[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 200 (Tuesday, October 16, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63358-63360]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-25403]


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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.
    1. Title and purpose of information collection: Vocational Report; 
OMB 3220-0141.
    Section 2 of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) provides for payment 
of disability annuities to qualified employees and widow(ers). The 
establishment of permanent disability for work in the applicants 
``regular occupation'' or for work in any regular employment is 
prescribed in 20 CFR 220.12 and 220.13 respectively.
    The RRB utilizes Form G-251, Vocational Report, to obtain an 
applicant's work history. This information is used by the RRB to

[[Page 63359]]

determine the effect of a disability on an applicant's ability to work. 
Form G-251 is designed for use with the RRB's disability benefit 
application forms and 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.
    Completion is required to obtain or retain a benefit. One response 
is requested of each respondent. The RRB proposes no changes to Form G-
251.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
                             [The estimated annual respondent burden is as follows]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual           Time           Burden
                            Form No.                                 responses       (Minutes)        (Hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-251 (with assistance).........................................           5,730              30           2,865
G-251 (without assistance)......................................             270              40             180
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................           6,000  ..............           3,045
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. 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(b)(2)(e).
    To determine an occupational disability, the RRB must decide if the 
employee is precluded from performing the full range of duties of his 
or her regular railroad occupation. This is accomplished by comparing 
the restrictions an 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 employee applicant's ability 
to work, the RRB needs the employee applicant's work history. To obtain 
this information from the employee applicant, the RRB utilizes Form G-
251, Vocational Report (OMB 3220-0141. Note: Form G-251 is provided to 
all applicants for employee disability annuities and to those 
applicants for a widow or widower'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.
    To obtain the job information from the railroad employer, the RRB 
uses the following two forms. 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 description describes how the select 
occupation is generally performed in the railroad industry. However, 
because not all occupations are performed the same way from railroad to 
railroad, 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 is 
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 respond.
    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.
    Completion is voluntary. The RRB proposes no changes to Forms G-
251a and G-251b.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
                             [The estimated annual respondent burden is as follows]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual           Time           Burden
                            Form No.                                 responses       (Minutes)        (Hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-251a..........................................................             125              20              42
G-251b..........................................................             305              20             102
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................             430  ..............             144
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 63360]]

    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. 2012-25403 Filed 10-15-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P