Notice2023-01928
Request for Information on the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 Learning Agenda
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 31, 2023
Issuing agencies
Social Security Administration
Abstract
The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence Act) requires Federal agencies to develop an evidence- building plan, referred to as a Learning Agenda, to identify and address policy questions relevant to agency programs, policies, and regulations. Through this Request for Information (RFI), we seek public input to help us expand our ongoing efforts to update and revise priority questions from our evidence-building activities.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 20 (Tuesday, January 31, 2023)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6355-6357]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-01928]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
[Docket No. SSA-2022-0065]
Request for Information on the Foundations for Evidence-Based
Policymaking Act of 2018 Learning Agenda
AGENCY: Social Security Administration.
ACTION: Request for information.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act of 2018
(Evidence Act) requires Federal agencies to develop an evidence-
building plan, referred to as a Learning Agenda, to identify and
address policy questions relevant to agency programs, policies, and
regulations. Through this Request for Information (RFI), we seek public
input to help us expand our ongoing efforts to update and revise
priority questions from our evidence-building activities.
DATES: To ensure that your comments are considered, we must receive
them no later than March 2, 2023.
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-2022-0065 so
that we may associate your comments with the correct docket.
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.
[[Page 6356]]
1. Internet: We strongly recommend that you submit your comments
via the internet. Please visit the Federal eRulemaking portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. Use the Search function to find docket number
SSA-2022-0065. The system will issue 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 1(833) 410-1631.
3. Mail: Mail your comments to the Office of Regulations and
Reports Clearance, Social Security Administration, 6401 Security
Boulevard, 3rd Floor (East) Altmeyer Building, Baltimore, Maryland
21235-6401.
Comments are available for public viewing on the Federal
eRulemaking portal at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> or in person, during
regular business hours, by arranging with the contact person identified
below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Weathers, Office of Retirement
and Disability Policy, Social Security Administration, 6401 Security
Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401, (410) 615-6965. For
information on eligibility or filing for benefits, call our national
toll-free number, 1-800-325-0778, or visit our internet site, Social
Security Online, at <a href="http://www.socialsecurity.gov">http://www.socialsecurity.gov</a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Evidence Act \1\ requires Federal
agencies to develop an evidence-building plan, referred to as a
Learning Agenda, to identify and address policy questions relevant to
agency programs, policies, and regulations.\2\ As part of the process
of developing a Learning Agenda, the law states that agencies ``shall
consult with stakeholders, including the public, agencies, State and
local governments, and representatives of non-governmental
researchers.'' \3\ We published our Fiscal Years 2022-2026 Learning
Agenda in February 2022.\4\ Our Learning Agenda is intended to be a
flexible document so we can pivot and adjust as needed when new
evidence is generated or as priorities change. We last published an RFI
notice on April 20, 2021,\5\ seeking public input to help us identify
priority questions to guide our evidence-building activities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Public Law 115-435, 132 Stat. 5529.
\2\ 5 U.S.C. 312(a); Office of Mgmt. & Budget, Exec. Office of
the President, OMB M-21-27, Evidence-Based Policymaking: Learning
Agendas and Annual Evaluation Plans (2021), available at <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/M-21-27.pdf">https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/M-21-27.pdf</a>.
\3\ 5 U.S.C. 312(c).
\4\ Social Security Administration, Fiscal Years 2022--2026
Learning Agenda, available at <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/data/data_governance_board/SSA%20FY2022-2026%20Learning%20Agenda%20Final%20032322.pdf">https://www.ssa.gov/data/data_governance_board/SSA%20FY2022-2026%20Learning%20Agenda%20Final%20032322.pdf</a>.
\5\ 86 FR 20585.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Background
For nearly 90 years, we have administered programs and provided
services that make a difference in millions of people's lives. In
fiscal year (FY) 2023, our programs will provide a combined total of
about $1.4 trillion in benefit payments to an average of over 70
million beneficiaries. The major programs we administer--the Old-Age
Survivors and Disability Insurance program and the Supplemental
Security Income program--provide an important source of economic
security for millions of Americans. Our fundamental mission is to
ensure equity and accessibility in delivering Social Security services
by improving the customer experience and addressing systemic barriers
to participation in our programs.
