Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request

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

April 9, 2024

Issuing agencies

Social Security Administration

Full Text

<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 69 (Tuesday, April 9, 2024)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24886-24889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-07449]

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

[Docket No: SSA-2024-0010]

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed 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 renewals and revisions of OMB-approved information
collections, and one new collection for OMB-approval.
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
(SSA), Social Security Administration, OLCA, Attn: Reports Clearance
Director, Mail Stop 3253 Altmeyer, 6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD
21235, Fax: 833-410-1631, Email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1a554834487f6a75686e693459767f7b687b74797f5a267b3a72687f7c27" http: ssa.gov">ssa.gov</a>">OR.Reports.Clearance@<a href="http://ssa.gov">ssa.gov</a></a>

Or you may submit your comments online through <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain</a> by clicking on Currently under
Review--Open for Public Comments and choosing to click on one of SSA's
published items. Please reference Docket ID Number [SSA-2024-0010] in
your submitted response.
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 June
10, 2024. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection instruments
by writing to the above email address.
1. Supportive Housing & Individual Placement and Support (SHIPS)
Study--0960-NEW.
Background:
Homelessness and unemployment are linked issues, with rising
housing costs often leaving people unable to afford homes when combined
with unemployment. The instability of housing makes finding employment
even more challenging, creating a difficult cycle to break. While
studies have shown that supportive housing programs improve housing
stability, there is no significant evidence that such programs reliably
increase employment among residents. Conversely, Individual Placement
and Support (IPS), a proven method for supporting employment, has not
demonstrated effectiveness in stabilizing housing. For the purposes of
this study, we define supportive housing as housing services coupled
with additional services that include case management support. These
include: place-based permanent supportive housing, scattered site
permanent supportive housing, and rapid rehousing.
SSA is requesting clearance to collect data for the Supportive
Housing and Individual Placement and Support (SHIPS) study, under the
Interventional Cooperative Agreement Program (ICAP), to determine
whether participation in Individual Placement and Support (IPS)
improves the employment, income, health, and self-sufficiency of people
who are recently homeless and living in supportive housing. ICAP allows
SSA to partner with various non-federal groups and organizations to
advance interventional research connected to the Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs.
SSA awarded Westat a cooperative agreement to conduct SHIPS. In
addition to SSA, Westat is partnering with three subrecipients for this
project: (1) People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), (2) the University
of Southern California (U.S.C.), and (3) the Research Foundation for
Mental Hygiene (RFMH) to implement the SHIPS study.

ICAP SHIPS Study Project Description

The SHIPS study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) designed to
determine whether participation in Individual Placement and Support
(IPS) improves the employment, income, health, and self-sufficiency of
people who are recently homeless and living in supportive housing. The
SHIPS study will mark the first study testing the effectiveness of
implementing IPS in a supportive housing program. SSA hypothesizes that
combining the two most successful evidence-based practices that
separately address homelessness and supported employment will yield a
single intervention that effectively addresses both. The intent of the
SHIPS study is to measure the effectiveness of evidence based IPS
compared to the services provided by local WorkSource Centers broadly
available to job seekers in the Los Angeles area, The housing case
managers will refer PATH clients interested in finding employment and
will randomly assign participants to one of two groups:
(a) IPS: The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) service team
will offer a range of structured services customized to participants'
personal needs, preferences, and challenges related to

[[Page 24887]]

