[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 247 (Friday, December 22, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80965-80967]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32739]


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RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

SUMMARY: In Accordance with the requirement of Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 which provides opportunity for 
public comment on new or revised data collections, the Railroad 
Retirement Board (RRB) will publish periodic summaries of proposed data 
collections.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed information 
collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information has practical utility; 
(b) the accuracy of the RRB's estimate of the burden of the collection 
of the information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize 
the burden related to the collection of information on respondents, 
including the use of

[[Page 80966]]

automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Title and purpose of information collection; Application for 
Employee Annuity Under the Railroad Retirement Act; OMB 3220-0002.
    Section 2 of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), provides for 
payment of age and service, disability and supplemental annuities to 
qualified employees. The basic requirements for a regular employee 
annuity retirement annuity under the RRA is 120 months (10 years) of 
creditable railroad service. Benefits then become payable after the 
employee meets certain other requirements, which depend, in turn, on 
the type of annuity payable. The requirements relating to the annuities 
are prescribed in 20 CFR 216, and 220.
    The forms used by the RRB to collect information needed for 
determining entitlement and the amount of, an employee retirement 
annuity follow: Form AA-1, Application for Employee Annuity Under the 
Railroad Retirement Act, is completed by an applicant for either an age 
and service or disability annuity. It obtains information about the 
applicants marital history, work history, military service, benefits 
from other governmental agencies and railroad pensions. Form AA-1d, 
Application for Determination of Employee Disability, is completed by 
an employee who is filing for a disability annuity under the RRA, or a 
disability freeze under the Social Security Act for early Medicare 
based on a disability. Form G-204, Verification of Workers 
Compensation/Public Disability Benefit Information, is used to obtain 
and verify information concerning worker's compensation or public 
disability benefits that are or will be paid by a public agency to a 
disabled railroad employee. Completion of the forms is required to 
obtain a benefit. One response is requested of each respondent.
    The RRB proposes minor non-burden impacting editorial and 
formatting changes to Forms AA-1, AA-1d and G-204. The RRB estimates 
that 13,4000 Form AA-1's, 5,650 AA-1d's and 50 G-204's are completed 
annually. The estimated completion time for Form AA-1 is 37 to 62 
minutes per response. The estimated completion time for Form AA-1d is 
35 to 60 minutes per response. The estimated completion time for Form 
G-204 is 15 minutes per response.
    The renewal of this information collection will continue the RRB's 
initiative to consolidate information collections by major functional 
areas. The purpose of the initiative is to bring related collection 
instruments together in one collection, better manage the instruments, 
and prepare for the electronic collection of this information. (A 
collection instrument can be an individual form, electronic collection, 
interview, or any other method that collects specific information from 
the public.)
    As part of the OMB renewal process, the RRB proposes that this 
collection (OMB 3220-0002). Application for Employee Annuity under the 
Railroad Retirement Act, be renamed RRA Benefit Applications. Upon 
approval by OMB, the RRB intends to merge the following OMB approved 
collections into this collection by the expected expiration date(s).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                     Expected
        OMB collection No.                      Title                        RRB forms              expiration
                                                                                                       date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3220-0016.........................  Certification of               G-88.........................       5/31/2002
                                     Relinquishment of Rights.
3220-0021.........................  Evidence of Marital            G-124, G-124a, G-237, G-238,        1/31/2003
                                     Relationship; Living with      G-238a.
                                     Requirements.
3220-0030.........................  Application for Survivor       AA-17, AA-17 CERT, AA-17b, AA-      2/28/2004
                                     Insurance Annuities.           18, AA-19, AA-20.
3220-0031.........................  Application for Survivor       AA-21, G-273a, AA-11a, G-131,       1/31/2003
                                     Death Benefits.                AA-21 CERT.
3220-0032.........................  Survivor Questionnaire.......  RL-94-F......................       6/30/2003
3220-0042.........................  Application for Spouse         AA-3.........................       6/30/2003
                                     Annuity Under the Railroad
                                     Retirement Act.
3220-0083.........................  Evidence for Application of    G-319, G-320.................      11/30/2003
                                     Overall Minimum.
3220-0099.........................  Statement Regarding            G-134........................       6/30/2002
                                     Contributions and Support.
3220-0106.........................  Application for Search of      G-256........................       7/31/2001
                                     Census Records.
3220-0123.........................  Student Beneficiary            G-315, G-315a, G-315a.1......      11/30/2003
                                     Monitoring.
3220-0136.........................  Public Service Pension         G-208, G-212.................       3/31/2004
                                     Questionnaire.
3220-0138.........................  Self-Employment Questionnaire  AA-4.........................       3/31/2004
3220-0140.........................  Employee's Certification.....  G-346........................       1/31/2003
3220-0154.........................  Employee Noncovered Service    G-209........................       7/31/2002
                                     Pension Questionnaire.
3220-0155.........................  Supplement to Claim of Person  G-45.........................       6/30/2001
                                     Outside the United States.
3220-0195.........................  Statement Regarding            G-139........................       2/28/2002
                                     Contributions and Support of
                                     Children.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Revisions to existing collection instruments and, occasionally, a 
new instrument related to this program function may be required during 
the three-year cycle of this information collection. The RRB currently 
estimates the completion time for Form G-88, Certification of 
Termination of Service and Relinquishment of Rights at 6 minutes, Form 
G-124, Statement of Martial Relationship at 15 to 20 minutes, Form G-
124a, Statement Regarding Marriage at 10 minutes, Form G-237, Statement 
Regarding Martial Status at 15 to 20 minutes, Form G-238, Statement of 
Residence at 3 to 5 minutes, Form G-238a, Statement Regarding Divorce 
or Annulment at 10 minutes, Form AA-17, Application for Widow(ers) 
Annuity at 47 minutes, Form AA-17cert, Application Summary and 
Certification at 20 minutes, Form AA-17b, Application for Determination 
of Widow(ers) Disability at 40 to 50 minutes, Form AA-18, Application 
for Mother's/Father's and Childs Annuity at 47 minutes, Form AA-19, 
Application for Child's Annuity at 47 minutes, Form AA-20, Application 
for Parent's Annuity at 47 minutes, Form AA-21, Application for Lump-
Sum Death Payments and Annuities Unpaid at Death at 40 minutes, Form G-
273a, Funeral Director's Statement of Burial Charges at 10 minutes, 
Form AA-11a, Designation or Change of Beneficiary for Residual Lump Sum 
at 10 minutes, Form G-131, Authorization of Payment and Release of All 
Claims to a Death Benefit or Accrued Annuity Payment at 5 minutes, Form 
AA-21CERT, Application Summary and Certification,

