Supporting Statement for Travel Expense Reimbursement
20 CFR 404.999(d) and 416.1499
OMB No. 0960-0434
A. Justification
Introduction/Authoring Laws and Regulations
Sections 201(j), 1631(h) and 1817(i) of the Social Security Act (Act), establish travel reimbursement by Federal and State agencies for claimant travel incidental to medical examinations, and to parties, their representatives, and all reasonably necessary witnesses for travel exceeding 75 miles to attend medical examinations, reconsideration interviews, and proceedings before an administrative law judge.
20 CFR 404.999 (d) and 416.1499 of the Code of Federal Regulations require claimants to submit proof of travel costs for the Social Security Administration (SSA) to reimburse them.
Description of Collection
Reimbursement procedures require the claimant to provide: (1) a list of expenses incurred, and (2) receipts of such expenses. Federal and State personnel review the listings and receipts to verify the reimbursable amount to the requestor. The respondents are claimants for Title II benefits and Title XVI payments, their representatives, and witnesses.
Use of Information Technology to Collect the Information
SSA did not create an electronic version for Travel Expense Reimbursement under the agency’s Government Paperwork Elimination Act plan because there is no form associated with the collection. SSA requires the respondents to submit original receipts for the travel expenses; we are not able to make this collection available electronically at this time.
Why We Cannot Use Duplicate Information
The nature of the information we collect and the manner in which we collect 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.
6. Consequence of Not Collecting Information or collecting it Less Frequently
If SSA were to collect this information less frequently, it could delay reimbursement and result in financial hardship to the claimant. In advance payment cases, it would prevent the claimant from appearing at a medical examination or disability hearing, thus preventing adjudication of the claim. Since we collect the information on an as needed basis, we cannot collect it less frequently. There are no technical or legal obstacles to burden reduction.
7. 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 22, 2016, at
81 FR 47845, and we received no public comments. The 30-day FRN published on October 3, 2016 at 81 FR 68091. If we receive any comments in response to this Notice, we will forward them to OMB.
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
This information collection does not contain any questions of a sensitive nature.
Estimates of Public Reporting Burden
Modality of Completion |
Number of Respondents |
Frequency of Response |
Average Burden Per Response (minute) |
Estimated Annual Burden (hours) |
404.999(d) & 416.1499 |
60,000 |
1 |
10 |
10,000 |
The total burden for this ICR is 10,000. This figure represents burden hours, and we did not calculate a separate cost burden.
13. 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 $362,400. This estimate is a projection of the cost for collecting and processing the information.
15. Program Changes or Adjustments to the Information Collection Request
There has been no change in burden hours.
16. Plans for Publication Information Collection Results
SSA will not publish the results of the information collection.
17. Displaying the OMB Approval Expiration Date
SSA is not requesting an exception to the requirements to display the OMB approval expiration date.
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/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| File Title | Title of Information Collection and Form Number(s) |
| Author | Naomi |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2021-01-23 |