Social Security Administration 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Evidence From Statutorily Excluded Medical Sources
Document Number: 2016-13744
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-06-10
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
In accordance with section 812 of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BBA section 812), we propose to revise our rules to explain how we would address evidence furnished by medical sources that meet one of BBA section 812's exclusionary categories (statutorily excluded medical sources). Under this proposed rule, we would not consider evidence furnished by a statutorily excluded medical source unless we find good cause to do so. We propose several circumstances in which we would find good cause, and we also propose to require statutorily excluded medical sources to notify us of their excluded status when they furnish evidence to us. These rules would allow us to fulfill obligations that we have under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (BBA).
Revised Medical Criteria for Evaluating Respiratory System Disorders
Document Number: 2016-13275
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-06-09
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
We are revising the criteria in the Listing of Impairments (listings) that we use to evaluate claims involving respiratory disorders in adults and children under titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act (Act). The revisions reflect our program experience and advances in medical knowledge since we last comprehensively revised this body system in 1993, as well as comments we received from medical experts and the public.
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and Comment Request
Document Number: 2016-13202
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-06-06
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
Supplementary Agreement Amending the Agreement on Social Security Between the United States and the Czech Republic; Entry Into Force
Document Number: 2016-13009
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-06-02
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
The Acting Commissioner of Social Security gives notice that a supplementary agreement coordinating the United States (U.S.) and the Czech Republic social security programs will enter into force on May 1, 2016. The original agreement with the Czech Republic was signed on September 7, 2007. The intent of the original agreement was that workers covered exclusively under U.S. laws while working in the Czech Republic would be exempt from the Czech health insurance contributions. A change in Czech law after the signing of the original 2007 agreement caused these workers to be liable for Czech health insurance taxes. This result was inconsistent with the purpose of the totalization agreement to eliminate duplicate taxation as permitted by 42 U.S.C. 433 and 26 U.S.C. 3101(c). The supplementary agreement exempts a worker subject exclusively to U.S. laws from contributing to the Czech health insurance system. The supplementary agreement achieves this by placing the new Czech health insurance law, the Act on Public Health, within the scope of the 2007 U.S.-Czech Agreement. Individuals who wish to obtain copies of the agreement or want more information about its provisions may write to the Social Security Administration, Office of International Programs, Post Office Box 17741, Baltimore, MD 21235-7741 or visit the Social Security Web site at www.socialsecurity.gov/international.
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and Comment Request
Document Number: 2016-12690
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-05-31
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
Extension of Expiration Dates for Two Body System Listings
Document Number: 2016-12182
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-05-24
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
We are extending the expiration dates of the following body systems in the Listing of Impairments (listings) in our regulations: Endocrine Disorders and Immune System Disorders. We are making no other revisions to these body systems in this final rule. This extension ensures that we will continue to have the criteria we need to evaluate impairments in the affected body systems at step three of the sequential evaluation processes for initial claims and continuing disability reviews.
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and Comment Request
Document Number: 2016-11851
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-05-20
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
Public Availability of Social Security Administration Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Service Contract Inventory
Document Number: 2016-11576
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-05-17
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
In accordance with section 743 of Division C of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-117), we are publishing this notice to advise the public of the availability of the FY 2015 Service Contract inventory. This inventory provides information on FY 2015 service contract actions over $25,000. We organized the information by function to show how we distribute contracted resources throughout the agency. We developed the inventory in accordance with guidance issued on December 19, 2011 by the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP). OFPP's guidance is available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/ procurement/memo/service-contract-inventory-guidance.pdf. You can access the inventory and summary of the inventory on our homepage at the following link: https://www.socialsecurity.gov/sci.
Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; Computer Matching Program (SSA/Department of the Treasury, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service (Fiscal Service)-Match Number 1038
Document Number: 2016-11175
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-05-12
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
In accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act, as amended, this notice announces a renewal of an existing computer matching program that we are currently conducting with Fiscal Service.
Unsuccessful Work Attempts and Expedited Reinstatement Eligibility
Document Number: 2016-10932
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-05-11
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
We propose to remove some of the requirements for evaluation of an unsuccessful work attempt (UWA) that lasts between 3 and 6 months. We also propose to allow previously entitled beneficiaries to apply for expedited reinstatement (EXR) in the same month they stop performing substantial gainful activity (SGA). Provisional benefits will begin the month after the request for EXR if the beneficiary stops performing SGA in the month of the EXR request. These changes would simplify our policies and make them easier for the public to understand.