We conduct evidence-building activities that include pilot
projects, demonstration projects, quantitative studies, qualitative
studies, and mixed methods studies that inform important priorities,
such as delivering services effectively, improving the way we conduct
business, updating policies and regulations, and ensuring effective
stewardship. For example, we conducted evidence-building activities
relevant to our Equity Action Plan \6\ in accordance with Executive
Order (E.O.) 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved
Communities Through the Federal Government,\7\ as well as E.O. 14058 on
Transforming Federal Customer Experience and Service Delivery to
Rebuild Trust in Government.\8\ This aligns with our FYs 2022-2026
Agency Strategic Plan,\9\ which includes deepening our understanding of
our customers, including a strategy of what drives their evolving
service preferences.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/open/materials/SSA-E.O.-13985-Equity-Action-Plan.pdf">https://www.ssa.gov/open/materials/SSA-E.O.-13985-Equity-Action-Plan.pdf</a>.
\7\ <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government/</a>.
\8\ <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/12/13/executive-order-on-transforming-federal-customer-experience-and-service-delivery-to-rebuild-trust-in-government/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/12/13/executive-order-on-transforming-federal-customer-experience-and-service-delivery-to-rebuild-trust-in-government/</a>.
\9\ Social Security Administration, FYs 2022-2026 Agency
Strategic Plan, available at <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/agency/asp/materials/pdfs/SSA_Agency_Strategic_Plan_Fiscal_Years_2022-2026.pdf">https://www.ssa.gov/agency/asp/materials/pdfs/SSA_Agency_Strategic_Plan_Fiscal_Years_2022-2026.pdf</a>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We also conducted extramural research, demonstration projects, and
outreach under sections 234, 1110, 1115, and 1144 of the Social
Security Act (Act).\10\ Sections 234, 1110, and 1115 of the Act provide
the waiver authority we need to conduct extramural research and
demonstration projects, while section 1144 of the Act addresses
outreach activities to inform and assist Medicare beneficiaries with
low income who may be eligible for Medicare cost sharing or subsidized
prescription drug coverage. We currently fund a range of projects
designed to:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ 42 U.S.C. 434, 1310, 1315, and 1320b-14, respectively.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
<bullet> Help us keep pace with advancements in medicine and
technology;
<bullet> Modernize our vocational rules;
<bullet> Test work support models;
<bullet> Analyze program trends, gaps, and inconsistencies; and
<bullet> Measure the public's understanding of our programs, as
well as the impact of program changes.
Request for Information
Through this RFI, we are asking interested persons, including
stakeholders across public and private sectors who may be familiar with
or interested in the work of our agency, for input on evidence-building
activities that inform important priorities for our agency, including
those that are also related to the President's broader priorities
available at: <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/priorities/">https://www.whitehouse.gov/priorities/</a>. We also seek
input on future projects that will advance our mission.
We invite suggestions in various forms--as key questions to be
answered, hypotheses to be tested, or problems to be investigated--that
are focused on any area of our mission, including service delivery,
operations, programs, policies, regulations, communication, and
stewardship. The responses to this RFI that interested persons submit
to us will inform our ongoing updates and revisions to priorities that
guide evidence-building activities. We will analyze information
collected from this RFI to inform the development of our Learning
Agenda. This RFI is for information and planning purposes only and
should not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on our
part. We will not respond to comments we receive in response to this
RFI, but will use the input to develop our Learning Agenda.
The Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration,
Kilolo Kijakazi, Ph.D., M.S.W., having reviewed and approved this
document, is delegating the authority to
[[Page 6357]]
electronically sign this document to Faye I. Lipsky, who is the primary
Federal Register Liaison for SSA, for purposes of publication in the
Federal Register.
Faye I. Lipsky,
Federal Register Liaison, Office of Legislation and Congressional
Affairs, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2023-01928 Filed 1-30-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P
</pre></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on January 31, 2023.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.