Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and Comment Request, 30428-30433 [2024-08565]
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30428
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 79 / Tuesday, April 23, 2024 / Notices
A proposed rule change filed under
Rule 19b–4(f)(6) 33 normally does not
become operative prior to 30 days after
the date of the filing. However, pursuant
to Rule 19b–4(f)(6)(iii),34 the
Commission may designate a shorter
time if such action is consistent with the
protection of investors and the public
interest. The Exchange has requested
that the Commission waive the 30-day
operative delay so that the proposal may
become operative immediately upon
filing. According to the Exchange, the
proposed rule change is a competitive
response to a filing submitted by Nasdaq
ISE that was recently approved by the
Commission.35 The Exchange has stated
that waiver of the 30-day operative
delay would permit the Exchange to
implement the proposal at the same
time as its competitor exchanges, thus
creating competition among Short Term
Option Series. The Commission believes
that the proposed rule change presents
no novel issues and that waiver of the
30-day operative delay is consistent
with the protection of investors and the
public interest. Accordingly, the
Commission hereby waives the 30-day
operative delay and designates the
proposed rule change as operative upon
filing.36
At any time within 60 days of the
filing of the proposed rule change, the
Commission summarily may
temporarily suspend such rule change if
it appears to the Commission that such
action is necessary or appropriate in the
public interest, for the protection of
investors, or otherwise in furtherance of
the purposes of the Act. If the
Commission takes such action, the
Commission shall institute proceedings
to determine whether the proposed rule
should be approved or disapproved.
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IV. Solicitation of Comments
Interested persons are invited to
submit written data, views, and
arguments concerning the foregoing,
including whether the proposed rule
change is consistent with the Act.
Comments may be submitted by any of
the following methods:
Electronic Comments
• Use the Commission’s internet
comment form (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml); or
• Send an email to rule-comments@
sec.gov. Please include file number SR–
33 17
CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6).
CFR 240.19b–4(f)(6)(iii).
35 See supra note 26.
36 For purposes only of waiving the 30-day
operative delay, the Commission has also
considered the proposed rule’s impact on
efficiency, competition, and capital formation. See
15 U.S.C. 78c(f).
34 17
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CboeEDGX–2024–022 on the subject
line.
Paper Comments
• Send paper comments in triplicate
to Secretary, Securities and Exchange
Commission, 100 F Street NE,
Washington, DC 20549–1090.
All submissions should refer to file
number SR–CboeEDGX–2024–022. This
file number should be included on the
subject line if email is used. To help the
Commission process and review your
comments more efficiently, please use
only one method. The Commission will
post all comments on the Commission’s
internet website (https://www.sec.gov/
rules/sro.shtml). Copies of the
submission, all subsequent
amendments, all written statements
with respect to the proposed rule
change that are filed with the
Commission, and all written
communications relating to the
proposed rule change between the
Commission and any person, other than
those that may be withheld from the
public in accordance with the
provisions of 5 U.S.C. 552, will be
available for website viewing and
printing in the Commission’s Public
Reference Room, 100 F Street NE,
Washington, DC 20549, on official
business days between the hours of 10
a.m. and 3 p.m. Copies of the filing also
will be available for inspection and
copying at the principal office of the
Exchange. Do not include personal
identifiable information in submissions;
you should submit only information
that you wish to make available
publicly. We may redact in part or
withhold entirely from publication
submitted material that is obscene or
subject to copyright protection. All
submissions should refer to file number
SR–CboeEDGX–2024–022 and should be
submitted on or before May 14, 2024.
For the Commission, by the Division of
Trading and Markets, pursuant to delegated
authority.37
Vanessa A. Countryman,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024–08573 Filed 4–22–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8011–01–P
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
[License No. 02/02–0658]
OFS SBIC I, LP; Surrender of License
of Small Business Investment
Company
Pursuant to the authority granted to
the United States Small Business
37 17
PO 00000
CFR 200.30–3(a)(12), (59).
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Administration under section 309 of the
Small Business Investment Act of 1958,
as amended, and 13 CFR 107.1900 of the
Code of Federal Regulations to function
as a small business investment company
under the Small Business Investment
Company license number 02/02–0658
issued to OFS SBIC I, LP, said license
is hereby declared null and void.
Bailey Devries,
Associate Administrator, Office of Investment
and Innovation, United States Small Business
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024–08579 Filed 4–22–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8026–09–P
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
[Docket No: SSA–2024–0011]
Agency Information Collection
Activities: Proposed Request and
Comment 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, 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: OR.Reports.Clearance@
ssa.gov
Or you may submit your comments
online through https://www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAmain 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–
2024–0011] in your submitted response.
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I. The information collection below is
pending at SSA. SSA will submit it 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 24, 2024. Individuals can
obtain copies of the collection
instruments by writing to the above
email address.
1. Partnership Questionnaire—20 CFR
404.1080–404.1082—0960–0025. SSA
considers partnership income in
determining entitlement to Social
Security benefits. SSA uses information
from Form SSA–7104 to determine
several aspects of eligibility for benefits,
including the accuracy of reported
partnership earnings; the veracity of a
Number of
respondents
Modality of completion
Average
burden per
response
(minutes)
Frequency of
response
retirement; and lag earnings where SSA
needs this information to determine the
status of the insured. The respondents
are applicants for, and recipients of,
Title II Social Security benefits who are
reporting partnership earnings.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMBapproved information collection.
Estimated total
annual burden
(hours)
Average
theoretical
hourly cost
amount
(dollars) *
Average wait
time in
field office
(minutes) **
Total annual
opportunity
cost
(dollars) ***
SSA–7104 (mailed) .......................................
SSA–7104 (completed in or brought to a
field office) .................................................
