the farm; and want to claim countable income from work they perform relating to the farm.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information collection.

5. Railroad Employment Questionnaire—20 CFR 404.1401, 404.1406-404.1408—0960-0078. Railroad workers, their dependents, or survivors can concurrently apply for railroad retirement and Social Security benefits at SSA if the number holder, or claimant on the number holder's SSN, worked in the railroad industry. SSA uses Form SSA-671 to coordinate Social Security claims processing with the Railroad Retirement Board and to determine benefit entitlement and amount. The respondents are Social Security benefit applicants previously employed by a railroad or dependents of railroad workers.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information collection.

6. Supplemental Security Income (SSI)—Quality Review Case Analysis—0960-0133. To assess the SSI program and ensure the accuracy of its payments, SSA conducts legally mandated periodic SSI case analysis quality reviews. SSA uses Form SSA-8508 to conduct these reviews, collecting information on operating efficiency, the quality of underlying policies, and the effect of incorrect payments. SSA also uses the data to determine SSI program payment accuracy rate, which is a performance measure for the agency's service delivery goals. Respondents are recipients of SSI payments selected for quality reviews.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB approved information collection.

7. Claimant's Work Background—20 CFR 404.1512(a); 404.1520(a)(4); 404.1565(b); 416.912(a); 416.920(a)(4); 416.965(b)—0960-0300. Sections 205(a) and 1631(e) of the Act provide the Commissioner of Social Security with the authority to establish procedures for determining if a claimant is entitled to disability benefits. The administrative law judge (ALJ) may ask individuals to provide background information on Form HA-4633 about work they performed in the past 15 years. When a claimant requests a hearing before an ALJ to establish an entitlement to disability benefits, the ALJ may request that the claimant provide a work history to assist the ALJ in fully inquiring into statutory issues related to the disability. The ALJ uses the information collected from the claimants on Form HA-4633 to: (1) Identify the claimant's relevant work history; (2) decide if SSA requires expert vocational testimony and, if so, have a vocational expert available to testify during the hearing; and (3) provide a reference for the ALJ to discuss the claimant's work history. The ALJ makes the completed HA-4633 part of the documentary evidence of record. The respondents are claimants for disability benefits under Title II or Title XVI who requested a hearing before an ALJ after SSA denied their application for disability payments.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information collection.

8. Letter to Landlord Requesting Rental Information—20 CFR 416.1130(b)—0960-0454. SSA uses Form SSA-L5061 to obtain rental subsidy information, which enables SSA to determine and verify an income value for such subsidies. SSA uses this income value as part of determining eligibility for SSI and the correct amount of SSI payable to the claimant. SSA bases an individual's eligibility for SSI payments, in part, on the amount of countable income the individual receives. Income includes in-kind support and maintenance in the form of room or rent, such as a subsidized rental arrangement. SSA requires claimants to assist in obtaining this information to prevent a delay or overpayment with their SSI payments. We collect this information only if the SSI applicant or recipient is the parent or child of the landlord (respondent). For most respondents, we collect this information once per year or less, via telephone or face-to-face personal interview. The claims representative records the information in our Modernized SSI Claims System (MSSICS), and we require verbal attestation in lieu of a wet signature. However, if the claims representative is unable to contact the respondent via the telephone or face-to-face, we print and mail a paper form to the respondent for completion. The respondent completes, signs, and returns the form to the claims representative. Upon receipt, the claims representative documents the information in MSSICS or, for non-MSSICS cases, faxes the form into the appropriate electronic folder and shreds the paper form. The respondents are landlords who are related to the SSI beneficiaries as a parent or child.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information collection.

9. Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS)—20 CFR 416.110(e), 416.1180-1182, 416.1225-1227—0960-0559. The SSI program encourages recipients to return to work. One of the program objectives is to provide incentives and opportunities that help recipients toward employment. The PASS provision allows individuals to use available income or resources (such as business equipment, education, or specialized training) to enter or re-enter the workforce and become self-supporting.

