Mailing of Tickets Under the Ticket To Work Program, 45452-45453 [2013-18148]
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 145 / Monday, July 29, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
procedures specified in 5 U.S.C. 553
when developing regulations. Section
702(a)(5) of the Social Security Act, 42
U.S.C. 902(a)(5). Generally, the APA
requires that an agency provide prior
notice and opportunity for public
comment before issuing a final rule. The
APA provides exceptions to its notice
and public comment procedures when
an agency finds there is good cause for
dispensing with such procedures
because they are impracticable,
unnecessary, or contrary to the public
interest. We have determined that good
cause exists for dispensing with the
notice and public comment procedures
for this rule. 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(B). This
final rule only extends the date on
which the pilot program will no longer
be effective. It makes no substantive
changes to our rules. Our current
regulations expressly provide that we
may extend the expiration date of the
pilot program by notice of a final rule
in the Federal Register. Therefore, we
have determined that opportunity for
prior comment is unnecessary, and we
are issuing this rule as a final rule.
In addition, for the reasons cited
above, we find good cause for
dispensing with the 30-day delay in the
effective date of this final rule. 5 U.S.C.
553(d)(3). We are not making any
substantive changes in our rules.
Without an extension of the expiration
date for the pilot program, we will not
have the flexibility we need to ensure
the efficiency of our hearing process.
Therefore, we find it is in the public
interest to make this final rule effective
on the publication date.
Executive Order 12866 as
Supplemented by Executive Order
13563
We consulted with the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) and
determined that this final rule does not
meet the criteria for a significant
regulatory action under Executive Order
12866, as supplemented by Executive
Order 13563.
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with RULES
Regulatory Flexibility Act
Paperwork Reduction Act
This final rule does not create any
new or affect any existing collections
and, therefore, does not require OMB
approval under the Paperwork
Reduction Act.
16:11 Jul 26, 2013
List of Subjects
20 CFR Part 404
Administrative practice and
procedure; Blind; Disability benefits;
Old-age, Survivors, and Disability
Insurance; Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements; Social Security.
20 CFR Part 416
Administrative practice and
procedure; Aged; Blind; Disability
benefits; Public assistance programs;
Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements; Supplemental Security
Income (SSI).
Jkt 229001
Authority: Secs. 702(a)(5), 1631, and 1633
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
902(a)(5), 1383, and 1383b); sec. 202, Pub. L.
108–203, 118 Stat. 509 (42 U.S.C. 902 note).
4. In § 416.1436, revise the second
sentence in paragraph (h) to read as
follows:
■
§ 416.1436 Time and place for a hearing
before an administrative law judge.
*
*
*
*
*
(h) Pilot program. * * * These
provisions will no longer be effective on
August 9, 2014, unless we terminate
them earlier or extend them beyond that
date by notice of a final rule in the
Federal Register.
[FR Doc. 2013–18143 Filed 7–26–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191–02–P
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
Dated: July 23, 2013.
Carolyn W. Colvin,
Acting Commissioner of Social Security.
20 CFR Part 411
For the reasons stated in the
preamble, we are revising subpart J of
Part 404 and subpart N of part 416 of
title 20 of the Code of Federal
Regulations as set forth below:
RIN 0960–AH34
PART 404—FEDERAL OLD-AGE,
SURVIVORS AND DISABILITY
INSURANCE (1950–
)
ACTION:
Subpart J—[Amended].
1. The authority citation for subpart J
of part 404 continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: Secs. 201(j), 204(f), 205(a)–(b),
(d)–(h), and (j), 221, 223(i), 225, and 702(a)(5)
of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401(j),
404(f), 405(a)–(b), (d)–(h), and (j), 421, 423(i),
425, and 902(a)(5)); sec. 5, Pub. L. 97–455, 96
Stat. 2500 (42 U.S.C. 405 note); secs. 5, 6(c)–
(e), and 15, Pub. L. 98–460, 98 Stat. 1802 (42
U.S.C. 421 note); sec. 202, Pub. L. 108–203,
118 Stat. 509 (42 U.S.C. 902 note).
2. In § 404.936, revise the second
sentence in paragraph (h) to read as
follows:
■
§ 404.936 Time and place for a hearing
before an administrative law judge.
*
We certify that this final rule will not
have a significant economic impact on
a substantial number of small entities
because it affects individuals only.
Therefore, the Regulatory Flexibility
Act, as amended, does not require us to
prepare a regulatory flexibility analysis.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Program Nos. 96.001, Social Security—
Disability Insurance; 96.002, Social
Security—Retirement Insurance; 96.004,
Social Security—Survivors Insurance;
96.006, Supplemental Security Income.)