Implementation of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007
Document Number: 2016-10424
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-05-05
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
We propose to implement provisions of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (NIAA) that require Federal agencies to provide relevant records to the Attorney General for inclusion in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). Under the proposed rule, we would identify, on a prospective basis, individuals who receive Disability Insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (Act) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments under title XVI of the Act and also meet certain other criteria, including an award of benefits based on a finding that the individual's mental impairment meets or medically equals the requirements of section 12.00 of the Listing of Impairments (Listings) and receipt of benefits through a representative payee. We propose to provide pertinent information about these individuals to the Attorney General on not less than a quarterly basis. As required by the NIAA, at the commencement of the adjudication process we would also notify individuals, both orally and in writing, of their possible Federal prohibition on possessing or receiving firearms, the consequences of such inclusion, the criminal penalties for violating the Gun Control Act, and the availability of relief from the prohibitions imposed by Federal law. Finally, we also propose to establish a program that permits individuals to request relief from the Federal firearms prohibitions based on our adjudication. The proposed rule would allow us to fulfill responsibilities that we have under the NIAA.
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request
Document Number: 2016-09828
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-04-27
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and Comment Request
Document Number: 2016-09573
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-04-25
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
Social Security Ruling 16-4p; Titles II and XVI: Using Genetic Test Results To Evaluate Disability
Document Number: 2016-09184
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-04-21
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
The Social Security Administration published a document in the Federal Register of April 13, 2016, in FR Doc. 2016-08467, on page 21949, in the first column; remove the reference to SSR 96-7p, Titles II and XVI: Evaluation of Symptoms in Disability Claims: Assessing the Credibility of an Individual's Statements; add the reference SSR 16-3p, Titles II and XVI: Evaluation of Symptoms in Disability Claims.
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and Comment Request
Document Number: 2016-08869
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-04-18
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
Requiring Electronic Access to the Electronic Folder by Certain Claimant Representatives
Document Number: 2016-08162
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-04-18
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
This notice provides advance notification of the requirement that, for claims with certified electronic folders pending at the hearing or Appeals Council levels, an appointed representative must access and obtain a claimant's folder through Appointed Representative Services (ARS) in matters for which the representative requests direct fee payment. Except under the limited circumstances described in this notice, we will no longer provide compact disc (CD) copies of the electronic folder to appointed representatives who request direct payment of fees. We are implementing this requirement to improve administrative efficiency, ensure that representatives can provide the best possible service to claimants by using the most up-to-date information in the claim(s) folder, and manage the unprecedented workload pending in the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR).
Social Security Ruling, SSR 16-4p; Titles II and XVI: Using Genetic Test Results To Evaluate Disability
Document Number: 2016-08467
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-04-13
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
We are giving notice of SSR 16-4p. This SSR explains how we consider the results of genetic tests in disability claims and continuing disability reviews under titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act, consistent with our policies for determination of disability.
Extension of the Workers' Compensation Offset From Age 65 to Full Retirement Age-Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act
Document Number: 2016-07602
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-04-04
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
This final rule adopts, with one additional change, the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that we published in the Federal Register on January 4, 2016. This final rule revises our rules by incorporating changes made by the ABLE Act to section 224(a) of the Social Security Act (Act). Under this final rule, the age at which disability insurance benefits (DIB) are no longer subject to reduction (offset) based on receipt of workers' compensation or public disability benefits (WC/PDB) changes from age 65 to the day the individual attains full retirement age.
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request
Document Number: 2016-07584
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-04-04
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and Comment Request
Document Number: 2016-06642
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-24
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
Social Security Ruling 16-3p; Titles II and XVI: Evaluation of Symptoms in Disability Claims
Document Number: 2016-06598
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-24
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
The Social Security Administration published a document in the Federal Register of March 16, 2016, in FR Doc. 2016-05916, on page 14172, in the second column; correct the ``Effective Date'' caption to read: Effective Date: This SSR is effective on March 28, 2016.
Social Security Ruling 16-3p; Titles II and XVI: Evaluation of Symptoms in Disability Claims
Document Number: 2016-05916
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-16
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
We are providing notice of SSR 16-3p. This Ruling supersedes SSR 96-7p. This Ruling provides guidance about how we evaluate statements regarding the intensity, persistence, and limiting effects of symptoms in disability claims under Titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act (Act) and blindness claims under Title XVI of the Act.
