[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 140 (Thursday, July 23, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36539-36541]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-17510]


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RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD


Agency Forms Submitted for OMB Review, Request for Comments

    Summary: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is forwarding 
two (2) Information Collection Requests (ICR) to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB). Our ICR describes the information we seek to collect from 
the public. Review and approval by OIRA ensures that we impose 
appropriate paperwork burdens.
    The RRB invites comments on the proposed collections of information 
to determine (1) the practical utility of the collections; (2) the 
accuracy of the estimated burden of the collections; (3) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information that is the 
subject of collection; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of 
collections on respondents, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments to RRB or 
OIRA must contain the OMB control number of the ICR. For

[[Page 36540]]

proper consideration of your comments, it is best if RRB and OIRA 
receive them within 30 days of publication date.
    1. Title and purpose of information collection: Non-Resident 
Questionnaire; 3220-0145.
    Under Public Laws 98-21 and 98-76, benefits under the Railroad 
Retirement Act payable to annuitants living outside the United States 
may be subject to taxation under United States income tax laws. Whether 
the social security equivalent and non-social security equivalent 
portions of Tier I, Tier II, vested dual benefit, or supplemental 
annuity payments are subject to tax withholding, and whether the same 
or different rates are applied to each payment, depends on a 
beneficiary's citizenship and legal residence status, and whether 
exemption under a tax treaty between the United States and the country 
in which the beneficiary is a legal resident has been claimed. To 
effect the tax withholding, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) needs 
to know a nonresidents citizenship and legal residence status.
    To secure the required information, the RRB utilizes Form RRB-1001, 
Nonresident Questionnaire, as a supplement to an application as part of 
the initial application process, and as an independent vehicle for 
obtaining the needed information when an annuitant's residence or tax 
treaty status changes. Completion is voluntary. One response is 
requested of each respondent.
    The RRB estimates that 1,300 Form RRB-1001's are completed 
annually. The completion time for Form RRB-1001 is estimated at 30 
minutes.
    Previous Requests for Comments: The RRB has already published the 
initial 60-day notice (74 FR 17895 on April 17, 2009) required by 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That request elicited no comments.

Information Collection Request (ICR)

    Title: Nonresident Questionnaire.
    Form(s) submitted: RRB-1001.
    OMB Control Number: 3220-0145.
    Expiration date of current OMB clearance: 7/31/2009.
    Type of request: Extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 1,300.
    Total annual responses: 1,300.
    Total annual reporting hours: 650.
    Abstract: Under the Railroad Retirement Act, the benefits payable 
to an annuitant living outside the United States may be subject to 
withholding under Public Laws 98-21 and 98-76. The form obtains the 
information needed to determine the amount to be withheld.
    Changes Proposed: The RRB proposes no changes to Form RRB-1001.
    2. Title and Purpose of Information Collection: Application for 
Survivor Insurance Annuities.
    Under Section 2(d) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), monthly 
survivor annuities are payable to surviving widow(er)s, parents, 
unmarried children, and in certain cases, divorced wives (husbands), 
mothers (fathers), remarried widow(er)s, and grandchildren of deceased 
railroad employees. The collection obtains the information required by 
the RRB to determine entitlement to and the amount of the annuity 
applied for.
    The RRB currently utilizes Form(s) AA-17, Application for 
Widow(ers) Annuity, AA-17b Applications for Determination of Widow(er) 
Disability, AA-17cert, Application Summary and Certification, AA-18, 
Application for Mother's/Father's and Child's Annuity, AA-19, 
Application for Child's Annuity, AA-19a, Application for Determination 
of Child Disability, and AA-20, Application for Parent's Annuity to 
obtain the necessary information. One response is requested of each 
respondent. Completion is required to obtain benefits.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses      Time (min)     Burden (hrs)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AA-17 (without assistance)......................................             100              47              78
AA-17b (total)..................................................             300  ..............             270
 (with assistance)..............................................             280              40             187
 (without assistance)...........................................              20              50              17
AA-17cert.......................................................           3,000              20           1,000
AA-18 (without assistance)......................................              12              47               9
AA-19 (without assistance)......................................               9              47               7
AA-19a (total)..................................................             300  ..............             230
 (with assistance)..............................................             285              45             214
 (without assistance)...........................................              15              65              16
AA-20 (without assistance)......................................               1              47               1
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................           4,022  ..............           1,529
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Previous Requests for Comments: The RRB has already published the 
initial 60-day notice (74 FR 18408 on April 22, 2009) required by 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That request elicited no comments.

Information Collection Request (ICR)

    Title: Application for Survivor Insurance Annuities.
    OMB Control Number: 3220-0030.
    Form(s) submitted: AA-17, AA-17b, AA-17cert, AA-18, AA-19, AA-19a, 
AA-20.
    Type of request: Extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.
    Affected public: Individuals or households.
    Abstract: Under Section 2(d) of the Railroad Retirement Act, 
monthly survivor annuities are payable to surviving widow(er)s, 
parents, unmarried children, and in certain cases, divorced wives 
(husband), mothers (fathers), remarried widow(er)s and grandchildren of 
deceased railroad employees. The collection obtains information needed 
by the RRB for determining entitlement to and amount of the annuity 
applied for.
    Changes Proposed: The RRB proposes no changes to the forms in the 
information collection.
    The burden estimate for the ICR is as follows:
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 4,022.
    Total annual responses: 4,022.
    Total annual reporting hours: 1,529.
    Additional Information or Comments: Copies of the form and 
supporting

[[Page 36541]]

documents can be obtained from Charles Mierzwa, the agency clearance 
officer at (312-751-3363) or [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 [email protected] and to the OMB 
Desk Officer for the RRB, at the Office of Management and Budget, Room 
10230, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503.

Charles Mierzwa,
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-17510 Filed 7-22-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P