[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 149 (Thursday, August 3, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44054-44055]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-12560]


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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 automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.
    Title and purpose of information collection: Job Information 
Report, OMB 3220-0193. In July of 1997, the Railroad Retirement Board 
(RRB) adopted standards for the adjudication of occupational 
disabilities under the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA). As part of these 
standards, the RRB requests job information to determine an applicant's 
eligibility for an occupational disability. The job information 
received from the railroad employer and railroad employee is compared, 
reconciled (if needed), and then used in the occupational disability 
determination process. The process of obtaining information from 
railroad employers used to determine an applicant's eligibility for an 
occupational disability is outlined in 20 CFR 220.13.
    To determine an occupational disability, the RRB determines if an 
employee is precluded from performing the full range of duties of his 
or her regular railroad occupation. This is accomplished by comparing 
the restrictions on impairment(s) causes against an employee's ability 
to perform his/her normal duties. To collect information needed to 
determine the effect of a disability on an applicant's ability to work, 
the RRB needs the applicant's work history. The RRB currently utilizes 
Form G-251, Vocational Report (OMB 3220-0141), to obtain this 
information from the employee applicant.


    Note: Form G-251 is provided to all applicants for employee 
disability annuities and to those applicants for a widow(er)'s 
disability annuity who indicate that they have been employed at some 
time.


    In accordance with the standards, the RRB also requests pertinent 
job information from employers. The employer is given thirty days from 
the date of the notice to respond. The responses are not required, but 
are voluntary. If the job information is received timely, it is 
compared to the job information provided by the employee. Any material 
differences are resolved by an RRB disability examiner. Once resolved, 
the information is compared to the restrictions caused by the medical 
impairment. If the restrictions prohibit the performance of the regular 
railroad occupation, the claimant is found occupationally disabled.
    The RRB uses two forms to secure job information data from the 
railroad employer. RRB Form G-251a, Employer Job Information (job 
description), is released to an employer when an application for an 
occupational disability is filed by an employee whose regular railroad 
occupation is one of the more common types of railroad jobs (locomotive 
engineer, conductor, switchman, etc.) It is accompanied by a *generic 
job description* for that particular railroad job. The generic job 
descriptions describe how these select occupations are generally 
performed in the railroad industry. However, not all occupations are 
performed the same way from railroad to railroad. Thus, the employer is 
given an opportunity to comment on whether the job description matches 
the employee's actual duties. If the employer concludes that the 
generic job description accurately describes the work performed by the 
applicant, no further action will be necessary. If the employer 
determines that the tasks are different, it may provide the RRB with a 
description of the actual job tasks. The employer has thirty days from 
the date the form is released to reply.
    Form G-251b, Employer Job Information (general), is released to an 
employer when an application for an RRB occupational disability is 
filed by an employee whose regular railroad occupation does not have a 
generic job description. It notifies the employer that the employee has 
filed for a disability annuity and that, if the employer wishes, it may 
provide the RRB with job duty information. The type of information the 
RRB is seeking is outlined on the form. The employer has thirty days 
from the date the form is released to reply.
    The RRB proposes no changes to Forms G-251a and G-251b.

[[Page 44055]]

    The completion time for Form G-251a and G-251b is estimated at 20 
minutes. Completion is voluntary. The RRB estimates that approximately 
125 G-251a's and 305 G-251b's are completed annually.
    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 or send an e-mail request to [email protected]. 
Comments regarding the information collection should be addressed to 
Ronald J. Hodapp, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street, 
Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092 or send an e-mail to 
[email protected]. Written comments should be received within 60 
days of this notice.

Charles Mierzwa,
Clearance Officer.
 [FR Doc. E6-12560 Filed 8-2-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P