2,154
1
30
1.077
* 31.48
........................
*** 33,904
2,154
1
30
1,077
* 31.48
** 24
*** 61,040
Totals .....................................................
4,308
........................
........................
2,154
........................
........................
*** 94,944
* We based this figure on average the U.S. citizen’s hourly salary, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm).
** We based this figure on the average FY 2024 wait times for 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 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. Medical Source Statement of
Ability To Do Work Related Activities
(Physical and Mental)—20 CFR
404.1512–404.1513, 416.912–416.913,
404.1517, and 416.917—0960–0662.
When a claimant appeals a denied
disability claim, SSA may ask the
claimant to have a consultative
examination at the agency’s expense, if
the claimant’s medical sources cannot,
or will not, give the agency sufficient
capabilities of claimants who appeal
SSA’s previous determination on their
issue of disability. The respondents are
medical sources who provide reports
based either on existing medical
evidence or on consultative
examinations.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMBapproved information collection.
evidence to determine whether the
claimant has a disability. The medical
providers who perform these
consultative examinations provide a
statement about the claimant’s state of
disability. Specifically, these medical
source statements determine the workrelated capabilities of these claimants.
SSA collects the medical data on the
HA–1151 and HA–1152 to assess the
work-related physical and mental
Number of
respondents
Modality of completion
Average
burden per
response
(minutes)
Frequency of
response
Estimated total
annual burden
(hours)
Average
theoretical
hourly cost
amount
(dollars) *
Total annual
opportunity
cost
(dollars) **
HA–1151 ...................................................................................
HA–1152 ...................................................................................
5,000
5,000
30
30
15
15
37,500
37,500
* 49.07
* 49.07
** 1,840,125
** 1,840,125
Totals .................................................................................
10,000
........................
........................
75,000
........................
** 3,680,250
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* We based this figure on average medical professionals’ salaries, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/
oes290000.htm)
** 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.
II. SSA submitted the information
collections below to OMB for clearance.
Your comments regarding these
information collections would be most
useful if OMB and SSA receive them 30
days from the date of this publication.
To be sure we consider your comments,
we must receive them no later than May
23, 2024. Individuals can obtain copies
of these OMB clearance packages by
writing to the OR.Reports.Clearance@
ssa.gov.
1. Representative Availability Portal
for Social Security Administration
Hearings—20 CFR 404.929, 404.933,
404.1740, 416.1429, 416.1433, 416.1540,
418.1350, 422.203—0960–NEW. As part
of the appeals process, claimants can
request a hearing with an
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Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).
Approximately 80 percent of claimants
have appointed representatives at the
hearing level. When the Social Security
Administration (SSA) schedules
hearings before an ALJ, it usually
considers the availability of appointed
representatives, if applicable.
Appointed representatives may be
members of large firms, appearing at
hearings nationwide, or may be solo
practitioners servicing a specific
geographic location or hearing office. In
both situations, it is typical for
appointed representatives to represent
more than one claimant at any given
moment; some represent hundreds of
claimants at once.
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Historically, the process of seeking,
tracking, and considering representative
availability has been a manual and timeintensive activity. In the past, hearing
offices sought representative availability
information by contacting each
representative individually. More
recently, Office of Hearings Operations’
Regional Offices representatives
collected availability information.
Representatives provided Regional
Office staff with their hearing
availability via telephone or email.
However, the process for gathering and
considering representative availability
was not standardized and varied greatly
amongst Regional Offices. The
appointed representative community
informed SSA they would appreciate a
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consistent and standardized electronic
process to submit their availability for
hearing appearances.
In the Spring of 2023, SSA initiated
the Enhanced Representative
Availability Process (ERAP) to provide
representatives with a more
standardized and streamlined process to
email their availability for hearings. In
the interim, SSA obtained OMB
approval to test a new Representative
Availability Portal (Portal) to offer the
representative community a web-based
option to submit their monthly
availability to SSA, as per 20 CFR
404.1740(b)(3)(iii) and
416.1540(b)(3)(iii) and in a manner
consistent with ERAP. SSA tested the
Portal among 11 appointed
representative practice groups
nationwide. We are currently seeking
OMB approval for the national rollout of
the Portal, which collects standardized
information regarding appointed
representative availability for the
purpose of scheduling hearings.
SSA plans to roll the Portal out to all
appointed representatives registered
with the Registration, Appointment and
Services for Representatives (RASR)
application, other professional
representatives who regularly conduct
hearing business with SSA but are not
registered with RASR, and delegated
officials from appointed representative’s
Designated Scheduling Groups (DSG). A
DSG is a representative-identified
scheduling group which can include
one representative, or multiple
representatives. Respondents will need
to have a mySocial Security account to
use the Portal and be registered into the
Portal by SSA systems. Respondents
who wish to use the Portal, but who are
not registered with RASR, or who do not
have a Representative ID, must provide
SSA systems with the necessary data,
including name and SSN, to complete
the Portal registration process.
Portal respondents, once registered,
are authorized representatives and
delegated officials from appointed
representatives’ DSG. SSA will use the
Portal to track availability for hearings
for the DSG. Representatives provide
hearing availability for the DSG monthly
(as described above), and SSA considers
the DSG-provided availability when
scheduling hearings.
SSA will announce the response
window for the Portal each month via
a reminder email, approximately ten
days prior to the deadline for Portal
submissions. Following the submission
deadline, the Portal will ‘‘lock,’’ and
respondents will not be able to submit
availability through the Portal at that
time. However, SSA has some discretion
to approve a request for a late
submission or modification and plans to
have the capacity to unlock the Portal,
when warranted. Portal response
options will include DSG group, hearing
region, availability during the period of
submission, and respondent-preferred
case maximums. The Portal will allow
SSA to obtain the information we
require to schedule hearings for
attendees.