*
*
*
*
(h) Pilot program. * * * These
provisions will no longer be effective on
August 9, 2014, unless we terminate
them earlier or extend them beyond that
date by notice of a final rule in the
Federal Register.
PART 416—SUPPLEMENTAL
SECURITY INCOME FOR THE AGED,
BLIND, AND DISABLED
Subpart N—[Amended]
3. The authority citation for subpart N
of part 416 continues to read as follows:
■
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
[Docket No. SSA–2011–0034]
Mailing of Tickets Under the Ticket To
Work Program
Social Security Administration.
Final rule.
AGENCY:
This final rule adopts,
without change, the interim final rule
with request for comments we
published in the Federal Register on
January 12, 2012, at 77 FR 1862. The
interim final rule modified our rules so
that we may send a Ticket to Work
(Ticket) to Ticket to Work program
(Ticket program)-eligible disabled
beneficiaries. Under our previous rules,
we mailed initial Ticket notices to all
Ticket-eligible beneficiaries
immediately after they began receiving
benefits, regardless of whether they
were likely to participate in the
program. This change did not affect
Ticket eligibility requirements.
DATES: The interim final rule with
request for comments published on
January 12, 2012 is confirmed as final
effective July 29, 2013.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mark Green, Office of Retirement and
Disability Policy, Office of Employment
Support Programs, Social Security
Administration, 6401 Security
Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235–6401,
(410) 965–9852. For information on
eligibility or filing for benefits, call our
national toll-free number, 1–800–772–
1213 or TTY 1–800–325–0778, or visit
our Internet site, Social Security Online,
at www.socialsecurity.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Congress
established the Ticket program in the
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\29JYR1.SGM
29JYR1
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with RULES
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 145 / Monday, July 29, 2013 / Rules and Regulations
Ticket to Work and Work Incentives
Improvement Act of 1999 to provide
disability beneficiaries a choice in
obtaining the services and technology
that they need in order to find, secure,
and maintain employment.1 Under the
Ticket program, we may issue Tickets to
eligible Social Security disability
beneficiaries and disabled or blind
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
recipients. The beneficiary may use the
Ticket to obtain vocational
rehabilitation services, employment
services, and other support services
from an employment network or from a
State vocational rehabilitation agency.
This support allows these individuals to
enter into and retain employment and
reduces dependency on Social Security
and SSI cash benefits.
Prior to the publication of our interim
final rule with request for comments, we
mailed Tickets to all Ticket-eligible
beneficiaries shortly after we awarded a
disability or blindness-related benefit,
regardless of the likelihood that the
beneficiary would participate in the
program. Our interim final rule revised
§ 411.130 of our regulations so that we
may send a Ticket to an eligible
beneficiary and clarified that Ticketeligible beneficiaries may receive a
Ticket upon request. The change is
consistent with the language of section
1148(b)(1) of the Social Security Act,
which gives us discretion as to the form
and manner in which Tickets may be
distributed.2 Removing the requirement
that we send Tickets to all eligible
beneficiaries regardless of the likelihood
that the beneficiary will ever use the
Ticket allows us to focus our limited
resources on those beneficiaries who are
most likely to return to work.
We inform all newly eligible disabled
beneficiaries about their eligibility for
the Ticket program in their award letters
and we remind current Ticket-eligible
beneficiaries of the availability of the
program via routine correspondence. To
increase awareness of the Ticket
program, we are also conducting
outreach directed toward eligible
beneficiaries who are most likely to
return to work. We will send a Ticket
to any eligible beneficiary upon request,
regardless of whether we have identified
the beneficiary through our outreach
efforts. This change has made the Ticket
program more effective and has not
affected Ticket eligibility requirements.
1 Public
Law 106–170.
2 Section 1148(b)(1) of the Act states, ‘‘The
Commissioner may issue a ticket to work and selfsufficiency to disabled beneficiaries for
participation in the Program.’’ 42 U.S.C. 1348(b)(1).
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:11 Jul 26, 2013
Jkt 229001
45453
Public Comments
Regulatory Procedures
We published an interim final rule
with request for comments in the
Federal Register at 77 FR 1862, on
January 12, 2012, and provided a 60-day
comment period. We received one
comment from a member of the public.
We carefully considered the concerns
expressed in this comment, but did not
make any changes to the interim final
rule. Below is a summary of the
comment and our response to the issues
that are within the scope of the interim
final rule.
Comment: The commenter expressed
concern that we did not study how
many participants in the Ticket program
we could expect to drop out of the
program if we changed the rule and how
many people would need to drop out in
order to create a net cost to us in excess
of the expected one million dollar
annual savings. The commenter also
stated that we did not mention any
possible increase in costs due to
enhanced notification and outreach
measures that may be required under
the interim final rule.
