Notice2025-06773
Agency Information Collection Activities: New Emergency 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 18, 2025
Issuing agencies
Social Security Administration
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 74 (Friday, April 18, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 74 (Friday, April 18, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16583-16584]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-06773]
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SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
[Docket No: SSA-2025-0014]
Agency Information Collection Activities: New Emergency 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 a new, emergency information collection.
SSA is asking OMB for approval of this information collection nine
days after the date of publication of this Federal Register Notice,
independent of public comment, due to its emergency nature. However, we
still welcome comment 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. We will consider any comments
when we ultimately extend this information collection beyond the
standard six-month emergency approval. 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.
(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#632c314d3106130c1117104d200f060211020d0006231010024d040c15"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="743b265a2611041b0600075a3718111506151a1711340707155a131b02">[email protected]</span></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-2025-0014] in
your submitted response.
SSA is submitting the information collection below to OMB for
clearance. If you wish to submit comments, we recommend you do so no
later than May 9, 2025. However, please be aware that due to the
emergency nature of this collection, SSA will be seeking OMB clearance
in advance of this date. Individuals may obtain copies of this OMB
clearance package by writing to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#91dec3bfc3f4e1fee3e5e2bfd2fdf4f0e3f0fff2f4d1e2e2f0bff6fee7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a1eef38ff3c4d1ced3d5d28fe2cdc4c0d3c0cfc2c4e1d2d2c08fc6ced7">[email protected]</span></a>.
mySocial Security--Security Authentication PIN--20 CFR 401.45--
0960-NEW.
To mitigate fraud concerns, in April 2025, SSA will increase the
level of identity proofing needed for customers to make payment method
changes during phone interactions. While necessary to protect the
public and the integrity of SSA's programs, this limits the
accessibility of the phone as a service channel for claims filed over
the phone that will require identity proofing, such as post-
entitlement/post-eligibility direct deposit changes, and certain claims
which SSA flags as anomalous. To bridge this gap, SSA developed a
hybrid identity proofing process called the Security Authentication PIN
(SAP) that will provide identity-proofing parity with our online
modality, as well as in-person verification. Utilizing the SAP process
will provide the necessary identity verification to allow payment
method changes to these flagged claims and existing records via phone
or in person, while ensuring fraud protection through verification of
the identity of the individual prior to accessing or revising their
account.
Background
Our current telephone process requires respondents to use
knowledge-based questions to verify their identity matching SSA's
records. Depending upon the situation, the requested information or
action, and the judgement of potential misrepresentation of the caller,
the SSA technician may ask additional approved questions to verify the
customer's identity. While this process is sufficient fraud protection
and authentication under current NIST specifications for access to non-
sensitive information, it still poses a fraud risk for respondents who
wish to complete tasks for which our automated telephone system, or
internet platforms would request higher levels of identity proofing and
authentication.
Description of New Emergency Information Collection Tool for the
Security Authentication PIN (SAP)
SSA is implementing the new hybrid Security Authentication PIN
(SAP) to digitally verify the identity of a telephone or in person
customer when requesting changes to their account or record. This
supports the agency's changes to its identity proofing policy for new
initial claims taken over the
[[Page 16584]]
phone or filed online and flagged as anomalous and for post-
entitlement/post-eligibility actions for direct deposit enrollments,
updates or cancellations.
To ease the burden on customers, SSA created a vanity URL that will
navigate customers directly to the Security Settings page within their
online mySocial Security account, allowing them to quickly and easily
generate the SAP after accessing their account. This feature will
reduce the burden on the customer to navigate within their online
account to the Security Settings pages where they may generate the SAP.
The code generates immediately once the customer selects the ``Generate
PIN'' button.
For respondents who call for new initial claims taken over the
phone or filed online and flagged as anomalous, as well as for post-
entitlement/post-eligibility actions, or for direct deposit
enrollments, updates or cancellations, the technician will first
require the respondent to provide his or her Social Security Number
(SSN). The technician will then look up the SSN to see if the caller
has an associated mySocial Security account. If the technician finds an
associated account in the system for that SSN, the technician will
provide a direct vanity link to the caller which will require the
caller to log into their mySocial Security account to generate a SAP
through the provided link. The technician will then ask the respondent
to verbally recount the SAP. If the SAP matches in the system, the
technician will then continue with the call and help the respondent
with completing the claim, updating bank information, or changing other
pertinent payment method requests. If, however, the technician does not
find an associated mySocial Security account in the system, the
technician will instruct the customer to create an account and call
back once they have completed that task. Once the caller has a mySocial
Security account, they will be able to generate the SAP and continue
with the call.
Need for Information Collection; Collection Methodology; How
Information Will Be Used
To allow for continued security for respondent's personal
information, and to ensure SSA is able to accurately verify the
callers' identities prior to accessing any SSA number holders'
sensitive information, we are implementing this hybrid SAP process for
telephone access to the direct deposit services. In this way, we
continue to offer maximum flexibility and options to the public while
ensuring the security of the public's social security number and
benefits payments. We expect this new identity proofing will be a
powerful fraud prevention tool.
Alternatives to Completing the Information Collection
Members of the public who are unable or unwilling to utilize the
SAP process will still have the option of visiting their local field
office to verify their identity in person.
Need for Emergency Paperwork Reduction Act Approval
To allow for continued security for respondent's personal
information, and to ensure SSA is able to accurately verify the
callers' identities prior to accessing any SSA number holders'
sensitive information, we are implementing this hybrid SAP process for
telephone access to the direct deposit services. In this way, we
continue to offer maximum flexibility and options to the public while
ensuring the security of the public's social security number and
benefits payments. We expect this new identity proofing will be a
powerful fraud prevention tool. The respondents are individuals who
wish to do business with SSA over the telephone or in person for the
purposes of post-entitlement/post-eligibility actions for direct
deposit enrollments, updates or cancellations, or to discuss flagged
initial claims for all Title II non-disability benefits (Retirement,
Survivors, Auxiliary Spouses, Lump Sum Death Payments (LSDP), and
Children benefits applications).
Type of Request: New (emergency) information collection.
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Estimated Average Average combined
Average burden total theoretical wait time for Total annual
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of per response annual hourly cost teleservice center opportunity cost
respondents response (minutes) burden amount or field office (dollars) ***
(hours) (dollars) * (minutes) **
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Member of public requesting 3,874,000 1 + 8 516,533 * $32.66 22 *** $63,262,420
assistance via SAP Process.......
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+ Note: This figure does not include the knowledge-based questions; however, we will use this figure in place of the knowledge-based question figure
currently listed under OMB No. 0960-0789 for telephone respondents.
* We based this figure on the average U.S. worker's hourly wages, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (Occupational Employment and Wage
Statistics).
** We based this figure on the average FY 2025 combined wait times for teleservice centers and 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 online tool; rather,
these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the tool.
There is no actual charge to respondents to complete the online
tool.
Dated: April 16, 2025.
Tasha Harley,
Acting Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2025-06773 Filed 4-16-25; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P
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