If the respondents choose not to
submit their availability via the Portal,
the option of submitting their
availability through email submission
(as is the current practice) will remain.
If a representative elects not to timely
submit any availability via the Portal or
email, SSA will schedule their hearings
without their input.
We expect use of the Portal will result
in receiving consistent structured data
from appointed representatives, which
will allow for a more streamlined and
effective hearing scheduling process.
The Portal also meets a longstanding
customer-experience request by the
representative community, one of SSA’s
key stakeholders in the process.
The respondents are appointed
representatives, and delegated officials
from appointed representatives’ DSGs
who need to submit their availability to
SSA for hearings.
Type of Request: Request for a new
information collection.
Modality of completion
Number of
respondents
Frequency of
response
Number of
responses
Average
burden per
response
(minutes)
Estimated total
annual burden
(hours)
Average
theoretical
hourly cost
amount
(dollars) **
Total annual
opportunity
cost
(dollars) ***
Representative Availability Portal for SSA
Hearings ....................................................
* 3,000
12
36,000
20
12,000
** 84.84
*** 1,018.080
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* This figure represents the approximate number of individual representatives registered with RASR who regularly schedule hearings with the agency.
** We based this figure on the mean hourly wage for the average lawyer in the United States as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/
oes/current/oes231011.htm).
*** 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. Statement of Death by Funeral
Director and State Death Match
Collections—20 CFR 404.301, 404.310–
404.311, 404.316, 404.330–404.341,
404.350–404.352, 404.371, 404.715,
404.720, and 416.912—0960–0142. The
death of a beneficiary is an event that
terminates the individual’s entitlement
to Social Security benefits. As regulated,
states must furnish death information to
SSA to compare to SSA’s payment files.
SSA employs two modalities for
ensuring it efficiently receives accurate
information regarding the deaths of
SSA-insured workers and beneficiaries:
(1) Form SSA–721, Statement of Death
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by Funeral Director; and (2) the
Electronic Death Registration (EDR).
SSA operates the State Death Match
collections, which includes the EDR
process for electronically reporting
death records to SSA. The states furnish
death certificate information to SSA via
a manual registration process (the SSA–
721), or via the EDR Registration
Process. Both death match processes are
automated electronic transfers between
the states and SSA. This collection, via
paper form SSA–721 or the EDR, allows
for the funeral director or funeral home
responsible for the individual’s burial or
cremation to report the death to SSA.
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SSA uses this information for three
purposes: (1) to establish proof of death
for the insured worker; (2) to determine
if the insured individual was receiving
any pre-death benefits SSA needs to
terminate; and (3) to ascertain which
surviving family member is eligible for
the lump-sum death payment or for
other death benefits. The respondents
for this information collection are
funeral directors who handled death
arrangements for the insured
individuals, and the states’ bureaus of
vital statistics.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMBapproved information collection.
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EDR
Number of
respondents
Modality of completion
Average cost
per record
request
Frequency of
response
Estimated total
annual burden
hours
(cost)
Average
theoretical
hourly cost
amount
(dollars) **
Total annual
opportunity cost
(dollars) ***
State Death Match—EDR * .................................................
States Expected to Become—State Death Match-EDR
Within the Next 3 Years * ................................................
54
3,164,477
$2.77
$473,342,469
** 23.00
*** 72,782,971
1
1,247
3.73
4,651
** 23.00
*** 28,681
Totals: ..........................................................................
55
........................
........................
473,347,120
........................
*** 72,811,652
* Please note that both of these data matching processes are electronic, and nearly immediate. Therefore, there is only a cost burden, and no hourly burden for the
respondent to provide this information.
We estimated the frequency of responses by taking the total number of actual records received for calendar year 2023 for each category and dividing by the number of respondents, per category.
We have 54 States and Jurisdictions currently using EDR. Guam recently showed interest in becoming an EDR site. Estimated sometime mid to late next year
2024.
** We based this figure on the average Records Clerk hourly wages as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/
oes434199.htm).
*** 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.
SSA–721
Number of
respondents
Modality of completion
SSA–721 ...................................................................................
I
437,449
Average
burden per
response
(minutes)
Frequency of
response
I
1
I
4
Average
theoretical
hourly cost
amount
(dollars) **
Estimated
total annual
burden
(hours)
I
29,163
I
$27.90 *
Total annual
opportunity
cost
(dollars) ***
I
$813,648 **
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* We based this figure on average funeral home manager’s hourly salary in May 2024, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes394031.htm).
** 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. Retaining Employment and Talent
After Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN)—
0960–0821. The SSA and the U.S.
Department of Labor (DOL) are
conducting the Retaining Employment
and Talent After Injury/Illness Network
(RETAIN) demonstration. The RETAIN
demonstration tests the impact of early
intervention strategies that improve
stay-at-work/return-to-work (SAW/
RTW) outcomes of individuals who
experience work disability while
employed. We define ‘‘Work disability’’
as an injury, illness, or medical
condition that has the potential to
inhibit or prevent continued
employment or labor force participation.
SAW/RTW programs succeed by
returning injured or ill workers to
productive work as soon as medically
possible during their recovery process,
and by providing interim part-time or
light duty work and accommodations, as
necessary. We loosely modeled the
RETAIN Demonstration Projects after
promising programs operating in
Washington State, including the Centers
of Occupational Health and Education
(COHE), the Early Return to Work
(ERTW), and the Stay at Work programs.
While these programs operate within
the state’s workers’ compensation
system, and are available only to people
experiencing work-related injuries or
illnesses, the RETAIN Demonstration
Projects provide opportunities to
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improve SAW/RTW outcomes for both
occupational and non-occupational
injuries and illnesses of people who are
employed, or at a minimum in the labor
force, when their injury or illness
occurs.
