[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 18 (Thursday, January 28, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4594-4595]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1713]


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RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD


Proposed Data Collection(s) Available for Public Comment and 
Recommendations

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 
collections are 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 for 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.

1. 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 payments of age and service, disability, and supplemental annuities 
to qualified employees. An annuity cannot be paid until the employee 
stops working for a railroad employer. In addition, the age and service 
employee must relinquish any rights held to such jobs. A disabled 
employee does not need to relinquish employee rights until attaining 
Full Retirement Age, or if earlier, their spouse files for a spouse 
annuity. Benefits become payable after the employee meets certain other 
requirements, which depend on the type of annuity payable. The 
requirements for obtaining the annuities are prescribed in 20 CFR 216, 
and 220.
    The RRB currently uses the electronic AA-1cert, Application Summary 
and Certification process and the following forms to collect the 
information needed for determining entitlement to and the amount of, an 
employee retirement annuity: Form AA-1, Application for Employee 
Annuity Under the Railroad Retirement Act, Form AA-1d, Application for 
Determination of Employee Disability, and Form G-204, Verification of 
Workers Compensation/Public Disability Benefit Information.
    The AA-1cert process obtains information from an applicant for 
either an age and service, or disability annuity

[[Page 4595]]

by means of an interview with an RRB field-office representative. It 
obtains information about an applicant's marital history, work history, 
military service, benefits from other governmental agencies and 
railroad pensions. 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-1cert, 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 a manual 
version, RRB Form AA-1, 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.
    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.
    The RRB estimates the burden for the collection as follows:

                                                Estimated Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Estimated
                                                                     Estimated      completion       Estimated
                         Form                                annual        time  (per     annual burden
                                                                     responses       response)        (Hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AA-1cert (interview)............................................          14,000              30           7,000
AA-1 manual (without assistance)................................             100              62             103
AA-1d (manual without assistance)...............................               5              60               5
AA-1d (manual) (interview)......................................           3,700              35           2,158
G-204...........................................................              20              15               5
    Total.......................................................          17,825  ..............           9,271
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The RRB proposes non-burden impacting editorial changes intended to 
provide clarification to Form AA-1(cert). Non-burden impacting 
editorial changes intended to provide clarification and specificity to 
currently existing responses as well as the deletion of several items 
that are no longer needed are proposed to Form AA-1. No changes are 
proposed to Form(s) AA-1d and G-204.
    All of the forms require completion to obtain a benefit. One 
response is requested of each respondent.

2. Title and Purpose of Information Collection

Voluntary Customer Surveys in Accordance with E.O. 12862; OMB 3220-0192

    In accordance with Executive Order 12862, the Railroad Retirement 
Board (RRB) conducts a number of customer surveys designed to determine 
the kinds and quality of services our beneficiaries, claimants, 
employers and members of the public want and expect, as well as their 
satisfaction with existing RRB services. The information collected is 
used by RRB management to monitor customer satisfaction by determining 
to what extent services are satisfactory and where and to what extent 
services can be improved. The surveys are limited to data collections 
that solicit strictly voluntary opinions, and do not collect 
information which is required or regulated. The information collection, 
which was first approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
in 1997, provides the RRB with a generic clearance authority. This 
generic authority allows the RRB to submit a variety of new or revised 
customer survey instruments (needed to timely implement customer 
monitoring activities) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
expedited review and approval.
    The average burden per response for customer satisfaction 
activities is estimated to range from 2 minutes for a Web-site 
questionnaire to 2 hours for participation in a focus group. The RRB 
estimates an annual burden of 1,750 annual respondents totaling 717 
hours for the generic customer survey clearance.
    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 
Patricia A. Henaghan, 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. 2010-1713 Filed 1-27-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P