Social Security Administration – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act, as amended, this notice announces a new matching program with Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The Commissioner of Social Security is giving notice of Social Security Acquiescence Ruling 24-1(6) and rescission of Social Security Acquiescence Ruling 98-3(6) and Social Security Acquiescence Ruling 98- 4(6).

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration for Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF), Children's Bureau (CB) oversees the child welfare system, which is administered by State, local, and Tribal child welfare agencies nationwide. The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs. This request for information (RFI) seeks public input to inform how Federal agencies can support broader State and local efforts to improve the outcomes of children in the child welfare system who are eligible for Federal benefits. The input we receive will inform our deliberations about potential policy changes.

In accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act, as amended, this notice announces a new matching program with the Department of Labor (DOL). Under this matching program, DOL will disclose the DOL-administered Part B Black Lung (BL) benefit data to SSA. SSA will match DOL's Part B BL data with SSA's records of persons receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to verify that Part B BL beneficiaries are receiving the correct amount of SSI payments.

In accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act, as amended, this notice announces a new matching program with the Department of Labor (DOL). Under this matching program, DOL will disclose the DOL-administered Part C Black Lung (BL) benefit data to SSA. SSA will match DOL's Part C BL data with SSA's records of persons receiving Social Security disability benefits to verify that Part C BL beneficiaries are receiving the correct amount of Social Security disability benefits.

On August 22, 2012, we announced in the Federal Register a schedule of standard administrative fees we charge to the public. When authorized, we charge these fees to recover our full costs when we provide information and related services for non-program purposes. We are announcing an update to the previously published schedule of standard administrative fees. The updated standard fee schedule is part of our continued effort to standardize fees for non-program information requests. Standard fees provide consistency and ensure we recover the full cost of supplying information when we receive a request for a purpose not directly related to the administration of a program under the Social Security Act (Act).

In accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act, as amended, this notice announces a new matching program with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This matching program sets forth the terms, conditions, and safeguards under which DHS will disclose information to SSA in order to identify noncitizens who leave the United States voluntarily and noncitizens who are removed from the United States.

We are providing notice of SSR 24-2p. This SSR explains how we evaluate past relevant work in establishing disability under titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act (Act) and our implementing regulations. This ruling rescinds SSR 86-8 and rescinds and replaces SSRs 82-61 and 82-62.

We published in the Federal Register on April 18, 2024, a final rule to revise the time period we consider when determining whether an individual's past work is relevant for the purposes of making disability determinations and decisions under our rules. The preamble of that final rule cited an effective date of June 8, 2024. This rulemaking defers that effective date to June 22, 2024.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) requests public comment about how to implement our Plan for Increasing Public Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research (public access plan). Our public access plan provides general guidelines supporting public access to our scientific research publications and scientific research data. We are seeking public input to inform our development of specific policies and guidelines that will apply to all new research grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and other awards made on or after December 31, 2025. The policies and guidelines will also apply to all scientific research by our employees published on or after December 31, 2025.

In accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act, as amended, this notice announces a new matching program with the Department of Defense (DOD), Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC).

We are finalizing our proposed rule to expand the definition of a public assistance (PA) household for purposes of our programs, particularly the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, to include the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as an additional means-tested public income-maintenance (PIM) program. We are also revising the definition of a PA household from a household in which every member receives some kind of PIM payment to a household that has both an SSI applicant or recipient, and at least one other household member who receives one or more of the listed PIM payments (the any other definition). If determined to be living in a PA household, inside in-kind support and maintenance (ISM) would no longer need to be developed. The final rule will decrease the number of SSI applicants and recipients charged with ISM from others within their household. In addition, we expect this rule to decrease the amount of income we would deem to SSI applicants and recipients because we will no longer deem as income from ineligible spouses and parents who live in the same household: the value of the SNAP benefits that they receive; any income that was counted or excluded in figuring the amount of that payment; or any income that was used to determine the amount of SNAP benefits to someone else. These policy changes reduce administrative burden for low-income households and SSA.

We are finalizing our proposed regulation to apply nationwide the In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM) rental subsidy exception that has until now been available only for SSI applicants and recipients residing in seven States. This final rule provides that a "business arrangement" exists, such that the SSI applicant or recipient is not considered to be receiving ISM in the form of room or rent, when the amount of monthly required rent for the property equals or exceeds the presumed maximum value (PMV).

We are updating our Supplemental Security Income (SSI) regulations to remove food from the calculations of In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM). We are also adding conforming language to our definition of income. These changes simplify our rules by making them less cumbersome to administer and easier for the public to understand and follow, and they improve the equitable treatment of food assistance within the SSI program. This final rule also includes other minor revisions to our regulations related to income, including clarifying our longstanding position that income may be received ``constructively.''

In accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974, we are issuing public notice of our intent to modify our existing systems of records listed below under the System Name and Number section. This notice publishes details of the modified systems as set forth below under the caption, SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

Section 824 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BBA) authorizes the Commissioner of Social Security to enter into information exchanges with payroll data providers to obtain wage and employment information. We use wage and employment information to administer the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) disability and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs under titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act (Act). We are proposing these rules pursuant to section 824 of the BBA, which requires us to prescribe, by regulation, procedures for implementing the access to and use of the information held by payroll data providers. We expect these proposed rules will support proper use of information exchanges with payroll data providers that will help us administer our programs more efficiently and prevent improper payments under titles II and XVI of the Act, which can otherwise occur when we do not receive timely and accurate wage and employment information.

In accordance with the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010, we are publishing this notice to advise the public of the availability of the FY 2021 Service Contract inventory.

The Social Security Administration is giving notice of its updated maximum civil monetary penalties. These amounts are effective from January 15, 2024 through January 14, 2025. These figures represent an annual adjustment for inflation. The updated figures and notification are required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015.