Statement of Death by Funeral Director

Forms and Documents

Document Name	Status
Form SSA-721 Report of Death by Funeral Director Form and Instruction	Modified
Addendum - 0142.docx Supplementary Document	2020-10-21
Supporting Statement - 0142.docx Supporting Statement A	2020-10-21

IC Document Collections

IC ID	Document Title	Status
37956	Report of Death by Funeral Director Form and Instruction	Modified

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 0960-0142	ICR Reference No: 202008-0960-005
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 201612-0960-007
Agency/Subagency: SSA	Agency Tracking No:
Title: Statement of Death by Funeral Director
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 10/21/2020

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved	01/31/2021
Responses	544,233	703,638
Time Burden (Hours)	36,282	46,909
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

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Abstract: When an SSA-insured worker dies, the funeral director or funeral home responsible for the worker’s burial or cremation completes Form SSA-721 and sends it to SSA. SSA uses this information for three purposes: (1) to establish proof of death for the insured worker; (2) to determine if the insured individual was receiving any pre-death benefits SSA needs to terminate; and (3) to ascertain which surviving family member is eligible for the lump-sum death payment or for other death benefits. The respondents are funeral directors who handled death arrangements for the insured individuals.

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Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 42 USC 402 Name of Law: Social Security Act
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

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Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	85 FR 45723	07/29/2020
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	85 FR 63630	10/08/2020
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 1

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Report of Death by Funeral Director	SSA-721	Statement of Death by Funeral Director

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ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Request	Previously Approved	Change Due to New Statute	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses	544,233	703,638	0	0	-159,405	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	36,282	46,909	0	0	-10,627	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: When we last cleared this IC in 2017, the burden was 46,909 hours. However, we are currently reporting a burden of 36,282 hours. This change stems from a decrease in the number of responses from 703,638 to 544,233. There is no change to the burden time per response. Although the number of responses changed, SSA did not take any actions to cause this change. These figures represent current Management Information data.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $47,609,731

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     Yes

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     Yes

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

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Common Form ICR:  No

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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:

(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;

(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;

(c) It reduces burden on small entities;

(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;

(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;

(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;

(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

(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;

(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and

(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.

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.

Certification Date: 10/21/2020

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