View Information Collection Request (ICR) Package

OMB Control No: 0960-0835	ICR Reference No: 202309-0960-006
Status: Historical Inactive	Previous ICR Reference No:
Agency/Subagency: SSA	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Expand the Definition of a Public Assistance Household (NPRM) - RIN 0960-AI81
Type of Information Collection: New collection (Request for a new OMB Control Number)	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Comment filed on proposed rule	Conclusion Date: 11/30/2023
	Date Received in OIRA: 09/29/2023
Terms of Clearance: OMB files this comment in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.11( c ). This OMB action is not an approval to conduct or sponsor an information collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This action has no effect on any current approvals. If OMB has assigned this ICR a new OMB Control Number, the OMB Control Number will not appear in the active inventory. For future submissions of this information collection, reference the OMB Control Number provided. Prior to publication of the final rule, the agency should provide to OMB a summary of all comments received on the proposed information collection and identify any changes made in response to these comments.

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date		36 Months From Approved
Responses	0	0	0
Time Burden (Hours)	0	0	0
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0

Abstract: We administer the SSI program, which provides monthly payments to: (1) adults and children with a disability or blindness; and (2) adults aged 65 or older. Eligible individuals must meet all the requirements in the Social Security Act (Act), including having resources and income below specified amounts. Since SSI is a needs-based program for those with limited income and resources, SSA must consider the amount of income an applicant or recipient has when determining whether that person is eligible to receive SSI payments. If the individual is eligible, their income is also a factor when SSA calculates the amount of their monthly SSI payments. Specifically, once SSA determines an individual is eligible for SSI, SSA determines the individual’s monthly payment amount under section 20 CFR 416.1104 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) by subtracting the individual’s countable monthly income from the Federal benefit rate (FBR), which is the monthly maximum Federal SSI payment. Applicants’ and recipients’ resources may affect their SSI eligibility, while their income may affect both their SSI eligibility and payment amounts. The Social Security Act (Act) in section 42 USC 1382a, and our regulations in in section 416.1110 defines income as “earned,” such as wages from work, and in section 416.1120 defines all income that is not earned as “unearned,” (e.g., gifted cash or in-kind support and maintenance (ISM)). Like other forms of income, ISM can reduce the amount of an applicant’s or recipient’s monthly SSI payment. Because ISM requires that applicants or recipients receive food, shelter, or both, by definition. Under our current regulations in section 20 CFR 416.1130(b), ISM means any food or shelter that is given to an individual or that the individual receives because someone else pays for it. In addition to counting ISM that an applicant or recipient receives, the current SSI program deems a portion of the income of certain individuals to the SSI applicant or recipient under section 42 U.S.C. 1382c(f) of the Act and as codified under 20 CFR 416.1160. Our current regulations in section 416.1161(a) and (b) exclude from the deemed income of an ineligible spouse or parent any public income maintenance (PIM) payments and any income used to compute this payment. This exclusion also applies to the income of an ineligible spouse or parent when used to compute a PIM payment of someone else. Section 416.1142(a) defines what we consider a public assistance household and lists PIM payments. Under section 20 CFR 416.1142(a) of this rule, we propose to expand the definition of “public assistance household” to include SNAP, which we anticipate will allow for deeming for more respondents under our revised ISM regulations. This proposed policy will better reflect current means-tested benefit programs and will simplify the development of living arrangements and ISM policies. In addition, this proposal will also allow for higher benefit payments to recipients, and therefore supports our goal of enhancing equality in the programs we administer for all applicants and recipients. We anticipate a 50% reduction in the number of respondents under this rule, based on those who indicate they are part of a Public Assistance Household and who may not need to complete the follow-up forms SSA-L5062, SSA L5063, SSA-8006, and SSA 8011. We also anticipate a small burden reduction per response for the SSA-8006 (0960-0174) as respondents will not need to develop the responses about their household. Respondents are applicants for, or recipients of, Social Security disability benefits (SSDI); SSI payments; or their representatives.

Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 42 USC 1382a Name of Law: Social Security Act
US Code: 42 USC 1382c(f) Name of Law: Social Security Act

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
0960-AI81	Proposed rulemaking	88 FR 67148	09/29/2023

Federal Register Notices & Comments
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Changing Regulations

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: The new proposed rule decreases the overall public reporting burden for these information collections. See question #12 for updated burden figures. As noted in #1 and #12 above, upon OMB approval of the final rule, we will update the burden figures in the associated information collections under 0960-0174, 0960-0456, and 0960-0529 to reflect these revised burdens. * Note: The total burden reflected in ROCIS is 181,823, while the burden cited in #12 of the Supporting Statement is 88,820. This discrepancy is because the ROCIS burden reflects the field office waiting time. In contrast, the chart in #12 of the Supporting Statement reflects actual burden.

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $0

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

Agency Contact: Faye Lipsky 410 965-8783 faye.lipsky@ssa.gov

View ICR - OIRA Conclusion