In turn, SSA does not count the income or resources recipients use to fund a PASS when determining an individual's SSI eligibility or payment amount. An SSI recipient who wants to use available income and resources to obtain education or training to become self-supporting completes the SSA-545. SSA uses the information from the SSA-545 to evaluate the recipient's PASS, and to determine eligibility under the provisions of the SSI program. The respondents are SSI recipients who are blind or disabled and want to develop a return-to-work plan.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information collection.

10. State Death Match Collections— 20 CFR 404.301, 404.310-404.311, 404.316, 404.330-404.341, 404.350-404.352, 404.371; 416.912—0960-0700. SSA uses the State Death Match Collections to ensure the accuracy of payment files by detecting unreported or inaccurate deaths of beneficiaries. Under the Act, entitlement to retirement, disability, wife's, husband's, or parent's benefits terminate when the beneficiary dies. The States furnish death certificate information to SSA via the manual registration process or the Electronic Death Registration Process (EDR). Both death match processes are automated electronic transfers between the States and SSA. The respondents are the States' bureaus of vital statistics.

Note:

This is a correction notice: SSA published the incorrect burden information for this collection at 79 FR 17632 on March 28, 2014. We are correcting this error here.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information collection.

11. Help America Vote Act—0960-0706. House Rule 3295, the Help America Vote Act of 2002, mandates that States verify the identities of newly registered voters. When newly registered voters do not have driver's licenses or State-issued ID cards, they must supply the last four digits of their SSN to their local State election agencies for verification. The election agencies forward this information to their State Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA), who inputs the data into the American Association of MVAs, a central consolidation system that routes the voter data to SSA's Help America Vote Verification (HAVV) system. Once SSA's HAVV system confirms the identity of the voter, the information returns along the same route in reverse until it reaches the State election agency. The official respondents for this collection are the State MVAs.

Note:

This is a correction notice: SSA published the incorrect burden information for this collection at 78 FR 22752 on 04/23/14. We are correcting this error here.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information collection.

12. Social Security's Public Credentialing and Authentication Process—20 CFR 401.45 and 402—0960-0789.

Background

Authentication is the foundation for secure, online transactions. Identity authentication is the process of determining, with confidence, that someone is who he or she claims to be during a remote, automated session. It comprises three distinct factors: something you know, something you have, and something you are. Single-factor authentication uses one of the factors, and multi-factor authentication uses two or more of the factors.

SSA's Public Credentialing and Authentication Process

SSA offers consistent authentication across SSA's secured online services. We allow our users to request and maintain only one User ID, consisting of a self-selected username and password, to access multiple Social Security electronic services. Designed in accordance with the OMB Memorandum M-04-04 and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-63, this process provides the means of authenticating users of our secured electronic services and streamlines access to those services. SSA's public credentialing and authentication process:

• Issues a single User ID to anyone who wants to do business with the agency;
• Offers authentication options that meet the changing needs of the public;
• Partners with an external data service provider to help us verify the identity of our online customers;
• Complies with relevant standards;
• Offers access to some of SSA's heaviest, but more sensitive, workloads online while providing a high level of confidence in the identity of the person requesting access to these services;
• Offers an in-person process for those who are uncomfortable with or unable to use the Internet process;
• Balances security with ease of use; and
• Provides a user-friendly way for the public to conduct extended business with us online instead of visiting local servicing offices or requesting information over the phone. Individuals have real-time access to their Social Security information in a safe and secure web environment.

Public Credentialing and Authentication Process Features

We collect and maintain the users' personally identifiable information (PII) in our Central Repository of Electronic Authentication Data Master File Privacy Act system of records that we published in the Federal Register (75 FR 79065). The PII may include the users' name, address, date of birth, SSN, phone number, and other types of identity information [e.g., address information of persons from the W-2 and Schedule Self Employed forms we receive electronically for our programmatic purposes as permitted by 26 U.S.C. 6103(l)(1)(A)]. We may also collect knowledge-based authentication data, which is information users establish with us or that we already maintain in our existing Privacy Act systems of records.

We retain the data necessary to administer and maintain our e-Authentication infrastructure. This includes management and profile information, such as blocked accounts, failed access data, effective date of passwords, and other data that allows us to evaluate the system's effectiveness. The data we maintain also may include archived transaction data and historical data.

