[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 104 (Wednesday, May 30, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31898-31899]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-13043]


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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 
Survivor Death Benefits; OMB 3220-0031.
    Under Section 6 of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), lump-sum 
death benefits are payable to surviving widow(er)s, children, and 
certain other dependents. Lump-sum death benefits are payable after the 
death of a railroad employee only if there are no qualified survivors 
of the employee immediately eligible for annuities. With the exception 
of the residual death benefit, eligibility for survivor benefits 
depends on whether the deceased employee was ``insured'' under the RRA 
at the time of death. If the deceased employee was not insured, 
jurisdiction of any survivor benefits payable is transferred to the 
Social Security Administration and survivor benefits are paid by that 
agency instead of the RRB. The requirements for applying for benefits 
are prescribed in 20 CFR parts 217, 219, and 234.
    The collection obtains the information required by the RRB to 
determine entitlement to and amount of the survivor death benefits 
applied for. To collect the information, the RRB uses Forms AA-11a, 
Designation for Change of Beneficiary for Residual Lump-Sum; AA-21, 
Application for Lump-Sum Death Payment and Annuities Unpaid at Death; 
AA-21cert, Application Summary and Certification; G-131, Authorization 
of Payment and Release of All Claims to a Death Benefit or Accrued 
Annuity Payment; and G-273a, Funeral Director's Statement of Burial 
Charges. One response is requested of each respondent. Completion is 
required to obtain benefits. The RRB proposes no changes to any of the 
forms in the information collection.

                  Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
         [The estimated annual respondent burden is as follows]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      Annual        Time        Burden
             Form No.               responses    (minutes)     (hours)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
AA-11a...........................          100           10           17
AA-21cert (with assistance)......        4,500           20        1,500
AA-21 (without assistance).......          300           40          200
G-131............................          600            5           50
G-273a...........................        5,000           10          833
ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½
    Total........................       10,500  ...........        2,600
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[[Page 31899]]

    Additional Information or Comments: To request more information or 
to obtain a copy of the information collection justification, forms, 
and/or supporting material, contact Dana Hickman at (312) 751-4981 or 
[email protected]. Comments regarding the information collection 
should be addressed to Charles Mierzwa, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 
North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092 or emailed to 
[email protected]. Written comments should be received within 60 
days of this notice.

Charles Mierzwa,
Chief of Information Resources Management.
[FR Doc. 2012-13043 Filed 5-29-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P