Social Security Acquiescence Ruling (AR) 16-1(7), Boley v. Colvin: Judicial Review of an Administrative Law Judge's Order Finding No Good Cause for a Late Hearing Request and Dismissing the Request as Untimely-Titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act
Document Number: 2016-05663
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-14
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
We are publishing this Social Security AR to explain how we will apply a holding in a decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit that we have determined conflicts with our interpretation of the law regarding judicial review of an administrative law judge's (ALJ's) order finding no good cause for a late hearing request and dismissing the request as untimely.
Titles II and XVI: Fraud and Similar Fault Redeterminations Under Sections 205(U) and 1631(E)(7) of the Social Security Act
Document Number: 2016-05661
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-14
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
In accordance with 20 CFR 402.35(b)(1), the Commissioner of Social Security gives notice of SSR 16-1p. This Ruling provides guidance on how we redetermine entitlement to and eligibility for benefits when there is a reason to believe fraud or similar fault is involved with an individual's application for benefits.
Social Security Ruling, SSR 16-2p; Titles II and XVI: Evaluation of Claims Involving Similar Fault in the Providing of Evidence
Document Number: 2016-05660
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-14
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
In accordance with 20 CFR 402.35(b)(1), the Commissioner of Social Security gives notice of SSR 16-2p. This Ruling supersedes and replaces previously published SSR 00-2p. It provides the definition of fraud, and clarifies the definitions of knowingly and preponderance of the evidence. The Ruling also clarifies that we may find that any individual or entity has committed fraud or similar fault, and that we may disregard evidence submitted by any individual or entity that we find has committed fraud or similar fault. In addition, the Ruling provides examples of such individuals and entities.
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and Comment Request
Document Number: 2016-04797
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-04
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and Comment Request
Document Number: 2016-04229
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-03-01
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; Computer Matching Program (SSA/Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service (Fiscal Service))-Match Number 1304
Document Number: 2016-04123
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-02-26
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
In accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act, as amended, this notice announces a renewal of an existing computer matching program that we are currently conducting with Fiscal Service.
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and Comment Request
Document Number: 2016-03380
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-02-18
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
Revising the Ticket to Work Program Rules
Document Number: 2016-02657
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-02-10
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
We are soliciting public input on whether and how we might revise the current Ticket to Work program rules. The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 established the Ticket to Work program to allow individuals with disabilities to seek services to obtain and retain employment in order to reduce dependency on cash benefit programs. In creating the program, Congress found that eliminating barriers to work and providing individuals with real choice in obtaining services and technology to find, enter, and maintain employment can greatly improve the short and long-term financial independence and personal well-being of our beneficiaries. We want to explore improving our Ticket to Work program as part of our ongoing effort to help our beneficiaries find and maintain employment that leads to increased independence and enhanced productivity. If we propose specific revisions to our regulations, we will publish a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register.
Returning Evidence at the Appeals Council Level
Document Number: 2016-02267
Type: Rule
Date: 2016-02-05
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
This final rule adopts the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that we published in the Federal Register on October 21, 2015. This final rule revises our rules regarding returning evidence at the Appeals Council (AC) level. Under this final rule, the AC will no longer return additional evidence it receives when the AC determines the additional evidence does not relate to the period on or before the date of the administrative law judge (ALJ) decision.
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Request and Comment Request
Document Number: 2016-00855
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-01-19
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; Computer Matching Program (SSA/Railroad Retirement Board (RRB))-Match Number 1006
Document Number: 2016-183
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-01-08
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
In accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act, as amended, this notice announces a renewal of an existing computer matching program that we are currently conducting with RRB.
Rate for Assessment on Direct Payment of Fees to Representatives in 2016
Document Number: 2015-33135
Type: Notice
Date: 2016-01-05
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
We are announcing that the assessment percentage rate under sections 206(d) and 1631(d)(2)(C) of the Social Security Act (Act), 42 U.S.C. 406(d) and 1383(d)(2)(C), is 6.3 percent for 2016.
Extension of the Workers' Compensation Offset From Age 65 to Full Retirement Age-Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act
Document Number: 2015-33036
Type: Proposed Rule
Date: 2016-01-04
Agency: Social Security Administration, Agencies and Commissions
We propose to amend our regulations to incorporate changes made by the ABLE Act to section 224(a) of the Social Security Act. The ABLE Act amends section 224(a) by changing the age at which disability insurance benefits (DIB) are no longer subject to reduction (offset) based on receipt of workers' compensation or public disability benefits (WC/PDB), from age 65 to the day the individual attains full retirement age. This change will make our rules consistent with the provisions of the Act, as amended by the ABLE Act.
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