Timely Progress NPRM supporting statement 3377P

Supporting Statement for Timely Progress Provisions of the

Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program

20CFR 411 Subpart C

OMB No. 0960– New

A.Justification

1. This collection is necessary to administer a portion of the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program (Ticket Program) authorized under Section 1148 of the Social Security Act. Section 1148(i) provides that the Social Security Administration (SSA) may not initiate a medical Continuing Disability Review (CDR) while a beneficiary is using a ticket. The timely progress provisions of the Ticket Program regulations codified in 20 CFR 411 Subpart C describes the criteria and method for determining if a beneficiary is progressing in the Ticket Program at a level that qualifies him/her for continued protection from a medical CDR. If the individual is making timely progress, SSA will not initiate a medical CDR. Section 205(a) of the Social Security Act gives the Commissioner of Social Security the authority to establish regulations for SSA’s programs.

2. There are three categories of information collection associated with this regulatory revision as described below:

Request to Place Ticket in Inactive Status

Section 411.192(b) and (c) permits a beneficiary participating in the Ticket Program to request in writing that the ticket be deactivated and subsequently reactivated during a period in which the beneficiary becomes temporarily unable to make timely progress toward self-supporting employment. Upon receiving such a request, the Ticket Program Manager (PM) will transmit updated information to SSA systems so that the inactive or reactivated ticket status will take affect. A beneficiary is not exempt from any medical CDR that may occur while the ticket is inactive. The PM may count these ticket status change actions in work activity reports.

Request for Certification of Work and Educational Progress

Section 411.200(b) indicates that if SSA’s administrative records don’t show that the beneficiary has met the expected work or educational requirement for the timely progress certification period, we will contact either the beneficiary or the service provider with whom the beneficiary is using the ticket. The PM will contact the beneficiary or the service provider to request certification that the beneficiary has met the progress requirements for the period. The respondent will have the option of replying by mail or fax.

Request to Re-Enter Ticket In-Use Status after Not Making Timely Progress

Section 411.210(b) requires a beneficiary to send a written request to be reinstated to in-use status after not meeting the timely progress criteria. The PM will decide if the beneficiary has met the applicable requirements. If the beneficiary has met the requirements, the PM will transmit the updated ticket status change and the beneficiary will once again be exempt from a medical CDR.

The name and address of the current Ticket PM is MAXIMUS, Inc., 2000 Duke Street 2^nd Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314, P.O. Box 25105

3. Because of the low volume of responses, 31,145, and other higher priority work, SSA is not providing an electronic option for submitting the information.

4. As part of this timely progress certification process, we will look for evidence of work and earnings in SSA’s administrative records. Beneficiaries or their service providers who are reporting this information to us on an ongoing basis will not be contacted. We will only make contact if our records do not indicate evidence of sufficient progress to retain exemption from a Medical CDR. The purpose of this collection is specific to the Ticket Program. There is no other collection instrument in use by SSA which describes the criteria for timely progress under the Ticket Program and requests evidence of having met that criterion.

5. We will primarily contact beneficiaries under this collection. However, in some instances we may need to follow-up with service providers most of whom are state agencies or small businesses. This collection does not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small businesses or other small entities.

6. There are no technical or legal obstacles that prevent burden reduction. However, if the information requirements of this provision were collected less frequently, the cost of operating the Ticket Program may be adversely affected. If we monitor timely progress less than annually, beneficiaries who are not making timely progress may undeservedly retain exemption from receiving a medical CDR and possibly stay on the benefit rolls because medical recovery under our rules would go undetected.

6. There are no special circumstances that would cause this information collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with 5 CFR 1320.5.

6. In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that SSA published on September 30, 2005 (70 FR 57222, 57227), we asked for public comments on, among other things, how we should simplify the definition of “using a ticket” and how we might revise the timely progress requirements in our current Ticket Program regulations. We received numerous comments that educational programs should be equated with work for the purpose of determining timely progress under the Ticket Program. We adopted those comments.

In response to concerns about the potential administrative burden on service providers that have a large number of ticket holders as clients, we decided to primarily determine administratively and through contact with beneficiaries if timely progress requirements have been met.

The public is being given the opportunity to comment on the proposed revisions, including the information collection requirements through a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that is pending publication in the Federal Register.

Other than the request for public comments in the September 30, 2005 NPRM, there have been no outside consultations with members of the public.

6. SSA provides no payments or gifts to respondents other than payment to employment networks under contract with SSA, as provided for by Section 1148 of the Social Security Act for helping beneficiaries achieve certain goals toward self-sufficiency.

6. The information collected under the requirements of these regulations is protected and held confidential in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 1306, 20 CFR 401 and 402, 5 U.S.C. 552 (Freedom of Information Act), 5 U.S.C. 552a (Privacy Act of 1974), and OMB Circular No. A-130.

11. The information collection does not contain any questions of a sensitive nature.

11. See the chart below for the number of respondents and annual burden hours.

SECTION	ANNUAL NUMBER OF RESPONSES	FREQUENCY OF RESPONSE	AVERAGE BURDEN PER RESPONSE	ESTIMATED ANNUAL BURDEN
411.192(b)&(c)	1,000	One-time	30	500
411.200(b)	27,000	One-time	15	6,750
411.210(b)	3,145	One-time	30	1,573
Total	31,145	--	--	8,823

 

13. There is no known cost burden to respondents.

13. The cost to the federal government to collect the information contained in this regulatory provision is negligible. The cost to collect this information is accounted for in the current Ticket to Work Regulation.

13. The public reporting burden will primarily be on beneficiaries as opposed to service providers. Otherwise there are no changes in the public reporting burden.

16. The results of the information collection will not be published.

16. SSA is not requesting an exemption from displaying the expiration date for OMB approval of this information collection.

16. SSA is not requesting an exception to the certification requirements at 5 CFR 1320.9 and related provisions at 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).

2. Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods

Statistical methods are not used for this information collection.

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