disabilities and/or mental health conditions. The New Hampshire-
Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center specifically designed the IPS as
a supported employment model for individuals with serious mental
illness and includes standardized training and fidelity requirements.
Components of IPS that differ from those offered by WorkSource Services
include integrated treatment that incorporates vocational and mental
health services; benefits planning; and focus on rapid job search
without extensive training.
(b) WorkSource Centers: Under PATH's current housing model, housing
case managers refer PATH clients who express interest in finding
employment to local American Job Centers, known as WorkSource Centers
in Los Angeles. The City of Los Angeles Economic and Workforce
Development Department, operates the WorkSource Center, and follow an
employment services model that varies by WorkSource Center; is not
evidence-based or subject to fidelity monitoring; and is not
necessarily responsive to the individual needs of jobseekers with
disabilities.
The primary goals of the SHIPS study are:
<bullet> To measure the effects of IPS participation on employment,
income, health, and long-term self-sufficiency measured as a
combination of housing stability, income, and receipt of DI and SSI
benefits.
<bullet> To describe the study population in order to understand
both the general applicability of the study's findings and the
potential reasons for the observed effects.
<bullet> To explore the IPS implementation process in supportive
housing and identify the factors that make it successful or challenging
to maintain high-quality implementation in the supportive housing
context.
Grantee researchers and SSA will use the information collected
during this study to: (1) assess the short-term and long-term
effectiveness of the proposed intervention to improve employment,
income, and self-sufficiency; (2) understand the implementation process
and (3) provide detailed subgroup-specific data related to the effect
of IPS.
The respondents are unemployed residents living in PATH-operated
supportive housing units who are looking for employment.
Type of Request: Request for a new information collection.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average wait Total
Average Estimated Average time in office annual
Number of Frequency Number of burden per total theoretical or for opportunity
Modality of completion respondents of response responses response annual hourly cost teleservice cost
(minutes) burden amount centers (dollars)
(hours) (dollars) * (minutes) ** ***
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Study enrollees: baseline interview....... 200 1 200 60 200 * $13.30 ** 24 *** $3,724
Study enrollees: quarterly interviews..... 200 7 1,400 10 233 * 13.30 ** 21 *** 4,030
Study enrollees: final interview.......... 200 1 200 60 200 * 13.30 ** 21 *** 3,724
PATH Interviews: Staff.................... 5 1 5 60 5 * 32.05 ** 24 *** 224
SHIPS Interviews: enrollees............... 5 1 5 60 5 * 13.30 ** 24 *** 93
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals................................ 610 ........... ........... 250 643 .............. .............. *** 11,795
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We based this figure on the average DI payments based on SSA's current FY 2024 data (2024FactSheet.pdf (<a href="http://ssa.gov">ssa.gov</a>)), and survey researchers (<a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes193022.htm">https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes193022.htm</a>).
** We based this figure on averaging both the average FY 2024 wait times for field offices and teleservice centers, 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. Certification by Religious Group--20 CFR 404.1075--0960-0093.
SSA is responsible for determining whether religious groups meet the
qualifications exempting certain members and sects from payment of
Self-Employment Contribution Act taxes under the Internal Revenue Code,
Section 1402(g). SSA sends Form SSA-1458, Certification by Religious
Group, to a group's authorized spokesperson to complete and verify
organizational members meet or continue to meet the criteria for
exemption. The respondents are spokespersons for religious groups or
sects.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
Average burden Estimated total theoretical Total annual
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of per response annual burden hourly cost opportunity
respondents response (minutes) (hours) amount cost (dollars)
(dollars) * **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-1458.......................................... 142 1 15 35 * $31.48 ** $1,102
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We based this figure on average U.S. worker's hourly wages, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (<a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm">https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm</a>).
** 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.

3. Development of Participation in a Vocational Rehabilitation or
Similar Program--20 CFR 404.316(c), 404.337(c), 404.352(d),
404.1586(g), 404.1596, 404.1597(a), 404.327, 404.328, 416.1321(d),
416.1331(a)-(b), and 416.1338, 416.1402--0960-0282. State Disability
Determination Services (DDS) determine if Social Security disability
payment recipients whose disability ceased and who participate in
vocational rehabilitation programs may continue to receive disability
payments. To do this, DDSs needs information about the recipients, the
types of program participation, and the services they receive under the
rehabilitation program. SSA uses Form SSA-4290 to collect this
information. The respondents are State employment networks, vocational
rehabilitation agencies, or other providers of educational or job
training services.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.

[[Page 24888]]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average Average wait
Average burden Estimated theoretical time in field Total annual
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of per response total annual hourly cost office phone opportunity
respondents response (minutes) burden (hours) amount call (minutes) cost (dollars)
(dollars) * ** ***
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-4290-F5 (By mail)................... 2,400 1 40 1,600 * $21.27 .............. *** $34,032
SSA-4290-F5 (Telephone)................. 600 1 30 300 * 21.27 ** 19 *** 10,422
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.............................. 3,000 .............. .............. 1,900 .............. .............. *** 44,454
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We based this figure on average Social and Human Service Assistant's hourly salary, as reported by Social and Human Service Assistants (<a href="http://bls.gov">bls.gov</a>).
** We based this figure on the average FY 2024 wait times for field offices phone calls, 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.