The primary goals of the RETAIN
Demonstration Projects are:
1. To increase employment retention
and labor force participation of
individuals who acquire, and/or are at
risk of developing, work disabilities;
and
2. To reduce long-term work disability
among RETAIN service users, including
the need for Social Security Disability
Insurance and Supplemental Security
Income.
The Retain Demonstration aims to
validate and expand evidence-based
strategies to accomplish these goals.
DOL funds intervention approaches and
programmatic technical assistance,
while SSA funds evaluation support,
including technical assistance and the
full evaluation for the demonstration.
The demonstration consists of two
Phases. The first involves the
implementation and assessment of
cooperative awards to eight states to
conduct planning and start-up activities,
including the launch of a small pilot
demonstration. During Phase 1, SSA
provided evaluation-related technical
assistance and planning, and conducts
evaluability assessments to assess which
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states’ projects would allow for a
rigorous evaluation if continued beyond
the pilot phase. SSA completed Phase 1
on May 16, 2021. DOL selected a subset
of states and continued to Phase 2 full
implementation and evaluation on May
17, 2021, which will end in October
2025. During Phase 2, DOL funds the
operations and program technical
assistance activities for the
recommended states, and SSA funds the
full set of evaluation activities. The four
components of this evaluation,
completed during site visits, interviews
with RETAIN service users, surveys of
RETAIN enrollees, and surveys of
RETAIN service providers, include:
• The participation analysis: Using
RETAIN service user interviews and
surveys, this analysis provides insights
into which eligible workers choose to
participate in the program, in what ways
they participate, and how services
received vary with participant
characteristics. Similarly, it will assess
the characteristics of, and if possible,
reasons for non-enrollment of nonparticipants.
• The process analysis: Using staff
interviews and logs, this analysis
produces information about operational
features that affect service provision;
perceptions of the intervention design
by service users, providers,
administrators, and other stakeholders;
relationships among the partner
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organizations; each program’s fidelity to
the research design; and lessons for
future programs with similar objectives.
• The impact analysis: This analysis
produces estimates of the effects of the
interventions on primary outcomes,
including employment and Social
Security disability applications, and
secondary outcomes, such as health and
service usage. SSA identifies evaluation
designs for each state to generate impact
estimates, which could include
experimental or non-experimental
designs.
• The cost-benefit analysis: This
analysis assesses whether the benefits of
RETAIN justify its costs, conducted
from various perspectives, including
participants, state and Federal
governments, SSA, and society as a
whole.
Modality of completion
Number of
respondents
The purpose and proposed use of this
information collection is to gather
qualitative and quantitative data needed
to conduct the analysis. These activities,
include (1) surveys of RETAIN enrollees
and (2) follow-up interviews with
RETAIN service users. The qualitative
data collection consists of: (1) semistructured interviews with program staff
and service users; and (2) staff activity
logs. Program staff interviews focus on
staff’s perceptions of the successes and
challenges of implementing each states
program, while staff activity logs house
information on staff’s time to inform the
benefit-cost analysis. Service user
interviews inform SSA’s understanding
of users’ experiences with program
services. The quantitative data include
SSA’s program records and survey data.
Average
burden per
response
(minutes)
Frequency of
response
The survey data collection consists of:
(1) two rounds of follow-up surveys,
focusing on individual-level outcomes,
with enrollees, all of whom who have
experienced a disability onset; and (2)
two rounds of surveys with RETAIN
providers. Respondents learn of the
RETAIN program data collection efforts
through various outreach methods,
including, but not limited to mailings,
phone calls, and from other individuals.
SSA is constantly reviewing our
outreach strategies to ensure maximum
exposure and accessibility to the
materials. the respondents are staff
members selected for staff interviews
and staff activity logs, and RETAIN
service users, enrollees, and providers.
Type of Request: Request for renewal
of an information collection.
Average
theoretical
hourly cost
amount
(dollars) *
Estimated
total annual
burden
(hours)
Average wait
time for
teleservice
centers
(minutes) **
Total annual
opportunity
cost
(dollars) ***
RETAIN 2024 Burden Figures
Enrollee Survey Round
1 (Respondents) .......
Enrollee Survey Round
1 (Nonrespondents) ..
Enrollee Survey Round
2 (Respondents) .......
Enrollee Survey Round
2 (Nonrespondents) ..
Follow-up interviews
with service users
(Respondents) ..........
Follow-up interviews
with service users
(Nonrespondents) .....
Totals ....................
1,872
1
20
624
* 31.48
** 19
*** 38,311
468
1
3
23
* 31.48
** 0
*** 724
4,493
1
26
1,947
* 31.48
** 19
*** 106,088
1,123
1
3
56
* 31.48
** 0
*** 1,763
20
1
141
47
* 31.48
** 19
*** 1,668
30
1
6
3
* 31.48
** 0
*** 94
8,006
........................
........................
2,700
........................
........................
*** 148,648
RETAIN 2025 Burden Figures
Enrollee Survey Round
2 (Respondents) .......
Enrollee Survey Round
2 (Nonrespondents) ..
Totals ....................
1,123
1
26
487
* 31.48
** 19
*** 26,538
281
1
3
14
* 31.48
** 0
*** 441
1,404
........................
........................
501
........................
........................
*** 26,979
9,410
........................
........................
3,201
........................
........................
*** 175,627
Grand Total
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Totals ....................
* We based these figures on average U.S. citizen’s hourly salary, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm).
** We based this figure on average FY 2023 wait times for teleservice centers (approximately 19 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 these tasks; rather,
these are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the tasks. There is no actual charge to respondents to complete the tasks.
