Notice2026-21797
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
October 26, 2026
Issuing agencies
Social Security Administration
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 205 (Monday, October 26, 2026)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 205 (Monday, October 26, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67378-67380]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-21797]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
[Docket No: SSA-2026-1222]
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 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.
(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#5d120f730f382d322f292e731e31383c2f3c333e381d2e2e3c733a322b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4e011c601c2b3e213c3a3d600d222b2f3c2f202d2b0e3d3d2f60292138">[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-2026-1222] in
your submitted response.
The information collections below are pending at SSA. SSA will
submit them
[[Page 67379]]
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 December 28,
2026. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection instruments by
writing to the above email address.
1. Response to Notice of Revised Determination--20 CFR 404.913-
404.914, 404.992(b), 416.1413-416.1414, and 416.1492(d)--0960-0347. In
certain circumstances, SSA may reopen and revise a final determination.
When a determination that an individual is disabled is revised based on
medical factors, advance notice of the revised determination is given.
In response to this notice, the affected individuals may: (1) request a
disability hearing to contest SSA's decision; and (2) submit additional
information or evidence for SSA to consider. Affected individuals and
their representatives use Form SSA-765 to accomplish these two actions.
If respondents request the first option, SSA's Disability Hearings Unit
uses the form to schedule a hearing; ensure an interpreter is present,
if required; and ensure the disability recipients or claimants, and
their representatives, receive a notice about the place and time of the
hearing. If respondents choose the second option, SSA uses Form SSA-765
and other evidence to reevaluate the individual's case, and to
determine if the new information or evidence will change SSA's proposed
revision. The respondents are current disability recipients or their
representatives.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
Average burden Estimated theoretical Average wait Total annual
Method of completion Number of Frequency of per response total annual hourly cost time in field opportunity
respondents response (minutes) burden (hours) amount office cost (dollars)
(dollars) * (minutes) ** ***
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-765 (paper form).................... 136 1 30 68 * $23.91 ** 20 *** $2,702
SSA-765 (Upload Documents).............. 182 1 30 91 * 23.91 N/A *** 2,176
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.............................. 318 .............. .............. 159 .............. .............. *** 4,878
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We based these figures on the combined average of both disability payments ($14.27) based on SSA's current FY 2026 data (Effect of COLA on Average
Social Security Benefits) and on the average U.S. worker's hourly wages ($33.54), as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (Occupational
Employment and Wage Statistics).
** We based this figure on the average October 2026 wait time for field offices (20 minutes), as captured by SSA's current management information data.
This figure is also posted on our public-facing website (Social Security performance [verbar] SSA). As the figures fluctuate, the wait times may be
different on the website than they appear here. We continue to monitor our website and management information data to ensure we report updated figures
when possible. While we have included wait time for all respondents who complete the paper form, we note that respondents are not required to complete
the form in person, and those who mail or drop off a completed form do not experience any wait time.
*** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on individuals; rather, these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional
time respondents will spend to complete the information collection. There is no actual charge to respondents to complete the information collection.
2. Redetermination of Eligibility for Help with Medicare
Prescription Drug Plan Costs--20 CFR 418.3125--0960-0723. As mandated
under the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, SSA conducts low-income
subsidy (Medicare Part D) eligibility redeterminations for Medicare
beneficiaries who have limited income and resources and who thus
currently receive the Medicare Part D subsidy to help with Medicare
prescription drug plan costs, including premiums, deductibles, and
copays. SSA asks Medicare Part D subsidy recipients to complete Form
SSA-1026 (1) for periodic, standard cyclical redeterminations and (2)
when recipients report a potentially subsidy-changing event. For the
cyclical, periodic redetermination process, SSA's system automatically
selects annual respondents based on the following profile and selection
criteria: (1) individuals who became entitled to the Medicare Part D
subsidy during the past 12 months; (2) individuals who were eligible
for the Part D subsidy for more than 12 months; or (3) individuals who
reported a change in income, resources, or household size. For the
second category of redeterminations, report of the following life-
changing events would trigger a redetermination and would require
Medicare Part D beneficiaries to complete the form: (1) marriage; (2)
spousal separation; (3) divorce; (4) annulment of a marriage; (5)
spousal death; or (6) moving back in with one's spouse following a
separation.
SSA mails a cover letter explaining the specific need for the
redetermination; a Resource and Income Summary form listing the
subsidy-eligible individual's income and resource types and amounts,
and the individual's current household size on record; and the
appropriate version of Form SSA-1026 (based on the category of
redetermination) for the beneficiary to complete and return to SSA's
Wilkes-Barre Direct Operations Center. Once we receive the form, SSA
technicians scan the information it into the Medicare Application
Processing System to start the redetermination process. If a
beneficiary finds the paper process difficult, they may call or visit
their local field office, and a technician completes the form with them
through a personal interview.
The respondents are current recipients of Medicare Part D low-
income subsidy who will undergo an eligibility redetermination for one
of the reasons mentioned above.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average wait
Average time in field
Number of Frequency of Average burden Estimated theoretical office or Total annual
Method of completion respondents response per response total annual hourly cost teleservice opportunity cost
(minutes) burden (hours) amount center (dollars) ***
(dollars) * (minutes) **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-1026-REDE......................... 141,128 1 18 42,338 * $33.54 N/A *** $1,420,017
SSA-1026-SCE.......................... 4,899 1 18 1,470 * 33.54 N/A *** 49,304
[[Page 67380]]
REDE Field Office Interview........... 31,915 1 18 9,575 * 33.54 ** 11 *** 517,388
SCE Field Office Interview............ 1,531 1 18 459 * 33.54 ** 11 *** 24,820
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals............................ 179,473 .............. .............. 53,701 .............. .............. *** 1,986,709
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We based this figure on an average U.S. citizen's hourly salary ($33.54), as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (Occupational Employment and
Wage Statistics).
** We based this 11-minute figure on average October 2026 wait times (specifically, the arithmetic mean of a 20-minute field-office wait time and a 1-
minute wait time for a call to be picked up automatically by our systems and then routed to an SSA technician. Both the 20-minute and 1-minute figures
are themselves averages captured by management information data and posted on our public-facing website, Social Security performance [verbar] SSA). As
the figures fluctuate, the actual wait times may differ slightly from the averages reported here. We will update these figures periodically to reflect
the most accurate available data. We did not include an in-office wait time for the paper form, as respondents only mail it in; therefore, they do not
experience any wait time.
*** This figure does not represent actual costs that SSA is imposing on individuals; rather, these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional
time respondents will spend to complete the information collection. There is no actual charge to respondents to complete the information collection.
Mark Steffensen,
General Counsel, Chief of Law, Policy and Legislative Affairs, Social
Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2026-21797 Filed 10-23-26; 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>Indexed from Federal Register on October 26, 2026.
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.