4. Filing Claims Under the Federal Tort Claims Act--20 CFR 429.101-
429.110--0960-0667. The Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) is the mechanism
for compensating people who Federal employees injured through negligent
or wrongful acts that occurred during the performance of those
employees' official duties. SSA accepts claims filed under the FTCA for
damages against the United States; loss of property; personal injury;
or death resulting from an SSA employee's wrongful act or omission. The
various types of claims included under this information collection
request require claimants to provide information SSA can use to
determine whether to make an award, compromise, or settlement under the
FTCA. The respondents are individuals or entities making a claim under
the FTCA.
Type of Request: Renewal of an OMB-approved information collection.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
Average burden Estimated theoretical Total annual
Regulation citations Number of Frequency of per response total annual hourly cost opportunity
respondents response (minutes) burden (hours) amount cost (dollars)
(dollars) ** ***
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
429.102; 429.103 *...................................... 1 1 1 \0\ ** $31.48 *** $0
429.104(a).............................................. 8 1 60 8 ** 31.48 *** 252
429.104(b).............................................. 30 1 60 30 ** 31.48 *** 944
429.104(c).............................................. 1 1 60 1 ** 31.48 *** 32
429.106(b).............................................. 1 1 60 1 ** 31.48 *** 32
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.............................................. 41 .............. .............. 40 .............. *** 1,260
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We are including a one-hour placeholder burden for 20 CFR 429.102 and 429.103, as respondents complete OMB-approved Form SF-95, OMB No. 1105-0008.
Since the burden for these citations is covered under a separate OMB number, we are not double-counting the burden here.
** We based this figure on the average U.S. citizen's hourly salary, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (<a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm">https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm</a>).
*** 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.

5. Internet and Telephone Appointment Applications--20 CFR 404.620-
404.630, 416.330-416.340--0960-0822. SSA offers both internet and
Telephone appointment options for applicants or recipients who wish to
request an appointment when they are unable to complete one of SSA's
online or automated telephone applications because they failed the
initial verification checks, or who state their reading language
preference is other than English.
<bullet> iAppointment: iAppointment is an online process that
allows members of the public an easy-to-use method to schedule an
appointment with the servicing office of their choice. Since the
application date can affect when a claimant's benefit begins,
iAppointment establishes a protective filing date and provides
respondents information related to the date by which they must file
their actual application. The iAppointment application propagates
information the applicant already entered onto any of SSA's internet
applications for SSN, name, date of birth, and gender. However,
applicants must provide minimal additional information: mailing
address; telephone number; language preference; type of appointment
(Disability, Retirement, Medicare); and whether they prefer a telephone
interview or in-office appointment. iAppointment is a customer-centric
application. If the available appointment times do not meet the
customer's needs, iAppointment allows them to enter a different zip
code to identify another field office, which may offer different
appointment times. At this time, SSA only allows domestic first party
applicants to use iAppointment. If users indicate they are filing as
third parties, iAppointment provides a message directing them to call
the National 800 Number for assistance. If a foreign first party user
is unable to complete iClaim, iAppointment directs them to contact a
Social Security representative, and provides a link to SSA's Service
Around the World website.
<bullet> Enhanced Leads and Appointment System (eLAS)--eLAS is an
Intranet-based version of the iAppointment screens for use by SSA
technicians both in the field offices and call centers. eLAS interacts
with iAppointment directly to ensure we always record the same
information whether an individual requests an appointment through our
internet screens, or via telephone. eLAS is a non-public facing system
that allows SSA employees in the field offices, workload support units,
and teleservice centers to use a telephone interview process to
schedule appointments and document an individual's intent to file using
a specific script and asking the same questions to each individual. We
use eLAS with individuals who use our automated telephone system, or
who prefer not to use iAppointment to set up their appointment.
The respondents are individuals who are unable to use our internet
or automated telephone systems because they failed the initial
verification checks, or because they state their reading language
preference is other than English.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.

[[Page 24889]]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
Average combined wait
Average burden Estimated theoretical time in field Total annual
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of per response total annual hourly cost office or for opportunity cost
respondents response (minutes) burden (hours) amount teleservice (dollars) ***
(dollars) * center
(minutes) **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
iAppointment......................... 20,965 1 10 3,494 * $31.48 .............. *** $109,991
eLAS................................. 7,270,161 1 10 1,211,694 * 31.48 ** 21 **** 118,246,750
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals........................... 7,291,126 .............. .............. 1,215,188 .............. .............. *** 118,356,741
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We based these figures on average U.S. worker's hourly wages (based on BLS.gov data, (<a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm">https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm</a>).
** We based this figure on the combined average FY 2024 wait times for field offices (approximately 24 minutes per respondent) and teleservice centers
(approximately 17 minutes per respondent), 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 3, 2024.
Naomi Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-07449 Filed 4-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P

</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>

View on FederalRegister.gov →Plain-text source

Indexed from Federal Register on April 9, 2024.

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.