DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS RELATING TO ACCOUNTABILITY FOR TELEPHONE SERVICE CENTER COMMUNICATIONS.

SEC. 5108. DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS RELATING TO ACCOUNTABILITY FOR TELEPHONE SERVICE CENTER COMMUNICATIONS. (a) In General.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall develop and carry out demonstration projects designed to 104 STAT. 1388–270implement the accountability procedures described in subsection (b) in each of not fewer than 3 telephone service centers operated by the Social Security Administration. Telephone service centers shall be selected for implementation of the accountability procedures so as to permit a thorough evaluation of such procedures as they would operate in conjunction with the service technology most recently employed by the Social Security Administration. Each such demonstration project shall commence not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and shall remain in operation for not less than 1 year and not more than 3 years. (b) Accountability Procedures.— (1) In general.—During the period of each demonstration project developed and carried out by the Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to a telephone service center pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary shall provide for the application at such telephone service center of accountability procedures consisting of the following: (A) In any case in which a person communicates with the Social Security Administration by telephone at such telephone service center and provides in such communication his or her name, address, and such other identifying information as the Secretary determines necessary and appropriate for purposes of this subparagraph, the Secretary must thereafter promptly provide such person a written receipt which sets forth— (i) the name of any individual representing the Social Security Administration with whom such person has spoken in such communication, (ii) the date of the communication; (iii) a description of the nature of the communication, (iv) any action that an individual representing the Social Security Administration has indicated in the communication will be taken in response to the communication, and (v) a description of the information or advice offered in the communication by an individual representing the Social Security Administration. (B) Such person must be notified during the communication by an individual representing the Social Security Administration that, if adequate identifying information is provided to the Administration, a receipt described in subparagraph (A) will be provided to such person. (C) A copy of any receipt required to be provided to any person under subparagraph (A) must be— (i) included in the file maintained by the Social Security Administration relating to such person, or (ii) if there is no such file, otherwise retained by the Social Security Administration in retrievable form until the end of the 5-year period following the termination of the project. (2) Exclusion of certain routine telephone communications.—The Secretary may exclude from demonstration projects carried out pursuant to this section routine telephone communications which do not relate to potential or current eligibility or entitlement to benefits. 104 STAT. 1388–271 (c) Report.— (1) In general.6363 So in original. Probably should be “general.—”.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate a written report on the progress of the demonstration projects conducted pursuant to this section, together with any related data and materials which the Secretary may consider appropriate. The report shall be submitted not later than 90 days after the termination of the project. (2) Specific matters to be included.—The report required under paragraph (1) shall— (A) assess the costs and benefits of the accountability procedures, (B) identify any major difficulties encountered in implementing the demonstration project, and (C) assess the feasibility of implementing the account-ability procedures on a national basis.