Response: We did not adopt this
comment. We stated that we ‘‘will save
about one million dollars each year in
print and mail costs by informing newly
eligible disabled beneficiaries about
their eligibility for the Ticket program in
their award letters instead of sending a
separate piece of mail containing a
ticket.’’ 3 Since the rule only affected
‘‘newly eligible disabled beneficiaries,’’
we do not expect any current
participants in the Ticket to drop out of
the program because of this rule change.
Current participants in the Ticket
program are unaffected by the change in
our rules because they already have a
Ticket, and our interim final rules made
it clear that current Ticket-eligible
beneficiaries who do not have a Ticket
may receive one upon request.
In addition, our re-focused outreach
efforts have not resulted in any increase
in costs. When we re-focused our
outreach efforts, we included
notification of eligibility for the Ticket
program and reminders about the
availability of the program in
correspondence that we already send to
beneficiaries, such as benefit award
letters, cost-of-living adjustment notices,
and certain other letters. Re-focusing
our existing outreach budget on those
beneficiaries most likely to return to
work has helped us administer the
Ticket program more efficiently without
adversely affecting any beneficiary.
Executive Order 12866 as
Supplemented by Executive Order
13563
PO 00000
3 77
FR at 1862.
Frm 00013
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
We consulted with the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) and
determined that this final rule does not
meet the criteria for a significant
regulatory action under Executive Order
12866, as supplemented by Executive
Order 13563.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
We certify that this final rule will not
have a significant economic impact on
a substantial number of small entities
because it only affects individuals.
Therefore, a regulatory flexibility
analysis is not required under the
Regulatory Flexibility Act, as amended.
Paperwork Reduction Act
This final rule imposes no reporting
or recordkeeping requirements subject
to OMB clearance.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Program Nos. 96.001, Social Security
Disability Insurance; 96.006, Supplemental
Security Income)
List of Subjects in 20 CFR Part 411
Administrative practice and
procedure, Blind, Disability benefits,
Public assistance programs, Reporting
and recordkeeping requirements, Social
security, Supplemental Security Income
(SSI), Vocational rehabilitation.
Dated: July 19, 2013.
Carolyn W. Colvin,
Acting Commissioner of Social Security.
Accordingly, the interim final rule
amending 20 CFR chapter III, part 411,
subpart B that was published at 77 FR
1862 on January 12, 2012 is adopted as
a final rule without change.
■
[FR Doc. 2013–18148 Filed 7–26–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191–02–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
32 CFR Part 706
Certifications and Exemptions Under
the International Regulations for
Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972
Department of the Navy, DoD.
Final rule.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Department of the Navy
(DoN) is amending its certifications and
exemptions under the International
Regulations for Preventing Collisions at
Sea, 1972 (72 COLREGS), to reflect that
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\29JYR1.SGM
29JYR1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 145 (Monday, July 29, 2013)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 45452-45453]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-18148]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
20 CFR Part 411
[Docket No. SSA-2011-0034]
RIN 0960-AH34
Mailing of Tickets Under the Ticket To Work Program
AGENCY: Social Security Administration.
ACTION: Final rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This final rule adopts, without change, the interim final rule
with request for comments we published in the Federal Register on
January 12, 2012, at 77 FR 1862. The interim final rule modified our
rules so that we may send a Ticket to Work (Ticket) to Ticket to Work
program (Ticket program)-eligible disabled beneficiaries. Under our
previous rules, we mailed initial Ticket notices to all Ticket-eligible
beneficiaries immediately after they began receiving benefits,
regardless of whether they were likely to participate in the program.
This change did not affect Ticket eligibility requirements.
