In March of 2013, Social Security announced its intention to award grants to reestablish community-based protection and advocacy projects in every State, U.S. Territories, and the Hopi and Navajo tribal nations, as authorized under Section 1150 of the Social Security Act. Awardees are the 57 Protection & Advocacy (P&A) organizations established under Title I of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act. The PABSS projects are part of Social Security's strategy to increase the number of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients who return to work and achieve financial independence and self-sufficiency as the result of receiving support, representation, advocacy, or other services. The overarching objective of the PABSS program is to provide information and advice about obtaining vocational rehabilitation and employment services, and to provide advocacy or other services a beneficiary with a disability may need to secure, maintain, or regain gainful employment. The PABSS Annual Program Performance Report collects statistical information from each of the PABSS projects in an effort to manage and capture program performance and quantitative data. Social Security uses the information to evaluate the efficacy of the program, and to ensure beneficiaries are receiving quality services. The project data is valuable to Social Security in its analysis of and future planning for the SSDI and SSI programs. The respondents are the 57 PABSS project sites, and recipients of SSDI and SSI programs.
The reduction in the public reporting burden is due to a reduction in the number of responses per year for PABSS program grantees. We reduced this number from one collection annually instead of the two collections annually, as we required under the prior IC. The reason for this change is twofold. First, we analyzed the data submitted annually and realized that one collection would meet this need â two collections was unnecessarily burdensome. Second, the nature of this work is such that often one case may extend over many months or even a full year, and one annual collection would provide us with the same or even more accurate information about performance and activities undertaken over the 12-month period. The total number of recipients across the 57 entities is relatively small (5,000) and we felt that true accomplishments on behalf of these recipients could be more richly assessed annually rather than semiannually. The Terms and Conditions of the awards clearly indicated we planned to reduce the collection to once annually and we informed all the grantees of the change.
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.
Addendum - 0768.docx
Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS)--Beneficiaries