Notice2024-10279
Request for Information: Social Security Administration's Plan for Increasing Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research
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
May 13, 2024
Issuing agencies
Social Security Administration
Abstract
The Social Security Administration (SSA) requests public comment about how to implement our Plan for Increasing Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research (public access plan). Our public access plan provides general guidelines supporting public access to our scientific research publications and scientific research data. We are seeking public input to inform our development of specific policies and guidelines that will apply to all new research grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and other awards made on or after December 31, 2025. The policies and guidelines will also apply to all scientific research by our employees published on or after December 31, 2025.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 93 (Monday, May 13, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 93 (Monday, May 13, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41480-41481]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10279]
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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
[Docket No. SSA-2023-0039]
Request for Information: Social Security Administration's Plan
for Increasing Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded
Scientific Research
AGENCY: Social Security Administration.
ACTION: Request for information.
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SUMMARY: The Social Security Administration (SSA) requests public
comment about how to implement our Plan for Increasing Public Access to
the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research (public access
plan). Our public access plan provides general guidelines supporting
public access to our scientific research publications and scientific
research data. We are seeking public input to inform our development of
specific policies and guidelines that will apply to all new research
grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and other awards made on or
after December 31, 2025. The policies and guidelines will also apply to
all scientific research by our employees published on or after December
31, 2025.
DATES: To ensure that your comments are considered, we must receive
them no later than June 12, 2024.
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-2023-0039 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. Do not include in
your comments any personal information, such as Social Security numbers
or medical information.
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">www.regulations.gov</a>. Use the ``Search'' function to find docket number
SSA-2023-0039. 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 Legislation and
Congressional Affairs, Regulations and Reports Clearance Staff, Social
Security Administration, Mail Stop 3253 Altmeyer, 6401 Security
Boulevard, 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: Ted Horan, Office of Research,
Evaluation and Statistics, Social Security Administration (SSA), 6401
Security Boulevard, Baltimore, Maryland 21235-6401, (410) 966-2788.
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.ssa.gov">www.ssa.gov</a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
Under the Social Security Act, we administer Old-Age and Survivors
Insurance (OASI), which provides retirement and survivors benefits to
qualified workers and their family members. Under Disability Insurance
(DI), we provide benefits for workers who become disabled and their
families, and provide financial support to aged, blind, and disabled
adults and children who have limited income and resources under
Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Our research budget funds
scientific research, such as data development and dissemination,
modeling efforts, administrative research, and retirement and
disability policy research to better serve the public. We fund a range
of extramural projects to better serve the public, including:
disability and retirement policy research, demonstration projects to
test ways to promote greater labor force participation among people
with disabilities, evaluations of proposed or newly enacted legislative
changes, and projects to maintain and improve basic data about our
programs and beneficiaries. In addition to funding extramural projects,
we employ statisticians, economists, and other research staff who
conduct intramural research projects that are published in scholarly
outlets such as scientific and professional journals.
In 2013, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
(OSTP) issued a memorandum \1\ requiring certain agencies to develop
plans that support increased public access to federally funded research
results; and in 2022, OSTP issued a second memorandum \2\ expanding the
requirement to other agencies including SSA. In compliance with the
memoranda, we published our public access plan available at <a href="https://www.science.gov/Public-Access-Plans-Guidance.html">https://www.science.gov/Public-Access-Plans-Guidance.html</a> and at <a href="http://www.ssa.gov/open">www.ssa.gov/open</a>.
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\1\ See 2013 Memo, <a href="https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/ostp_public_access_memo_2013.pdf">https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/ostp_public_access_memo_2013.pdf</a>.
\2\ See 2022 Memo, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/08-2022-OSTP-Public-Access-Memo.pdf">https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/08-2022-OSTP-Public-Access-Memo.pdf</a>.
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II. Request for Information
Through this Request for Information, we are asking interested
persons and groups, including stakeholders across public and private
sectors who may be familiar with or interested in the research work of
our agency, for comments about how to implement our public access plan
as we develop specific policies, requirements, and guidance for
research we fund.
This Request for Information 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 the comments we receive
in response to this Request for Information, but we will use the
comments to inform our development of specific public access policies
and requirements for future research.
Public access to scientific research is subject to compliance with
applicable Federal laws, regulations, and directives, including those
intended to prevent disclosure of personally identifiable information
and other restricted data.
Our public access plan summarizes our current extramural and
intramural research; however, we are not requesting comments about our
current research projects, ideas for future research, or unsolicited
requests to conduct research or receive awards for research. For more
information about opportunities to conduct research for the Social
Security Administration, go to: <a href="http://www.ssa.gov/policy/about/research-funding.html">www.ssa.gov/policy/about/research-funding.html</a> or <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/disabilityresearch/funding.htm">https://www.ssa.gov/disabilityresearch/funding.htm</a>.
III. Discussion of Questions
We welcome comments about how we should implement our Plan for
Increasing Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific
Research at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, by searching for this docket (SSA-
2023-0039). Our public access plan explains how we will provide the
public with free access to our scientific research publications and
publicly releasable scientific research
[[Page 41481]]
data. Our public access plan summarizes our research programs, what
research will be publicly accessible, proposed requirements, and
actions we are taking to implement the plan. We appreciate public
comments on the following questions.
1. Scope and Applicability--Our public access plan defines the
scope of what research will be publicly accessible, including
limitations to protect privacy of personally identifiable information.
As we implement our public access plan, is there additional public
access we should consider?
2. Digital Repositories--We will require that federally funded
scientific research results are publicly accessible for free, including
final scientific research reports, peer-reviewed scholarly
publications, and the underlying scientific research data used to
produce reports and publications, to the extent permitted by applicable
law. We will require that final research publications are permitted to
be available in an SSA-designated repository that we will select in
2024. Underlying scientific research data must be deposited in a
repository and in a form that meets SSA's requirements. What types of
digital repositories do researchers prefer for providing public access
to research data? What should SSA consider as we develop requirements
for which data repositories researchers may use?
3. Costs--For the expenses that researchers incur for providing
public access, we may allow reasonable costs as part of a contract,
grant, cooperative agreement, or other research award. What information
is available to help us estimate the costs associated with providing
public access to scientific research publications and data? How can we
minimize those costs to maximize the funds available for research
awards?
4. SSA Research Information and Training--Our public access plan
provides information about our existing website where we describe our
research programs. We will consider providing a new web page as a
single point of access for information about our research programs,
including how to find publicly accessible research publications and
data. What information, guidance, or training about public access could
we provide to help researchers and their institutions, beginning with
applying for a research opportunity through the time of final
publication?
5. Equitable Research--How can we ensure equity in research
opportunities and access as we implement public access requirements,
and what challenges might certain institutions face with public access,
including costs and publishing opportunities?
The Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, Martin
O'Malley, having reviewed and approved this document, is delegating the
authority to 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. 2024-10279 Filed 5-10-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P
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