2021-07266. 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, Comments: https://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. Submit your comments online referencing Docket ID Number [SSA-2021-0009].

(SSA), Social Security Administration, OLCA, Attn: Reports Clearance Director, 3100 West High Rise, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235, Fax: [phone], Email address: [e-mail], Or you may submit your comments online through https://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain,, referencing Docket ID Number [SSA-2021-0009].

I. The information collection below is pending at SSA. SSA will submit it 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 June 8, 2021. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection instrument by writing to the above email address.

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 Social Security number (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 method for employers to verify employee information via the internet. The respondents are employers who need to verify SSN data using SSA's records.

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

Modality of completion	Number of respondents	Frequency of response	Number of responses	Average burden per response (minutes)	Estimated total annual burden (hours)	Average theoretical hourly cost amount (dollars) *	Total annual opportunity cost (dollars) **
SSNVS	44,891	60	2,693,460	5	224,455	* $38.23	** $8,580,915
* We based this figure on the average hourly wage for Accountants and Auditors, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/​oes/​current/​oes132011.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.

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 May 10, 2021. Individuals can obtain copies of these OMB clearance packages by writing to [e-mail].

1. Statement of Living Arrangements, In-Kind Support, and Maintenance—20 CFR 416.1130-416.1148—0960-0174. SSA determines Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payment amounts based on applicants' and recipients' needs. We measure individuals' needs, in part, by the amount of income they receive, including in-kind support and maintenance in the form of food and shelter provided by other persons. SSA uses Form SSA-8006-F4 to determine if in-kind support and maintenance exists for SSI applicants and recipients. This information also assists SSA in determining the income value of in-kind support and maintenance SSI applicants and recipients receive. The respondents are individuals who apply for SSI payments, or who complete an SSI eligibility redetermination.

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

Modality of completion	Number of respondents	Frequency of response	Average burden per response (minutes)	Estimated total annual burden (hours)	Average theoretical hourly cost amount (dollars) *	Average wait time in field office (minutes) **	Total annual opportunity cost (dollars) ***
Intranet version (SSI Claims System)	109,436	1	7	12,768	* $10.95		*** $139,810
Paper version	12,160	1	7	1,419	* 10.95	** 24	*** 68,799
Totals	121,596			14,187			*** 208,609
* We based this figure on average DI payments based on SSA's current FY 2021 data (https://www.ssa.gov/​legislation/​2021FactSheet.pdf).
** We based this figure on the average FY 2020 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.

2. Modified Benefit Formula Questionnaire—Foreign Pension—0960-0561. SSA applies the Windfall Elimination Provision, a modified benefit formula used to compute U.S. Social Security benefits for people entitled to both a pension or annuity based on employment after 1956 not covered by U.S. Social Security (that is, a `non-covered pension) and a U.S. Social Security retirement or disability insurance benefit. A non-covered pension is a pension paid by an employer that does not withhold Social Security taxes from the employee's salaries; these are typically state and local governments or foreign country employers. SSA uses the information collected on Form SSA-308 to determine exactly how much (if any) of a foreign pension we may use to reduce the amount of Title II Social Security retirement or disability benefits under the modified benefit formula. Respondents complete Form SSA-308 during the initial claims process if they indicate they will receive a foreign pension. A claimant who later receives a foreign pension must notify SSA and complete the SSA-308 again. The respondents are applicants for Title II Social Security, or disability benefits who are first eligible for a foreign pension after 1985, and who are entitled, or will be entitled, to a foreign pension based on an application filed with the appropriate foreign agency or employer.

This is a correction notice: SSA published the incorrect burden information for this collection at 86 FR 7447, on 1/28/21. We are providing the correct burden here.

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

Modality of completion	Number of respondents	Frequency of response	Average burden per response (minutes)	Estimated total annual burden (hours)	Average theoretical hourly cost amount (dollars) *	Average wait time in field office (minutes) **	Total annual opportunity cost (dollars) ***
SSA-308	2,465	1	10	411	* $10.95	** 24	*** $15,297
* We based this figure on average DI payments based on SSA's current FY 2021 data (https://www.ssa.gov/​legislation/​2021FactSheet.pdf).
** We based this figure on the average FY 2020 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: April 5, 2021.

Eric Lowman,

Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Office of Legislative Development and Operations, Social Security Administration.