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 79 / Tuesday, April 23, 2024 / Notices
Dated: April 17, 2024.
Naomi Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024–08565 Filed 4–22–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191–02–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Petition for Authorization to Exceed
Mach 1
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of decision to grant an
authorization to exceed Mach 1.
AGENCY:
This notice summarizes the
petition Boom Supersonic, Inc.
submitted to the FAA requesting a
special flight authorization as provided
for in FAA regulations. The notice also
provides for public awareness of FAA’s
decision to grant Boom Supersonic,
Inc.’s request. The FAA is not
requesting comments on the petition or
the FAA’s decision regarding the
petition because a special flight
authorization petition to exceed Mach 1
follows a separate regulatory process.
DATES: The grant of the special flight
authorization to exceed Mach 1 is
effective April 7, 2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sandy Liu, Office of Environment and
Energy, Federal Aviation
Administration, 800 Independence
Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591;
202–267–4748, sandy.liu@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Petitioner: Boom Supersonic, Inc.
Applicable Sections of 14 CFR:
Sections 91.817 and 91.818.
Description of Relief Sought: Boom
Supersonic, Inc. seeks relief to allow
certain flight tests to exceed Mach 1.
On March 24, 2023, Boom
Supersonic, Inc., Centennial, CO,
petitioned the FAA on behalf of Boom
Technology, Inc. (‘‘Boom’’) to allow
Boom to operate a civil aircraft that is
expected to exceed Mach 1 speeds
during flight testing. Specifically, Boom
Supersonic Inc. requested to conduct
developmental flight test operations of
an experimental aircraft (XB–1) and a
chase airplane over Edwards Air Force
Base within pre-existing supersonic
corridors, located in Los Angeles, Kern,
and San Bernardino counties in
California. The petitioner requested
authorization for up to 20 supersonic
test flights over one year. The proposed
operations would occur at or above
30,000 ft Mean Sea Level.
ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
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30433
On January 12, 2024, the FAA
published a notice of availability in the
Federal Register (89 FR 2471) of an
Environmental Assessment (EA)
prepared to satisfy National
Environmental Policy Act requirements
and address the environmental impact
of the proposed supersonic operations.
The FAA requested comments on the
EA. The FAA finalized the EA and
issued a Finding of No Significant
Impact on February 29, 2024.
The FAA finds the request by the
petitioner is well within the intent of 14
CFR 91.818. As such, the FAA has
decided to grant this Special Flight
Authorization to Exceed Mach 1.
Authority to exceed Mach 1 during the
testing of the Boom XB–1 experimental
aircraft is limited to the conditions and
limitations stated in the special flight
authorization.
The FAA’s decision to grant a special
flight authorization in response to Boom
Supersonic Inc.’s petition and the
applicable environmental review
documents are available on FAA’s
website. The FAA is posting special
flight authorization applications, grants
of special flight authorizations, and
applicable environmental review
documents. These documents may be
found at: https://www.faa.gov/about/
office_org/headquarters_offices/apl/aee/
env_policy/sfa_supersonic.
action may have on U.S. vessel builders
or businesses in the U.S. that use U.S.flag vessels. Information about the
requestor’s vessel, including a brief
description of the proposed service, is
listed below.
DATES: Submit comments on or before
May 23, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
identified by DOT Docket Number
MARAD–2024–0054 by any one of the
following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov. Search
MARAD–2024–0054 and follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket
Management Facility is in the West
Building, Ground Floor of the U.S.
Department of Transportation. The
Docket Management Facility location
address is U.S. Department of
Transportation, MARAD–2024–0054,
1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, West
Building, Room W12–140, Washington,
DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except on
Federal holidays.
Issued in Washington, DC, on April 17,
2024.
Sandy Liu,
Engineer, Noise Division, Office of
Environment and Energy, Noise Division
(AEE–100).
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the agency name and
specific docket number. All comments
received will be posted without change
to the docket at www.regulations.gov,
including any personal information
provided. For detailed instructions on
submitting comments, or to submit
comments that are confidential in
nature, see the section entitled Public
Participation.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Patricia Hagerty, U.S. Department of
Transportation, Maritime
Administration, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Room W23–461,
Washington, DC 20590. Telephone:
(202) 366–0903. Email:
patricia.hagerty@dot.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As
described in the application, the
intended service of the vessel KREWE
ZEN is:
Intended Commercial Use of Vessel:
Requester intends to offer passenger
charters.
Geographic Region Including Base of
Operations: Texas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Alabama, Florida. Base of
Operations: Galveston, Texas.
Vessel Length and Type: 59′ Sportfish.
The complete application is available
for review identified in the DOT docket
[FR Doc. 2024–08580 Filed 4–22–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[Docket No. MARAD–2024–0054]
Coastwise Endorsement Eligibility
Determination for a Foreign-Built
Vessel: KREWE ZEN (MOTOR);
Invitation for Public Comments
Maritime Administration, DOT.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Secretary of
Transportation, as represented by the
Maritime Administration (MARAD), is
authorized to issue coastwise
endorsement eligibility determinations
for foreign-built vessels which will carry
no more than twelve passengers for hire.
A request for such a determination has
been received by MARAD. By this
notice, MARAD seeks comments from
interested parties as to any effect this
SUMMARY:
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Note: If you mail or hand-deliver your
comments, we recommend that you include
your name and a mailing address, an email
address, or a telephone number in the body
of your document so that we can contact you
if we have questions regarding your
submission.
E:\FR\FM\23APN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30428-30433]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08565]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
[Docket No: SSA-2024-0011]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and
Comment 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, 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: [email protected]
Or you may submit your comments online through https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAmain 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-2024-0011] in
your submitted response.