We use the information from this collection to identity proof and authenticate our users online and to allow them access to their personal information from our records. We also use this information to provide second factor authentication. We are committed to expanding and improving this process so we can grant access to additional online services in the future.

Offering online services is not only an important part of meeting SSA's goals, but is vital to good public service. In increasing numbers, the public expects to conduct complex business over the Internet. Ensuring that SSA's online services are both secure and user friendly is our priority.

With the limited data we have, it is difficult for SSA to meet the OMB and NIST authentication guidelines for identity proofing the public. Therefore, we awarded a competitively bid contract to an external data service provider, Experian, to help us verify the identity of our online customers. We use this External Data Service (EDS), in addition to our other authentication methods, to help us prove, or verify, the identity of our customers when they are completing online or electronic transactions with us.

Social Security's Authentication Strategy

We remain committed to enhancing our online services using authentication processes that balance usability and security. We will continue to research and develop new authentication tools while monitoring the emerging threats.

The following are key components of our authentication strategy:

• Enrollment and Identity Verification—We collect identifying data and use SSA and EDS records to verify an individual's identity. Individuals have the option of obtaining an enhanced, stronger, User ID by providing certain financial information (e.g., Medicare wages, self-employed earnings, direct deposit amount, or the last eight digits of a credit card number) for verification. We also ask individuals to answer out-of-wallet questions so we can further verify their identities. Individuals who are unable to complete the process online can present identification at a field office to obtain a User ID.
• Establishing the User Profile—The individual self-selects a username and password, both of which can be of variable length and alphanumeric. We provide a password strength indicator to help the individual select a strong password. We also ask the individual to choose challenge questions for use in restoring a lost or forgotten username or password.
• Enhancing the User ID—If an individual opts to enhance or upgrade the User IDs, we mail a one-time-use upgrade code to the individual's verified residential address. When the individual receives the upgrade code in the mail, he or she can enter this code online to enhance the security of the account. At this time, we also ask the individual to enter a cell phone number. We send an initial text message to that number and require the individual to confirm its receipt. We send a text message to that number each time the individual signs in, subsequently.
• Login and Use—Standard authentication provides an individual with a User ID for access to most online applications. Enhanced authentication uses the standard User ID along with a one-time code sent to the individual's cell phone, via text message, to create a more secure session, and to grant access to certain sensitive Social Security services. An individual who forgets the password can reset it automatically without contacting SSA. The enrollment process is a one-time only activity for the respondents. After the respondents enroll and choose their User ID (Username & Password), they have to sign in with their User ID every time they want to access Social Security's secured online services.

SSA requires the individuals to agree to the “Terms of Service” detailed on our Web site before we allow them to begin the enrollment process. The “Terms of Service” inform the individuals what we will and will not do with their personal information and the privacy and security protections we provide on all data we collect. These terms also detail the consequences of misusing this service.

To verify the individual's identity, we ask the individual to give us minimal personal information, which may include:

○ Name;

○ SSN;

○ Date of Birth;

○ Address—mailing and residential;

○ Telephone number;

○ Email address;

○ Financial information;

○ Cell phone number; and

○ Selecting and answering password reset questions.

We send a subset of this information to the EDS, who then generates a series of out-of-wallet questions back to the individual. The individual must answer all or most of the questions correctly before continuing in the process. The exact questions generated are unique to each individual.

This collection of information, or a subset of it, is mandatory for respondents who want to do business with SSA via the Internet. We collect this information via the Internet, on SSA's public-facing Web site. We also offer an in-person identification verification process for individuals who cannot, or are not willing, to register online. For this process, the individual must go to a local SSA field office and provide identifying information. We do not ask for financial information with the in-person process.

We only collect the identity verification information one time, when the individual registers for a credential. We ask for the User ID (username and password) every time an individual signs in to our automated services. If individuals opt for the enhanced or upgraded account, they also receive a text message on their cell phones (this serves as the second factor for authentication) each time they sign in.

The respondents are individuals who choose to use the Internet or Automated Telephone Response System to conduct business with SSA.

Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information collection.