FY 2011 - Disability Report

DOCUMENTATION FOR THE GENERIC CLEARANCE

OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEYS

T ITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 Disability Report (3368) Survey

SSA SUB-NUMBER: F-04

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY (give purpose of activity, provide specific information; i.e., date(s) of survey, number of focus groups, locations, etc.):

BACKGROUND

As part of the application process for Social Security disability benefits, applicants must complete a Disability Report (3368), which asks for information about their medical, work, and education history. Applicants can either provide this information in an interview with an SSA employee (referred to as a “Traditional” applicant) or fill out the Internet version of the Disability Report on SSA’s website (referred to as an “Internet” applicant).

In December 2009, SSA introduced a new simplified version of its Internet Disability Report, which is intended to make the process faster and easier for applicants. We are undertaking this survey to measure customer satisfaction with this new Internet Disability Report. The survey also includes a sample of Traditional applicants so that we can compare the satisfaction of the two groups. The survey will assess whether the issues that cause dissatisfaction are similar regardless of the method applicants choose to provide their medical information.

SURVEY

Description of Survey

The Disability Report (3368) Survey includes two separate questionnaires modeled on the survey instruments approved by OMB for SSA’s FY 2004 Disability Report Form Survey. While the questionnaires are similar in scope, one version will contain questions related to the experiences of Internet applicants, whereas the other version will contain questions targeted to the experiences of Traditional applicants.

The questionnaires cover a variety of topics that prior surveys have indicated may affect perceptions of the Disability Report and the entire disability application process. The questions included in both the Internet and Traditional versions of the questionnaire are:

• Whether applicants completed the Disability Report by themselves and if they had help;

• How easy or hard it was for applicants to give their medical information, job history and educational background, and what in particular was hard to give;

• After completing the Disability Report, whether or not applicants received additional forms in the mail to fill out, and how easy or hard it was to complete them;

• Satisfaction with the service provided by SSA employees (four separate questions for Traditional applicants; one combined question for Internet applicants because of their more limited interaction with employees);

• How applicants rate their overall experience filing for disability benefits so far;

• How much experience claimants have doing business on the Internet and the kinds of activities they do online; and

• Applicants’ age and level of education.

The questions that will be presented exclusively to Internet applicants include the following:

• How applicants heard about the Internet Disability Report; and how easy or hard it was to find it on SSA’s website;

• How clearly SSA’s website explained how the Internet Disability Report works, and how helpful the instructions and examples were;

• Whether applicants needed to make any changes while working on the Internet Disability Report, and how easy or hard it was to do so;

• Whether applicants contacted SSA for help with the Internet Disability Report, how they contacted SSA, and whether they were able to get help;

• Whether applicants worked on the Internet Disability Report in more than one sitting and why they decided to do so;

• How much time it took to complete the Internet Disability Report, and how satisfied applicants were with the amount of time spent; and

• How applicants rate the Internet Disability Report overall; and

• How clearly SSA’s website explained what else applicants needed to do to file for disability benefits, and what in particular was unclear.

The questions that will be presented exclusively to Traditional applicants include the following:

• How applicants first contacted SSA, and how clearly SSA explained what applicants needed to do to file;

• Whether applicants used the Disability Starter Kit, and how helpful it was;

• Whether applicants provided their medical information to SSA in a face-to-face or telephone interview;

• Whether applicants had an appointment for their interview, how satisfied they were with how soon they could get an appointment and with their in-office wait time; and

• Whether applicants currently use the Internet, whether they knew about the Internet Disability Report, and their attitudes about using it.

Where we used questions from the FY 2004 survey mentioned above, we kept the wording and response choices as similar as possible to preserve comparability.

Statistical Information

Sample Selection

For FY 2010 the projected annual volume of Disability Reports completed by Internet and Traditional applicants is:

Stratum	FY 2010
Internet	450,000
Traditional	2,000,000

From the universe of all Internet and Traditional applicants who complete a Disability Report during a 4-week period in September 2010, we will select a random sample of 4,000 cases, with an equal number (2,000) from each group.

Methodology

Shortly after sample selection, SSA will send all participants a written pre-notice on SSA letterhead advising them that they have been selected for the survey and encouraging them to participate. We will include both the Paperwork Reduction Act and the Privacy Act explanations in the pre-notice letter.

An SSA-approved contractor will conduct the survey by telephone. Contractors will use computer-assisted interviewing (CATI) software to translate the survey questionnaire so that interviewing and data input of the individual’s responses will occur simultaneously. The CATI software also ensures that only questions pertinent to the individual’s circumstances are asked, allowing for complicated question paths while minimizing response burden.

Response Rate

To maximize the response rate for this survey, SSA will:

• Select survey participants shortly after they submit a Disability Report to enhance recall of their experiences;

• Send a pre-notice of selection for the survey on SSA letterhead signed by the Deputy Commissioner for Quality Performance (A sample of the prenotice letter is included.);

• Conduct the survey by telephone (faster and easier for respondents than mail);

• Schedule appointments to complete the survey at the convenience of the sampled individual;

• Use an experienced contractor who will make at least 15 contacts at different times of the day to reach the sampled individuals;

• Use SSA records to assist the contractor in locating individuals who have moved or changed their telephone numbers; and

• Provide SSA’s toll-free 800 number for individuals with questions.

In the FY 2004 Disability Report Form Survey mentioned earlier in this documentation, we used a similar methodology to achieve response rates of 74 percent for Internet applicants and 77 percent for traditional applicants. We believe we will achieve similarly high response rates in this survey.

Sampling Variability

The key variable for this survey is the overall ease of filing rating. In SSA’s FY 2004 Disability Report Form Survey, Internet applicants gave an overall ease of filing rating of 59 percent very or somewhat easy (VE/SE), while Traditional applicants gave a rating of 53 percent VE/SE. Considering the similarity of the sample populations, we expect to see similar levels of satisfaction in the upcoming survey.

The sample size of 2,000 for each stratum is large enough, assuming at least a 75 percent response rate, to provide a sampling variability at the 95‑percent confidence level of +/‑2.6 percent for the key variable of overall ease of filing for both Internet and Traditional applicants. This is an acceptable level of validity for the intended purpose of the survey.

The Office of Quality Performance (OQP) will perform all sampling and data analysis. Daniel Zabronsky, Director of SSA’s Division of Modeling, will provide statistical support. He can be reached at (410) 965-5953.

IF FOCUS GROUP MEMBERS WILL RECEIVE A PAYMENT, INDICATE AMOUNT (No more than $25 can be authorized under OMB rules):

We will not compensate participants for this survey.

USE OF SURVEY RESULTS:

SSA will use the results of this survey to gauge the satisfaction of applicants who completed the Disability Report either online or through an interview with an SSA employee. We will compare the current survey findings with the results of SSA’s FY 2004 Disability Report Form Survey to see if the satisfaction of Internet applicants has increased with the introduction of the new simplified Internet Disability Report.

BURDEN HOUR COMPUTATION (Number of responses (X) estimated response time (/60) = annual burden hours):

Number of Responses: 4,000

Estimated Response Time: 20 minutes

Annual Burden Hours: 1,333 hours

FY 2011 Disability Report Form Survey

July 2010

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