[[Page 30429]]
I. The information collection below is pending at SSA. SSA will
submit it 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
24, 2024. Individuals can obtain copies of the collection instruments
by writing to the above email address.
1. Partnership Questionnaire--20 CFR 404.1080-404.1082--0960-0025.
SSA considers partnership income in determining entitlement to Social
Security benefits. SSA uses information from Form SSA-7104 to determine
several aspects of eligibility for benefits, including the accuracy of
reported partnership earnings; the veracity of a retirement; and lag
earnings where SSA needs this information to determine the status of
the insured. The respondents are applicants for, and recipients of,
Title II Social Security benefits who are reporting partnership
earnings.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
Average Estimated theoretical Average wait Total annual
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of burden per total annual hourly cost time in field opportunity
respondents response response burden (hours) amount office cost (dollars)
(minutes) (dollars) * (minutes) ** ***
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SSA-7104 (mailed)....................... 2,154 1 30 1.077 * 31.48 .............. *** 33,904
SSA-7104 (completed in or brought to a 2,154 1 30 1,077 * 31.48 ** 24 *** 61,040
field office)..........................
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.............................. 4,308 .............. .............. 2,154 .............. .............. *** 94,944
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We based this figure on average the U.S. citizen's hourly salary, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm).
** We based this figure on the average FY 2024 wait times for 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 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. Medical Source Statement of Ability To Do Work Related
Activities (Physical and Mental)--20 CFR 404.1512-404.1513, 416.912-
416.913, 404.1517, and 416.917--0960-0662. When a claimant appeals a
denied disability claim, SSA may ask the claimant to have a
consultative examination at the agency's expense, if the claimant's
medical sources cannot, or will not, give the agency sufficient
evidence to determine whether the claimant has a disability. The
medical providers who perform these consultative examinations provide a
statement about the claimant's state of disability. Specifically, these
medical source statements determine the work-related capabilities of
these claimants. SSA collects the medical data on the HA-1151 and HA-
1152 to assess the work-related physical and mental capabilities of
claimants who appeal SSA's previous determination on their issue of
disability. The respondents are medical sources who provide reports
based either on existing medical evidence or on consultative
examinations.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
Average Estimated theoretical Total annual
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of burden per total annual hourly cost opportunity
respondents response response burden (hours) amount cost (dollars)
(minutes) (dollars) * **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HA-1151................................................. 5,000 30 15 37,500 * 49.07 ** 1,840,125
HA-1152................................................. 5,000 30 15 37,500 * 49.07 ** 1,840,125
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.............................................. 10,000 .............. .............. 75,000 .............. ** 3,680,250
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We based this figure on average medical professionals' salaries, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes290000.htm)
** 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.
II. SSA submitted the information collections below to OMB for
clearance. Your comments regarding these information collections would
be most useful if OMB and SSA receive them 30 days from the date of
this publication. To be sure we consider your comments, we must receive
them no later than May 23, 2024. Individuals can obtain copies of these
OMB clearance packages by writing to the [email protected].
1. Representative Availability Portal for Social Security
Administration Hearings--20 CFR 404.929, 404.933, 404.1740, 416.1429,
416.1433, 416.1540, 418.1350, 422.203--0960-NEW. As part of the appeals
process, claimants can request a hearing with an Administrative Law
Judge (ALJ). Approximately 80 percent of claimants have appointed
representatives at the hearing level. When the Social Security
Administration (SSA) schedules hearings before an ALJ, it usually
considers the availability of appointed representatives, if applicable.
Appointed representatives may be members of large firms, appearing at
hearings nationwide, or may be solo practitioners servicing a specific
geographic location or hearing office. In both situations, it is
typical for appointed representatives to represent more than one
claimant at any given moment; some represent hundreds of claimants at
once.
Historically, the process of seeking, tracking, and considering
representative availability has been a manual and time-intensive
activity. In the past, hearing offices sought representative
availability information by contacting each representative
individually. More recently, Office of Hearings Operations' Regional
Offices representatives collected availability information.
Representatives provided Regional Office staff with their hearing
availability via telephone or email. However, the process for gathering
and considering representative availability was not standardized and
varied greatly amongst Regional Offices. The appointed representative
community informed SSA they would appreciate a
[[Page 30430]]
consistent and standardized electronic process to submit their
availability for hearing appearances.
In the Spring of 2023, SSA initiated the Enhanced Representative
Availability Process (ERAP) to provide representatives with a more
standardized and streamlined process to email their availability for
hearings. In the interim, SSA obtained OMB approval to test a new
Representative Availability Portal (Portal) to offer the representative
community a web-based option to submit their monthly availability to
SSA, as per 20 CFR 404.1740(b)(3)(iii) and 416.1540(b)(3)(iii) and in a
manner consistent with ERAP. SSA tested the Portal among 11 appointed
representative practice groups nationwide. We are currently seeking OMB
approval for the national rollout of the Portal, which collects
standardized information regarding appointed representative
availability for the purpose of scheduling hearings.
SSA plans to roll the Portal out to all appointed representatives
registered with the Registration, Appointment and Services for
Representatives (RASR) application, other professional representatives
who regularly conduct hearing business with SSA but are not registered
with RASR, and delegated officials from appointed representative's
Designated Scheduling Groups (DSG). A DSG is a representative-
identified scheduling group which can include one representative, or
multiple representatives. Respondents will need to have a mySocial
Security account to use the Portal and be registered into the Portal by
SSA systems. Respondents who wish to use the Portal, but who are not
registered with RASR, or who do not have a Representative ID, must
provide SSA systems with the necessary data, including name and SSN, to
complete the Portal registration process.
Portal respondents, once registered, are authorized representatives
and delegated officials from appointed representatives' DSG. SSA will
use the Portal to track availability for hearings for the DSG.