[[Page 80967]]

at 20 minutes, Form RL-94-F. Survivor Questionnaire, at 5 to 11 
minutes, Form AA-3, Application for Spouse/Divorce Spouse Annuity, at 
14 to 30 minutes, Form G-319, Employee Annuitant's Statement Regarding 
Family and Earnings, at 25 to 60 minutes, Form G-320, Statement by 
Employee Annuitant Regarding Student Age 18-19, at 14-30 minutes, Form 
G-134, Statement Regarding Contributions and Support, at 75 to 85 
minutes, Form G-256, Application for Search of Census Records, at 10 
minutes, Form G-315, Student Questionnaire, at 7 minutes, Form G-315a, 
Statement by School Official of Student's Full-Time Attendance, at 2 
minutes, Form G-315a.1, Notice of Cessation of Full-Time Attendance, at 
2 minutes, Form G-208, Public Service Pension Questionnaire, at 15 
minutes, Form G-212, Public Service Pension Monitoring Questionnaire, 
at 3 minutes, Form AA-4, Self-Employment and Substantial Service 
Questionnaire, at 40 to 70 minutes, Form G-346, Employee's 
Certification, at 5 minutes, G-209, Employee Noncovered Service Pension 
Questionnaire at 1 to 8 minutes, G-45, Supplement to Claim of Person 
Outside the United States, at 10 minutes, G-139, Statement Regarding 
Contributions and Support of Children, at 15 minutes.
    After the last information collection is merged and other necessary 
adjustments are made, the resultant information collection is expected 
to total approximately 17,904 annual burden hours. A justification for 
each action described above (merge collection, revised collection 
instrument, new collection instrument) will be provided to OMB with a 
Correction Change Worksheet (OMB Form 83-C) at the time the action 
occurs. With the next renewal of this collection, the RRB will update 
the information collection package to account for the consolidation and 
other interim adjustments.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS: To request more information or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection justification, forms, and/
or supporting material, please call the RRB Clearance Officer at 
(312)751-3363. Comments regarding the information collection should be 
addressed to Ronald J. Hodapp, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North 
Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092. Written comments should be 
received within 60 days of this notice.

Chuck Mierzwa,
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-32739 Filed 12-21-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-M