[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 21 (Friday, January 31, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5471-5472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-01975]


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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: Self-Employment/
Corporate Officer Work and Earnings Monitoring; OMB 3220-0202.
    Section 2 of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) provides for the 
payment of disability annuities to qualified employees. Section 2 also 
provides that if the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) receives a report 
of an annuitant working for a railroad or earning more than prescribed 
dollar amounts from either nonrailroad employment or self-employment, 
the annuity is no longer payable, or can be reduced, for the months 
worked. The regulations related to the nonpayment or reduction of the 
annuity by reason of work are prescribed in 20 CFR 220.160-164.
    Some activities claimed by the applicant as ``self-employment'' may 
actually be employment for someone else (e.g. training officer, 
consultant, salesman). 20 CFR 216.22 9 (c) states, for example, that an 
applicant is considered an employee, and not self-employed, when acting 
as a corporate officer, since the corporation is the applicant's 
employer. Whether the RRB classifies a particular activity as self-
employment or as work for an employer depends upon the circumstances in 
each case. The circumstances are prescribed in 20 CFR 216.21-216-23.
    Certain types of work may actually indicate an annuitant's recovery 
from disability. Regulations related to an annuitant's recovery form 
disability of work are prescribed in 20 CFR 220.17-220-20.
    In addition, the RRB conducts continuing disability reviews, (also 
known as a CDR) to determine whether the annuitant continues to meet 
the disability requirements of the law. Payment of disability benefits 
and/or a beneficiary's period of disability will end if medical 
evidence or other information shows that an annuitant is not disabled 
under the standards prescribed in Section 2 of the RRA. Continuing 
disability reviews are generally conducted if one or more of the 
following conditions are met: (1) the annuitant is scheduled for a 
routine periodic review, (2) the annuitant returns to work and 
successfully completes a trial work period, (3) substantial earnings 
are posted to the annuitant's wage record, or (4)

[[Page 5472]]

information is received from the annuitant or a reliable source that 
the annuitant has recovered or returned to work. Provisions relating to 
when and how often the RRB conducts disability reviews are prescribed 
in 20 CFR 220.186.
    To enhance program integrity activities, the RRB utilizes Form G-
252, Self-Employment/Corporate Officer Work and Earnings Monitoring. 
Form G-252 obtains information from a disability annuitant who claims 
to be self-employed or a corporate officer or who the RRB determines to 
be self-employed or a corporate officer after a continuing disability 
review. The continuing disability review may be prompted by a report of 
work, return to railroad service, an allegation of a medical 
improvement or a routine disability review call-up. The information 
gathered is used to determine entitlement and/or continued entitlement 
to, and the amount of, the disability annuity, as prescribed in 20 CFR 
220.176. Completion is required to retain benefits. One response is 
required of each respondent. The RRB proposes no changes to Form G-252.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
                             [The estimated annual respondent burden is as follows]
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                                                                      Annual           Time           Burden
                           Form number                               responses       (minutes)        (hours)
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G-252...........................................................             100              20              33
        Total...................................................             100  ..............              33
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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. 2014-01975 Filed 1-30-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P