Representatives provide hearing availability for the DSG monthly (as
described above), and SSA considers the DSG-provided availability when
scheduling hearings.
SSA will announce the response window for the Portal each month via
a reminder email, approximately ten days prior to the deadline for
Portal submissions. Following the submission deadline, the Portal will
``lock,'' and respondents will not be able to submit availability
through the Portal at that time. However, SSA has some discretion to
approve a request for a late submission or modification and plans to
have the capacity to unlock the Portal, when warranted. Portal response
options will include DSG group, hearing region, availability during the
period of submission, and respondent-preferred case maximums. The
Portal will allow SSA to obtain the information we require to schedule
hearings for attendees.
If the respondents choose not to submit their availability via the
Portal, the option of submitting their availability through email
submission (as is the current practice) will remain. If a
representative elects not to timely submit any availability via the
Portal or email, SSA will schedule their hearings without their input.
We expect use of the Portal will result in receiving consistent
structured data from appointed representatives, which will allow for a
more streamlined and effective hearing scheduling process. The Portal
also meets a longstanding customer-experience request by the
representative community, one of SSA's key stakeholders in the process.
The respondents are appointed representatives, and delegated
officials from appointed representatives' DSGs who need to submit their
availability to SSA for hearings.
Type of Request: Request for a new information collection.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
Average burden Estimated total theoretical Total annual
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of Number of per response annual burden hourly cost opportunity
respondents response responses (minutes) (hours) amount cost (dollars)
(dollars) ** ***
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Representative Availability * 3,000 12 36,000 20 12,000 ** 84.84 *** 1,018.080
Portal for SSA Hearings.........
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* This figure represents the approximate number of individual representatives registered with RASR who regularly schedule hearings with the agency.
** We based this figure on the mean hourly wage for the average lawyer in the United States as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes231011.htm).
*** 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. Statement of Death by Funeral Director and State Death Match
Collections--20 CFR 404.301, 404.310-404.311, 404.316, 404.330-404.341,
404.350-404.352, 404.371, 404.715, 404.720, and 416.912--0960-0142. The
death of a beneficiary is an event that terminates the individual's
entitlement to Social Security benefits. As regulated, states must
furnish death information to SSA to compare to SSA's payment files. SSA
employs two modalities for ensuring it efficiently receives accurate
information regarding the deaths of SSA-insured workers and
beneficiaries: (1) Form SSA-721, Statement of Death by Funeral
Director; and (2) the Electronic Death Registration (EDR). SSA operates
the State Death Match collections, which includes the EDR process for
electronically reporting death records to SSA. The states furnish death
certificate information to SSA via a manual registration process (the
SSA-721), or via the EDR Registration Process. Both death match
processes are automated electronic transfers between the states and
SSA. This collection, via paper form SSA-721 or the EDR, allows for the
funeral director or funeral home responsible for the individual's
burial or cremation to report the death to SSA. SSA uses this
information for three purposes: (1) to establish proof of death for the
insured worker; (2) to determine if the insured individual was
receiving any pre-death benefits SSA needs to terminate; and (3) to
ascertain which surviving family member is eligible for the lump-sum
death payment or for other death benefits. The respondents for this
information collection are funeral directors who handled death
arrangements for the insured individuals, and the states' bureaus of
vital statistics.
Type of Request: Revision of an OMB-approved information
collection.
[[Page 30431]]
EDR
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
Average cost Estimated theoretical Total annual
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of per record total annual hourly cost opportunity cost
respondents response request burden hours amount (dollars) ***
(cost) (dollars) **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
State Death Match--EDR *............................. 54 3,164,477 $2.77 $473,342,469 ** 23.00 *** 72,782,971
States Expected to Become--State Death Match-EDR 1 1,247 3.73 4,651 ** 23.00 *** 28,681
Within the Next 3 Years *...........................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals:.......................................... 55 .............. .............. 473,347,120 .............. *** 72,811,652
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Please note that both of these data matching processes are electronic, and nearly immediate. Therefore, there is only a cost burden, and no hourly
burden for the respondent to provide this information.
We estimated the frequency of responses by taking the total number of actual records received for calendar year 2023 for each category and dividing by
the number of respondents, per category.
We have 54 States and Jurisdictions currently using EDR. Guam recently showed interest in becoming an EDR site. Estimated sometime mid to late next year
2024.
** We based this figure on the average Records Clerk hourly wages as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes434199.htm).
*** 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.
SSA-721
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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-721........................................... 437,449 1 4 29,163 $27.90 * $813,648 **
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* We based this figure on average funeral home manager's hourly salary in May 2024, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes394031.htm).
** 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. Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness Network
(RETAIN)--0960-0821. The SSA and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) are
conducting the Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness
Network (RETAIN) demonstration. The RETAIN demonstration tests the
impact of early intervention strategies that improve stay-at-work/
return-to-work (SAW/RTW) outcomes of individuals who experience work
disability while employed. We define ``Work disability'' as an injury,
illness, or medical condition that has the potential to inhibit or
prevent continued employment or labor force participation. SAW/RTW
programs succeed by returning injured or ill workers to productive work
as soon as medically possible during their recovery process, and by
providing interim part-time or light duty work and accommodations, as
necessary. We loosely modeled the RETAIN Demonstration Projects after
promising programs operating in Washington State, including the Centers
of Occupational Health and Education (COHE), the Early Return to Work
(ERTW), and the Stay at Work programs.
While these programs operate within the state's workers'
compensation system, and are available only to people experiencing
work-related injuries or illnesses, the RETAIN Demonstration Projects
provide opportunities to improve SAW/RTW outcomes for both occupational
and non-occupational injuries and illnesses of people who are employed,
or at a minimum in the labor force, when their injury or illness
occurs.