DATES: The interim final rule with request for comments published on
January 12, 2012 is confirmed as final effective July 29, 2013.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Green, Office of Retirement and
Disability Policy, Office of Employment Support Programs, Social
Security Administration, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235-
6401, (410) 965-9852. For information on eligibility or filing for
benefits, call our national toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213 or TTY 1-
800-325-0778, or visit our Internet site, Social Security Online, at
www.socialsecurity.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Congress established the Ticket program in
the
[[Page 45453]]
Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 to provide
disability beneficiaries a choice in obtaining the services and
technology that they need in order to find, secure, and maintain
employment.\1\ Under the Ticket program, we may issue Tickets to
eligible Social Security disability beneficiaries and disabled or blind
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients. The beneficiary may use
the Ticket to obtain vocational rehabilitation services, employment
services, and other support services from an employment network or from
a State vocational rehabilitation agency. This support allows these
individuals to enter into and retain employment and reduces dependency
on Social Security and SSI cash benefits.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Public Law 106-170.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prior to the publication of our interim final rule with request for
comments, we mailed Tickets to all Ticket-eligible beneficiaries
shortly after we awarded a disability or blindness-related benefit,
regardless of the likelihood that the beneficiary would participate in
the program. Our interim final rule revised Sec. 411.130 of our
regulations so that we may send a Ticket to an eligible beneficiary and
clarified that Ticket-eligible beneficiaries may receive a Ticket upon
request. The change is consistent with the language of section
1148(b)(1) of the Social Security Act, which gives us discretion as to
the form and manner in which Tickets may be distributed.\2\ Removing
the requirement that we send Tickets to all eligible beneficiaries
regardless of the likelihood that the beneficiary will ever use the
Ticket allows us to focus our limited resources on those beneficiaries
who are most likely to return to work.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Section 1148(b)(1) of the Act states, ``The Commissioner may
issue a ticket to work and self-sufficiency to disabled
beneficiaries for participation in the Program.'' 42 U.S.C.
1348(b)(1).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We inform all newly eligible disabled beneficiaries about their
eligibility for the Ticket program in their award letters and we remind
current Ticket-eligible beneficiaries of the availability of the
program via routine correspondence. To increase awareness of the Ticket
program, we are also conducting outreach directed toward eligible
beneficiaries who are most likely to return to work. We will send a
Ticket to any eligible beneficiary upon request, regardless of whether
we have identified the beneficiary through our outreach efforts. This
change has made the Ticket program more effective and has not affected
Ticket eligibility requirements.
Public Comments
We published an interim final rule with request for comments in the
Federal Register at 77 FR 1862, on January 12, 2012, and provided a 60-
day comment period. We received one comment from a member of the
public. We carefully considered the concerns expressed in this comment,
but did not make any changes to the interim final rule. Below is a
summary of the comment and our response to the issues that are within
the scope of the interim final rule.
Comment: The commenter expressed concern that we did not study how
many participants in the Ticket program we could expect to drop out of
the program if we changed the rule and how many people would need to
drop out in order to create a net cost to us in excess of the expected
one million dollar annual savings. The commenter also stated that we
did not mention any possible increase in costs due to enhanced
notification and outreach measures that may be required under the
interim final rule.
Response: We did not adopt this comment. We stated that we ``will
save about one million dollars each year in print and mail costs by
informing newly eligible disabled beneficiaries about their eligibility
for the Ticket program in their award letters instead of sending a
separate piece of mail containing a ticket.'' \3\ Since the rule only
affected ``newly eligible disabled beneficiaries,'' we do not expect
any current participants in the Ticket to drop out of the program
because of this rule change. Current participants in the Ticket program
are unaffected by the change in our rules because they already have a
Ticket, and our interim final rules made it clear that current Ticket-
eligible beneficiaries who do not have a Ticket may receive one upon
request.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ 77 FR at 1862.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition, our re-focused outreach efforts have not resulted in
any increase in costs. When we re-focused our outreach efforts, we
included notification of eligibility for the Ticket program and
reminders about the availability of the program in correspondence that
we already send to beneficiaries, such as benefit award letters, cost-
of-living adjustment notices, and certain other letters. Re-focusing
our existing outreach budget on those beneficiaries most likely to
return to work has helped us administer the Ticket program more
efficiently without adversely affecting any beneficiary.
Regulatory Procedures
Executive Order 12866 as Supplemented by Executive Order 13563
We consulted with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and
determined that this final rule does not meet the criteria for a
significant regulatory action under Executive Order 12866, as
supplemented by Executive Order 13563.
Regulatory Flexibility Act
We certify that this final rule will not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities because it
only affects individuals. Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis
is not required under the Regulatory Flexibility Act, as amended.
Paperwork Reduction Act
This final rule imposes no reporting or recordkeeping requirements
subject to OMB clearance.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Nos. 96.001, Social
Security Disability Insurance; 96.006, Supplemental Security Income)
List of Subjects in 20 CFR Part 411
Administrative practice and procedure, Blind, Disability benefits,
Public assistance programs, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements,
Social security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Vocational
rehabilitation.
Dated: July 19, 2013.
Carolyn W. Colvin,
Acting Commissioner of Social Security.
0
Accordingly, the interim final rule amending 20 CFR chapter III, part
411, subpart B that was published at 77 FR 1862 on January 12, 2012 is
adopted as a final rule without change.
[FR Doc. 2013-18148 Filed 7-26-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P
