[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 181 (Wednesday, September 18, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 57421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-22660]


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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 and Claim 
for Sickness Insurance Benefits; OMB 3220-0039.
    Under Section 2 of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA), 
sickness benefits are payable to qualified railroad employees who are 
unable to work because of illness or injury. In addition, sickness 
benefits are payable to qualified female employees if they are unable 
to work, or if working would be injurious, because of pregnancy, 
miscarriage, or childbirth. Under Section 1(k) of the RUIA a statement 
of sickness, with respect to days of sickness of an employee, is to be 
filed with the RRB within a 10-day period from the first day claimed as 
a day of sickness. The Railroad Retirement Board's (RRB) authority for 
requesting supplemental medical information is Section 12(i) and 12(n) 
of the RUIA. The procedures for claiming sickness benefits and for the 
RRB to obtain supplemental medical information needed to determine a 
claimant's eligibility for such benefits are prescribed in 20 CFR part 
335.
    The forms currently used by the RRB to obtain information needed to 
determine eligibility for, and the amount of, sickness benefits due a 
claimant follow: Form SI-1a, Application for Sickness Benefits; Form 
SI-1b, Statement of Sickness; Form SI-3, Claim for Sickness Benefits; 
Form SI-7, Supplemental Doctor's Statement; Form SI-8, Verification of 
Medical Information; Form ID-7H, Non-Entitlement to Sickness Benefits 
and Information on Unemployment Benefits; Form ID-11A, Requesting 
Reason for Late Filing of Sickness Benefit, and ID-11B, Notice of 
Insufficient Medical and Late Filing. Completion is required to obtain 
or retain benefits. One response is requested of each respondent.
    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]
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                                                                      Annual           Time           Burden
                            Form No.                                 responses       (minutes)        (hours)
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SI-1a...........................................................          17,000              10           2,833
SI-1b (Doctor)..................................................          17,000               8           2,267
SI-3 (manual)...................................................         118,150               5           9,846
SI-3 (Internet).................................................          20,850               5           1,738
SI-7............................................................          22,600               8           3,013
SI-8............................................................              50               5               4
ID-7H...........................................................              50               5               4
ID-11A..........................................................             800               4              53
ID-11B..........................................................           1,000               4              67
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................         197,500  ..............          19,825
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    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. 2013-22660 Filed 9-17-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P