The primary goals of the RETAIN Demonstration Projects are:
1. To increase employment retention and labor force participation
of individuals who acquire, and/or are at risk of developing, work
disabilities; and
2. To reduce long-term work disability among RETAIN service users,
including the need for Social Security Disability Insurance and
Supplemental Security Income.
The Retain Demonstration aims to validate and expand evidence-based
strategies to accomplish these goals. DOL funds intervention approaches
and programmatic technical assistance, while SSA funds evaluation
support, including technical assistance and the full evaluation for the
demonstration. The demonstration consists of two Phases. The first
involves the implementation and assessment of cooperative awards to
eight states to conduct planning and start-up activities, including the
launch of a small pilot demonstration. During Phase 1, SSA provided
evaluation-related technical assistance and planning, and conducts
evaluability assessments to assess which states' projects would allow
for a rigorous evaluation if continued beyond the pilot phase. SSA
completed Phase 1 on May 16, 2021. DOL selected a subset of states and
continued to Phase 2 full implementation and evaluation on May 17,
2021, which will end in October 2025. During Phase 2, DOL funds the
operations and program technical assistance activities for the
recommended states, and SSA funds the full set of evaluation
activities. The four components of this evaluation, completed during
site visits, interviews with RETAIN service users, surveys of RETAIN
enrollees, and surveys of RETAIN service providers, include:
The participation analysis: Using RETAIN service user
interviews and surveys, this analysis provides insights into which
eligible workers choose to participate in the program, in what ways
they participate, and how services received vary with participant
characteristics. Similarly, it will assess the characteristics of, and
if possible, reasons for non-enrollment of non-participants.
The process analysis: Using staff interviews and logs,
this analysis produces information about operational features that
affect service provision; perceptions of the intervention design by
service users, providers, administrators, and other stakeholders;
relationships among the partner
[[Page 30432]]
organizations; each program's fidelity to the research design; and
lessons for future programs with similar objectives.
The impact analysis: This analysis produces estimates of
the effects of the interventions on primary outcomes, including
employment and Social Security disability applications, and secondary
outcomes, such as health and service usage. SSA identifies evaluation
designs for each state to generate impact estimates, which could
include experimental or non-experimental designs.
The cost-benefit analysis: This analysis assesses whether
the benefits of RETAIN justify its costs, conducted from various
perspectives, including participants, state and Federal governments,
SSA, and society as a whole.
The purpose and proposed use of this information collection is to
gather qualitative and quantitative data needed to conduct the
analysis. These activities, include (1) surveys of RETAIN enrollees and
(2) follow-up interviews with RETAIN service users. The qualitative
data collection consists of: (1) semi-structured interviews with
program staff and service users; and (2) staff activity logs. Program
staff interviews focus on staff's perceptions of the successes and
challenges of implementing each states program, while staff activity
logs house information on staff's time to inform the benefit-cost
analysis. Service user interviews inform SSA's understanding of users'
experiences with program services. The quantitative data include SSA's
program records and survey data. The survey data collection consists
of: (1) two rounds of follow-up surveys, focusing on individual-level
outcomes, with enrollees, all of whom who have experienced a disability
onset; and (2) two rounds of surveys with RETAIN providers. Respondents
learn of the RETAIN program data collection efforts through various
outreach methods, including, but not limited to mailings, phone calls,
and from other individuals. SSA is constantly reviewing our outreach
strategies to ensure maximum exposure and accessibility to the
materials. the respondents are staff members selected for staff
interviews and staff activity logs, and RETAIN service users,
enrollees, and providers.
Type of Request: Request for renewal of an information collection.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average Average wait
Average burden Estimated theoretical time for Total annual
Modality of completion Number of Frequency of per response total annual hourly cost teleservice opportunity
respondents response (minutes) burden (hours) amount centers cost (dollars)
(dollars) * (minutes) ** ***
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RETAIN 2024 Burden Figures
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enrollee Survey Round 1 (Respondents)... 1,872 1 20 624 * 31.48 ** 19 *** 38,311
Enrollee Survey Round 1 (Nonrespondents) 468 1 3 23 * 31.48 ** 0 *** 724
Enrollee Survey Round 2 (Respondents)... 4,493 1 26 1,947 * 31.48 ** 19 *** 106,088
Enrollee Survey Round 2 (Nonrespondents) 1,123 1 3 56 * 31.48 ** 0 *** 1,763
Follow-up interviews with service users 20 1 141 47 * 31.48 ** 19 *** 1,668
(Respondents)..........................
Follow-up interviews with service users 30 1 6 3 * 31.48 ** 0 *** 94
(Nonrespondents).......................
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Totals.............................. 8,006 .............. .............. 2,700 .............. .............. *** 148,648
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RETAIN 2025 Burden Figures
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enrollee Survey Round 2 (Respondents)... 1,123 1 26 487 * 31.48 ** 19 *** 26,538
Enrollee Survey Round 2 (Nonrespondents) 281 1 3 14 * 31.48 ** 0 *** 441
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals.............................. 1,404 .............. .............. 501 .............. .............. *** 26,979
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grand Total
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Totals.............................. 9,410 .............. .............. 3,201 .............. .............. *** 175,627
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* We based these figures on average U.S. citizen's hourly salary, as reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics data (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm).
** We based this figure on average FY 2023 wait times for teleservice centers (approximately 19 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 these tasks; rather, these
are theoretical opportunity costs for the additional time respondents will spend to complete the tasks. There is no actual charge to respondents to
complete the tasks.
[[Page 30433]]
Dated: April 17, 2024.
Naomi Sipple,
Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-08565 Filed 4-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4191-02-P
