Supporting Statement - 0544

Supporting Statement for Public Information Campaign

OMB No. 0960-0544

A. Justification

1. Introduction/Authoring Laws and Regulations

Periodically, the Social Security Administration (SSA) conducts the Public Information Campaign. As part of this program, the agency releases public information materials, including public service announcements; news releases; and educational tapes, to public broadcasting systems so they can inform the public about various programs and activities conducted by the agency. Twice per year, SSA follows up the public information materials mailings by sending business reply cards to the public broadcasting centers who received these materials. The purpose of the reply cards is to help SSA monitor the usage and obtain feedback on our public information materials. SSA collects this information under the authority of Section 205(a) of the Social Security Act.

2. Description of Collection

For the Public Information Campaign, an SSA contractor mails out the business reply cards following the mailing of public information materials. The contractor combines the results from the business reply cards and provides them to SSA. In turn, SSA uses this information to determine what media format and what markets the public broadcast media aired the materials. Ultimately, this will enable SSA to improve their public information materials. The respondents are broadcast radio sources.

2. Use of Information Technology to Collect the Information

SSA did not create an electronic implementation of the Public Information Campaign under the agency’s Government Paperwork Elimination Act (GPEA) plan because only 5,000 respondents complete the form. This is less than the GPEA cut-off of 50,000.

2. 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.

5. 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 did not conduct this information collection, we would have no means of obtaining feedback on the public information materials we mail to the public. Because we collect this information twice a year, 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.

8. Solicitation of Public Comment and Other Consultations with the Public

The 60-day advance Federal Register Notice published on June 27, 2017, at

82 FR 29136, and we received no public comments. The 30-day FRN published on September 19, 2017 at 82 FR 43804. If we receive any comments in response to this Notice, we will forward them to OMB.

8. Payment or Gifts to Respondents

SSA does not provide payments or gifts to the respondents.

8. 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.

8. Justification for Sensitive Questions

The information collection does not contain any questions of a sensitive nature.

8. Estimates of Public Reporting Burden

Modality of Completion	Number of Respondents	Frequency of Response	Number of Responses	Average Burden Per Response (minutes)	Estimated Total Annual Burden (hours)
Radio Survey	5,000	2	10,000	1	167

The total burden for this ICR is 167 hours. We based these figures on current management data information. 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 on the respondents.

14. Annual Cost To Federal Government

The annual cost to the Federal Government is approximately $7,000. This estimate accounts for costs from the following areas: (1) designing, printing, and distributing the collection; and (2) SSA employee information collection and processing time.

15. Program Changes or Adjustments to the Information Collection Request

The change in burden hours stems from adding the new distribution of Radio Surveys, and discontinuing the TV PSA due to the high volume of interest for audio products delivered via the internet.

16. Plans for Publication Information Collection Results

SSA will not publish the results of the information collection.

17. 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.

    

1. 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.