Social Security Administration January 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Commissioner of Social Security gives notice that an agreement coordinating the United States (U.S.) and Japanese social security programs entered into force on October 1, 2005. The agreement with Japan, which was signed on February 19, 2004, is similar to U.S. social security agreements already in force with 20 other countries Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Korea (South), Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Agreements of this type are authorized by section 233 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 433). Like the other agreements, the U.S.-Japanese agreement eliminates dual social security coveragethe situation that exists when a worker from one country works in the other country and is covered under the social security systems of both countries for the same work. When dual coverage occurs, the worker or the worker's employer or both may be required to pay social security contributions to the two countries simultaneously. Under the U.S.-Japanese agreement, a worker who is sent by an employer in one country to work in the other country for 5 years or less remains covered only by the sending country. The agreement includes additional rules that eliminate dual U.S. and Japanese coverage in other work situations. The agreement also helps eliminate situations where workers suffer a loss of benefit rights because they have divided their careers between the two countries. Under the agreement, workers may qualify for partial U.S. benefits or partial Japanese benefits based on combined (totalized) work credits from both countries. 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 https://www.socialsecurity.gov/international.

We are revising our regulations to identify additional bases upon which we may bring charges to disqualify an individual from acting as a representative before the Social Security Administration (SSA), and to set forth the conditions under which we will reinstate an individual whom we have disqualified as a representative because the individual collected or received, and retains, a fee in excess of the amount we authorized. These final rules revise our regulations on the representation of parties to implement section 205 of the Social Security Protection Act of 2004 (SSPA) and to make additional changes in these regulations that relate to the changes required by this legislation. The rules also make technical changes in our regulations on the representation of parties.

We are revising the criteria in the Listing of Impairments (the listings) that we use to evaluate claims involving cardiovascular impairments. We apply these criteria when you claim benefits based on disability under title II and title XVI of the Social Security Act (the Act). The revisions reflect advances in medical knowledge, treatment, and methods of evaluating cardiovascular impairments.

The Social Security Administration is announcing that the assessment percentage rate under section 206(d) and 1631(d)(2)(C) of the Social Security Act (the Act), 42 U.S.C. 406(d), and 1383(d)(2)(C) is 6.3 percent for 2006.