20 CFR 404.716
OMB # 0960-0097
Justification
Introduction/Authoring Laws and Regulations
Section 205(a) of the Social Security Act gives the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) broad authority to make rules and regulations and establish procedures for the taking and furnishing of necessary evidence. 20 CFR 404.716 of the Code of Federal Regulations states SSA will ask for other evidence of age in the absence of preferred evidence of age (birth or religious record established before age five).
Description of Collection
An applicant for benefits must provide proof of age to obtain a benefit. When preferred evidence of age is not available and the available evidence is not convincing, census records offer other means to establish evidence of age. Therefore, SSA may ask the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, to search its records to establish a claimant’s date of birth.
SSA sends the SSA-1535-U3, Application for Search of Census Records for Proof of Age, to the Census Bureau after a respondent who does not have preferred evidence of age completes it. The SSA‑1535-U3 provides the Census Bureau with sufficient identifying information about the respondent to allow an accurate search of census records to establish proof of age for the respondent. In addition, a completed SSA-1535-U3 is the formal request and, when signed by an authorized SSA employee, serves as the mechanism by which the Census Bureau bills SSA for the search. The respondents are applicants for Social Security benefits who need to establish their age as a factor of entitlement.
Use of Information Technology to Collect the Information
SSA did not create an electronic version of the SSA-1535 under the agency’s Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA) plan because only 18,030 respondents complete the form annually. This is less than the GPEA cut-off of 50,000.
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 affect small businesses or other small entities.
Consequence of Not Collecting Information or Collecting it Less Frequently
If we did not use the SSA-1535, we could not assist individuals needing a census form as evidence of age in connection with a claim for benefits. Since we only use this form on an as needed basis, we cannot collect this information less frequently. There are no technical or legal obstacles to 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 60-day advance Federal Register Notice published on July 23, 2014, at 79 FR 42863, and we received no public comments. SSA published the second Notice on September 26, 2014, at 79 FR 58022. If we receive comments in response to the 30-day Notice, we will forward them to OMB. We did not consult with the public in the revision of this form.
Payment or Gifts to Respondents
SSA does not provide payments or gifts to the respondents.
Assurances of Confidentiality
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
Approximately 18,030 respondents take 12 minutes each to complete the SSA-1535 annually. Accordingly, the burden is 3,606 burden hours. This figure represents burden hours, and we 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 $700. This estimate is a projection of the costs 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 useable 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).
Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods
SSA is not using statistical methods for this information collection.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | May 2000 |
| Author | OPB |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-27 |