Supporting Statement for SSA-7163A-F4
Supplemental Statement Regarding Farming Activities of Person Living Outside the U.S.A.
OMB No. 0960-0103
Justification
Introduction/Authoring Laws and Regulations
Section 205(a) of the Social Security Act (the Act) empowers the Commissioner of Social Security (the Commissioner) to make rules and regulations, and to establish procedures necessary to determine an individual's rights to benefits. Section 203(c) of the Act requires the Commissioner to make deductions from benefits of entitled individuals who engage in remunerative activity outside the United States for more than 45 hours per month. In order to determine if someone is subject to this work test, the Social Security Administration (SSA) needs the dates of work, information to distinguish between employer and employee, and information to distinguish a farm operation from a rental or farm property. We designed the SSA-7163A-F4 to elicit a full description of the enterprise.
Description of Collection
SSA collects information on Form SSA-7163A-F4 when a Social Security beneficiary or claimant reports work on a farm outside the United States. We need the information to determine the following: 1) whether foreign work deductions are applicable; 2) the continuing entitlement to Social Security benefits; and 3) the proper benefit amounts of beneficiaries residing outside the United States. Each beneficiary (or representative payee on behalf of the beneficiary) living outside the United States completes Form SSA-7163A-F4 each year (or every other year, depending on the country of residence). Based on the data we obtain, SSA may increase, decrease, suspend or terminate benefits. Once we learn a Social Security recipient is working on a farm outside the United States, SSA employees send the SSA-7163A-F4 either directly to the recipient or to the appropriate Foreign Service Posts (FSPs) if we need assistance in the delivery of the form. Respondents are Social Security recipients engaged in farming activities outside the United States.
Use of Information Technology to Collect the Information
Due to the low number of respondents and the agency’s limited resources, we have currently not scheduled the SSA-7163A-F4 for electronic implementation under the Government Paperwork Elimination Act. In addition, because SSA prioritizes those collections which have larger volumes of respondents for electronic conversion, we are not sure when this collection will be reevaluated for electronic implementation.
Why We Cannot Use Duplicate Information
The nature of the information we are collecting and the manner in which we are collecting it preclude duplication. SSA does not use another collection instrument to obtain similar data.
Minimizing Burden on Small Respondents
This collection does not significantly affect small businesses or other small entities.
Consequence of Not Collecting Information or Collecting it Less Frequently
If SSA did not collect information on the SSA-7163A-F4, we would be unable to determine whether foreign work deductions are applicable. Since we only collect this information when beneficiaries outside the United States reports work activity on a farm, we cannot collect it less frequently. There are no technical or legal obstacles that prevent burden reduction.
Special Circumstances
There are no special circumstances that would cause SSA to conduct this information collection in a manner inconsistent with 5 CFR 1320.5.
Solicitation of Public Comment and Other Consultations with the Public
The first Federal Register notice published on March 4, 2010 at 75 FR 9992. We received no comments from the public as a result of this notice. The second notice published on May 27, 2010, at 75 FR 29797. If we receive any comments in response to the 30-day Notice, we will forward them to OMB. There have been no outside consultations with members of the public.
Payments or Gifts to Respondents
SSA does not provide payments or gifts to the respondents.
Assurances of Confidentially
SSA protects and holds confidential the information it collects 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.
Justification for Sensitive Questions
The information collection does not contain any questions of a sensitive nature.
Estimates of Public Reporting Burden
SSA estimates approximately 1,000 respondents take 1 hour each to complete the SSA‑7163A‑F4 per year. Accordingly, the burden is 1,000 hours. This figure represents burden hours, and SSA did not calculate a separate cost burden.
Annual Cost to the Respondents (Other)
This collection does not impose a known cost burden to the respondents.
Annual Cost To Federal Government
The annual cost to the Federal Government is approximately $1,540. This estimate is a projection of the cost for printing and distributing the collection instrument, and for collecting the information.
Program Changes or Adjustments to the Information Collection Request
There are no changes to the public reporting burden.
Plans for Publication Information Collection Results
SSA will not publish the results of the information collection.
Displaying the OMB Approval Expiration Date
OMB granted SSA an exemption from the requirement to print the OMB expiration date on its program forms. SSA produces millions of public-use forms with life cycles exceeding those of an OMB approval. Since SSA does not periodically revise and reprint its public-use forms (e.g., on an annual basis), OMB granted this exemption so SSA would not have to destroy stocks of otherwise usable forms with expired OMB approval dates, avoiding Government waste.
Exceptions to Certification Statement
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. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods
SSA does not use statistical methods for this information collection.
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | May 2001 |
| Author | 673560 |
| Last Modified By | 889123 |
| File Modified | 2010-05-27 |
| File Created | 2010-05-27 |