The Social Security Administration (SSA) proposes to pilot an administrative change in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, in which we allow a psychiatrist or psychologist to use a Presumptive Disability Recommendation Form to recommend SSA make Presumptive Disability (PD) payments to homeless individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. The purpose of the pilot is to determine whether the use of the recommendation form improves the quality of the evidence supporting the application, as demonstrated by a higher allowance rate at the initial level of application.
PD is a policy allowing an individual applying for SSI based on a disability to receive up to six months of payments prior to SSA's final disability determination. For SSA to confer a PD, there must be strong evidence that we would find the individual disabled. Applicants are not required to pay back this money if SSA ultimately denies their applications, as long as SSA did not deny the applications for nonmedical reasons. SSA field offices generally make PD findings only for specific disability categories, which do not include schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. This pilot allows field offices in San Francisco and Santa Cruz to make PD findings for applicants who are homeless and who have a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder.
We partnered with the San Francisco City and County, and Santa Cruz County social and health services agencies to conduct this pilot. We chose them because they already are conducting, as part of their regular work, all of the services necessary to support the pilot. These agencies identify homeless individuals, help those individuals through the SSI application process, and ensure the applicants have all of the medical evidence necessary to support an SSI application. The only change to their regular work protocol they will need to make for the SSA PD form pilot will be to fill out a schizophrenia PD recommendation form for those amongst their adult clients who are homeless and have schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders. The form follows SSA's Listing of Impairments, which provides the criteria necessary to meet SSA's definition of impairment. In addition, the form helps medical staff provide the correct information for a sound and prompt PD determination.
Respondents are medical staff from the San Francisco City and County, and Santa Cruz County social and health services agencies who help homeless SSI applicants with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder complete SSI applications.
US Code:
42 USC 1310
Name of Law: The Social Security Act
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Presumptive Disability Recommendation Form
Supporting Statement - HSPD.docx
Presumptive Disability Recommendation Form