[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 151 (Monday, August 7, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 44727]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-12757]


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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: Application for Spouse 
Annuity Under the Railroad Retirement Act; OMB 3220-0042 Section 2(c) 
of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), provides for the payment of 
annuities to spouses of railroad retirement annuitants who meet the 
requirements under the RRA. The age requirements for a spouse annuity 
depend on the employee's age and date of retirement and the employee's 
years of railroad service. The requirements relating to the annuities 
are prescribed in 20 CFR 216, 218, 219, 232, 234, and 295.
    The RRB currently uses the electronic AA-3cert, Application Summary 
and Certification process and manual Form AA-3, Application for Spouse/
Divorced Spouse Annuity, to obtain the information needed to determine 
an applicant's entitlement to an annuity and the amount of the annuity.
    The AA-3cert process obtains information from an applicant by means 
of an interview with an RRB field-office representative. During the 
interview, the field-office representative enters the information 
obtained into an on-line information system. Upon completion of the 
interview, the applicant receives Form AA-3cert, Application Summary 
and Certification, which summarizes the information that was provided 
by/or verified by the applicant, for review and signature. The RRB also 
uses manual Form AA-3 in instances where the RRB representative is 
unable to contact the applicant in person or by telephone; i.e., the 
applicant lives in another country.
    The RRB estimates the burden for the collection as follows:

Estimated Burden

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Estimated
                                                                     Estimated      completion       Estimated
                            Form No.                                  annual         time (per     annual burden
                                                                     responses       response)        (hours)
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AA-3cert........................................................           8,400              30           4,200
AA-3 (manual)...................................................             100              58              97
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................           8,500  ..............           4,297
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    The RRB proposes to add new items to Form(s) AA-3cert and AA-3 to 
further document an applicant's most recent nonrailroad work. The items 
ask for the applicant's most recent job title and whether their 
employer is a seasonal employer. Non-burden-impacting changes are 
proposed to the certification statements of Form(s) AA-3cert and AA-3 
that are intended to provide additional specificity regarding post-
application events that require an applicant to contact the RRB. Other 
non-burden impacting, editorial (clarification) and formatting changes 
to Form AA-3cert and Form AA-3 are also proposed. Completion is 
required to obtain a benefit. One response is requested of each 
respondent.
    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. E6-12757 Filed 8-4-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P