Ticket to Work Survey Part A supporting statement

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR

SSA SURVEY OF TICKET TO WORK BENEFICIARIES

OMB No. 0960-NEW

A. Justification

1. The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (Public Law 106-170) was designed to:

   • Increase Social Security beneficiary choice in obtaining rehabilitation and vocational services which can help them return to work and attain their employment goals;

   • Remove barriers that require people with disabilities to choose between health care coverage and work; and

   • Ensure that more Americans with disabilities have the opportunity to participate in the workforce and decrease their dependence on public benefits.

The Act facilitates the last goal stated above by allowing Social Security beneficiaries to retain current Social Security benefits while they are working towards employment goals or regain previously terminated benefits if they decide to work toward vocational goals.

The Ticket to Work (TTW) program has enabled large numbers of Social Security beneficiaries to work toward vocational goals and eventual independence while still receiving benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA). However, SSA has observed that not all the beneficiaries who qualify for the program choose to enter it. SSA is therefore conducting the Survey of Ticket to Work Beneficiaries, which we hope will give us information we can use to develop a communication plan which will attract more beneficiaries to join the program.

2. SSA will survey two groups of beneficiaries as part of this study. All the beneficiaries will have qualified for the TTW program. However, one group will consist of those beneficiaries who chose to participate in the program, while the other group will consist of those who did not. The survey, which will be conducted via telephone by an SSA-approved contractor, will ask questions in the following areas:

• What types of places beneficiaries have gone to in the past two weeks (ex: doctor’s office, pharmacy, library, bank, grocery store, movies);

• How often and at what time of the day/week beneficiaries are exposed to different media sources (including radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and mail fliers);

• What types of programs beneficiaries watch;

• What types of magazines beneficiaries read;

• If beneficiaries called or visited government offices in the past month, and if so, which types of offices;

• If beneficiaries received an information package on the TTW program;

• If beneficiaries ever used the program;

• Why beneficiaries chose not to use the program;

• How beneficiaries would choose to contact SSA if they were interested in the TTW program;

• Where beneficiaries would go to get information about SSA programs that help them find work;

• If beneficiaries have seen or heard about any such programs in the past three months and if so, through which media source;

• How often beneficiaries use the Internet, and what they have used it for

• If beneficiaries ever visited SSA’s website;

• Demographical information about the beneficiaries.

These questions, which can also be answered by a beneficiary’s representative payee, are designed to help SSA understand the media and social interaction preferences of those who do chose to participate vs. the preferences of those who choose not to participate. We hope to parlay this information into developing better plans for communicating with beneficiaries who qualify for the TTW program. Please note participation in this survey is completely voluntary, and if participants choose not to respond, this will in no way impact their participation in the TTW program.

3. Since this survey will only be conducted via telephone, the Government Paperwork Elimination Act plan does not apply.

4. The nature of the information being collected and the manner in which it is collected preclude duplication. There is no other collection instrument used by SSA that collects data similar to that collected here.

5. This collection does not impact small businesses or other small entities.

6. If this information collection were not conducted, SSA would lose a valuable means of obtaining information that could ultimately help the Agency increase participation in the TTW program, which has the dual advantages of helping Social Security beneficiaries become self-supporting and saving the Agency resources. Since this will be a one-time survey, the information cannot be collected less frequently.

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

8. The 60-day advance Federal Register Notice was published on May 17, 2006 at 71 FR 28740, and no public comments were received. The 30-day Federal Register Notice was published on August 8, 2006, at 71 FR 45090. We will notify OMB if any public comments are submitted in response to that notice.

The survey was designed in conjunction with the statistical firm of Schulman, Ronca, and Bucuvalas, Inc., which has been retained by SSA to conduct the survey. Except for this firm, there have been no outside consultations with members of the public.

9. SSA provides no payment or gifts to the respondents.

10. The information requested is protected and held confidential in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 1306, 20 CFR 401 and 402, 4 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 ask any questions of a sensitive nature.

12. We plan to survey 800 participants total (including 400 beneficiaries who are in the TTW program and 400 beneficiaries who chose not to enter). We estimate the survey will take 15 minutes to complete. Therefore, the burden will be 200 hours. The total burden is reflected as burden hours, and no separate cost burden has been calculated.

13. There is no known cost to the respondents.

14. The annual cost to the Federal Government is approximately $62,831. This figure reflects the contractor’s fee for designing and conducting the study and the cost of SSA staff time for coordinating the study.

15. This is a new information collection that will increase the public reporting burden by 200 hours.

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

17. Since this is a one-time study which will be conducted via telephone and no written materials will be distributed to participants, there are no issues with printing expiration dates.

18. 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).

Ticket to Work Beneficiaries Survey

2/6/2021

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