Ri 98-7 Ss

OMB SUPPORTING STATEMENT

RI 98-7 We Need Important Information About Your Eligibility for Social Security
Disability Benefits, Our Records Show That You Have Not Received a Decision

From the Social Security Administration (SSA)

A. Justification

1. Title 5, U.S. Code, Chapter 84, Section 8452 and 5 CFR 844 Subpart C, specify that an annuitant's FERS disability benefit is reduced by all or part of the amount received as a disability benefit from the Social Security Administration. The amount the FERS benefit is reduced is dependent upon the length of time since the commencing date of the FERS disability benefit and the age of the annuitant. OPM needs to collect information from FERS disability annuitants to determine who is in receipt and the amount of Social Security disability benefits. Although literature sent to the annuitants at the time of case issuance instructs them to tell us if they begin to receive SSA disability benefits in the future, this form provides them the physical means to notify us when they begin receiving SSA disability benefits and serves as an individual notice and reminder of their responsibility to pay us for any duplicate payments. The form is only sent to FERS disability retirees who are not receiving SSA benefits when we begin paying their FERS disability annuity.

2. OPM employees use the information provided by the annuitant to verify receipt of SSA disability benefits and to compute any resulting adjustments to the FERS disability benefit.

3. The response is generally mailed to OPM but can be accepted via fax, over the telephone or by e-mail.

4. A periodic computer match with Social Security provides OPM with this information at a later date. However, the sooner the information is received, the smaller the overpayment burden will be on the annuitant incorrectly in receipt of both benefits. Information provided on the RI 98-7 is especially useful when a disability annuitant receives a retroactive SSA disability benefit, well after they begin receiving their FERS benefit. We also have an on-line Social Security inquiry system which we use to check on receipt of Social Security benefits on a case-by-case basis. This is used to check on benefits before we begin paying a FERS disability benefit. Form RI 98-7 is sent to disability annuitants after they begin receiving FERS benefits.

5. The information is not collected from small businesses.

6. If this data collection is not conducted, OPM would significantly overpay FERS disability annuitants. It is conducted at the time the annuitant is put into final pay status if Social Security benefits are not already documented.

7. This information collection is consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.

8. A notice of proposed information collection was published in the Federal Register, on July 9, 2007, giving persons outside the agency an opportunity to comment on this form. No comments were received.

9. No gift or payment is awarded respondents based on return of the form

10. This information collection is protected by the Privacy Act of 1974 and OPM regulations (5 CFR 841.108). The routine uses of disclosure appears in the Federal Register for OPM/Central-1 (64 FR 54930, October 8, 1999, as amended at 65 FR 25775, May 3, 2000).

11. This in formation collection does not include questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.

12. Approximately 3,000 RI 98-7's (We Need Important Information About Your Eligibility for Social Security Disability Benefits) are expected to be mailed annually. The form takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. An annual burden of 250 hours is estimated.

13. There is no cost to the respondents.

14. The annualized cost to the Federal government is $18,900.00. This cost includes employee salary hours devoted to this program, forms and overhead.

15. The slight increase in item 14 is due to inflation.

16. Results will not be tabulated or published.

17. It is not cost effective to reprint the whole supply of forms to change the OMB Clearance expiration date. Therefore, we seek approval not to display the date on the form.

18. There are no exceptions to the certification statement.