[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 24 (Friday, February 5, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5850-5851]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-2738]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and
Comment Request
In compliance with PL. 104-13, the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,
SSA is providing notice of its information collection packages 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 these 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 the notices.
1. Application for Benefits Under a U.S. International Social
Security Agreement--0960-0448. The information collected on form SSA-
2490 is used by the Social Security Administration to determine a
claimant's eligibility for U.S. Social Security benefits under the
provisions of an international social security agreement. It is also
used to take an application for benefits from a foreign country under
an agreement. The respondents are individuals who are applying for
benefits from either the United States and/or a foreign country with
which the United States has an agreement. The United States currently
has 17 such agreements.
Number of Respondents: 20,000.
Frequency of response: 1.
Average Burden per response: 30 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 10,000 hours.
2. 0960-NEW. Public Law 105-277 authorizes SSA to conduct a
Medicare buy-in demonstration project to evaluate means to promote the
Medicare buy-in programs targeted to elderly and disabled individuals
under titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act. A lack of
awareness about the Medicare buy-in programs appears to be one of the
major obstacles to enrollments. Other obstacles to enrollment include
the confusion of potential eligibles as to how to apply for these
programs and a preference for dealing with SSA field offices rather
than with local Medicaid offices.
SSA will screen respondents voluntarily for potential Medicare Part
B buy-in eligibility using a screening guide developed for this
purpose. The screening guide will collect information from SSA
beneficiaries regarding income, resources, marital status and living
arrangements and also ask questions about their awareness of Medicare
Part B buy-in programs. SSA will gather this information to identify
and overcome obstacles to Medicare Part B buy-in enrollments and to
screen for potential eligibility for Medicare Part B benefits. The
demonstration project ends on December 31, 1999.
Number of Respondents: 130,000.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: 20 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 43,334 hours.
II. The information collections listed below have been submitted to
OMB for clearance. Written comments and recommendations on these
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 after these notices.
1. Authorization to Obtain Earnings Data from the Social Security
Administration--0960-NEW. SSA collects this information when a wage
earner or a third party requests detailed earnings information
pertaining to the wage earner from the Social Security Administration.
The information provided on form SSA-581 is used by SSA to verify the
authorization to access earnings record data and to produce an itemized
statement for release to the third party named on the form. The
information is provided by the wage earner and/or the third party.
Number of Respondents: 60,000.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: 2 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 2,000 hours.
2. Organization Profile--0960-NEW. The Social Security
Administration (SSA) will use the information collected on the
Organization Profile questionnaire to create a database of third party
stakeholders. This database will support the delivery of information
about Social Security programs to these interested parties, and enable
SSA to target relevant information to those organizations while
restricting unwanted material. The respondents are community
organizations, State and
[[Page 5851]]
local government agencies, advocacy groups and community service
organizations.
Number of Respondents: 10,000.
Frequency of Response: 1.
Average Burden Per Response: 7 minutes.
Estimated Annual Burden: 1,167 hours.
You can obtain a copy of the collection instruments or the OMB
clearance packages by calling the SSA Reports Clearance Officer on
(410) 965-4145 or by writing to him at the address below.
(SSA)
Social Security Administration, DCFAM, Attn: Frederick W. Brickenkamp,
6401 Security Blvd., 1-A-21 Operations Bldg., Baltimore, MD 21235
(OMB)
Attn: Lori Schack, New Executive Office Building, Room 10230, 725 17th
St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20503
Dated: February 1, 1999.
Frederick W. Brickenkamp,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 99-2738 Filed 2-4-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4190-29-P
