RPC supporting statement 1-07

SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR “REQUEST FOR PROGRAM CONSULTATION”

42 USC 421 § 205, 221; 20 CFR 404.1601 through 1661

OMB No. NEW

A. Justification

1. The Social Security Administration (SSA) reviews disability determinations performed by state offices known as Disability Determination Services (DDS). These are state offices staffed by state employees who perform disability determinations for applicants for SSA disability benefits under Title II and Title XVI. These offices are administered and funded by SSA under the authority of Sections 205 (a) and (b), and Section 221 of the Social Security Act. Disability regulations in sections 20 CFR 404.1601, 1603, 1615, 1620, 1626, 1633, and 1641 through 1661 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

2. The determinations of disability cases made by DDSs are reviewed by federal regional quality assurance offices. These offices have the authority to review DDS determinations, to assess errors, and to return cases for corrective action by DDS. DDS may appeal an assessed error. DDSs who take issue with regional quality assurance errors may request program consultation (RPC) to present their rationale for supporting their determination and arguing against an assessed error. The RPC screens are the means for DDS to convey that information to the RPC team at SSA’s Central Office. The information collected is related to the case at issue, e.g., the claimant’s name and social security number, a short rationale, and policy citations supporting their rebuttal. The RPC team reviews the DDS rationale and has electronic access to the case in question. The RPC team uses the DDS rationale and citation as a guide as to DDS’s thinking in reaching a determination on policy issue DDS wants addressed. This is currently being tested as a pilot in nine DDS’s.

3. Information for the RPC process is entered into a screen on the RPC website. This is a web based application. There are no other forms or collection methods. The RPC reviews the submitted information along with the case and issues a determination.

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 have a significant economic impact on small businesses or other small entities.

6. If this information were not collected, SSA would have no means of evaluating the substance of a disputed disability determination, and resolving the dispute between DDS and the regional quality review office.

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

8. The 60-day advance Federal Register Notice was published on April 23, 2007 at 72 FR 20154, and SSA received no public comments. The 30-day advance Federal Register Notice is being published on June 13, 2007.¹

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

8. The information requested 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.

8. The information collection contains no questions of a sensitive nature.

8. Below is an annual projection of the burden information for all modalities of the Adult-Disability Report.

Collection Format	Number of Respondents	Frequency of Responses	Average Burden per Responses (Hours)	Estimated Annual Burden (Hours)
Intranet website	4500	1	30 minutes	2250

The total burden is reflected as burden hours, and no separate cost burden has been calculated.

13. There is no known cost burden to the respondents.

13. The estimated cost to the Federal Government to collect the information is negligible. Because the cost of maintaining the system which collects this information is accounted for within the cost of maintaining all of SSA’s automated systems, it is not possible to calculate the cost associated with just one Internet application.

13. There is a 3333-hour increase in the public reporting burden with the addition of this instrument. The burden will be entirely on State DDS offices, which are contracted to work for SSA.

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

13. We are not requesting an exemption to the requirement to display on OMB expiration date.

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).

B. Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methodologies

Statistical methods are not used for this information collection.

1 SSA inadvertently cited incorrect burden hours in the first FR date April 23, 2007 and the second FR dated June 13, 2007. We will publish a correction in the next FRN.

SSA-3368 2/5/2021

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