[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 187 (Friday, September 26, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57988-57989]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22935]


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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: Student Beneficiary 
Monitoring; OMB 3220-0123.
    Under provisions of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), there are 
two types of benefit payments that are based on the status of a child 
being in full-time elementary or secondary school attendance at age 18-
19: a survivor child's annuity benefit under Section 2(d)(1)(iii) and 
an increase in the employee retirement annuity under the Special 
Guaranty computation as prescribed in section 3(f)(2) and 20 CFR part 
229.
    The survivor student annuity is usually paid by direct deposit to a 
financial institution either into the student's checking or savings 
account or into a joint bank account with a parent. The requirements 
for eligibility as a student are prescribed in 20 CFR 216.74, and 
include students in independent study and home schooling.
    To help determine if a child is entitled to student benefits, the 
RRB requires evidence of full-time school attendance. This evidence is 
acquired through the RRB's student monitoring program, which utilizes 
the following forms. Form G-315, Student Questionnaire, obtains 
certification of a student's full-time school attendance as well as 
information on the student's marital status, social security benefits, 
and employment, which are needed to determine entitlement or continued 
entitlement to benefits under the RRA. Form G-315A, Statement of School 
Official, is used to obtain, from a school, verification of a student's 
full-time attendance when the student fails to return a monitoring Form 
G-315. Form G-315A.1, School Official's Notice of Cessation of Full-
Time School Attendance, is used by a school to notify the RRB that a 
student has ceased full-time school attendance. The RRB proposes minor 
editorial and formatting changes to Forms G-315, G-315a, and G-315a.1.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual           Time           Burden
                           Form number                               responses       (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-315...........................................................             860              15             215
G-315a..........................................................              20               3               1
G-315a.1........................................................              20               2               1
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................             900  ..............             217
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. Title and purpose of information collection: RUIA Claims 
Notification and Verification System; OMB 3220-0171.
    Section 5(b) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA), 
requires that effective January 1, 1990,

[[Page 57989]]

when a claim for benefits is filed with the Railroad Retirement Board 
(RRB), the RRB shall provide notice of the claim to the claimant's base 
year employer(s) to provide them an opportunity to submit information 
relevant to the claim before making an initial determination. If the 
RRB determines to pay benefits to the claimant under the RUIA, the RRB 
shall notify the base-year employer(s).
    The purpose of the RUIA Claims Notification and Verification System 
is to provide two notices, pre-payment Form ID-4K, Prepayment Notice of 
Employees' Applications and Claims for Benefits Under the Railroad 
Unemployment Insurance Act, and post-payment Form ID-4E, Notice of RUIA 
Claim Determination. Prepayment Form ID-4K provides notice to a 
claimant's base-year employer(s), of each unemployment application and 
unemployment and sickness claim filed for benefits under the RUIA and 
provides the employer an opportunity to convey information relevant to 
the proper adjudication of the claim.
    The railroad employer can elect to receive Form ID-4K by one of 
three options: a computer-generated paper notice, by Electronic Data 
Interchange (EDI), or online via the RRB's Employer Reporting System 
(ERS). The railroad employer can respond to the ID-4K notice by 
telephone, manually by mailing a completed ID-4K back to the RRB, or 
electronically via EDI or ERS. Completion is voluntary. The RRB 
proposes no changes to any of the ID-4K options.
    Once the RRB determines to pay a claim post-payment Form Letter ID-
4E, Notice of RUIA Claim Determination, is used to notify the base-year 
employer(s). This gives the employer a second opportunity to challenge 
the claim for benefits.
    The ID-4E mainframe-generated paper notice, EDI, and Internet 
versions are transmitted on a daily basis, generally on the same day 
that the claims are approved for payment. Railroad employers who are 
mailed Form ID-4E are instructed to write if they want a 
reconsideration of the RRB's determination to pay. Employers who 
receive the ID-4E electronically, may file a reconsideration request by 
completing the ID-4E by either EDI or ERS. Completion is voluntary. The 
RRB proposes no changes to any of the ID-4E options.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual           Time           Burden
                           Form number                               responses       (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ID-4K (Manual)..................................................           1,250               2              42
ID-4K (EDI).....................................................          17,500             (*)             210
ID-4K (Internet)................................................          57,000               2           1,900
ID-4E (Manual)..................................................              50               2               2
ID-4E (Internet)................................................             120               2               4
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................          75,920  ..............           2,158
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The burden for the 5 participating employers who transmit EDI responses is calculated at 10 minutes each per
  day, 251 workdays a year or 210 total hours of burden.

    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. 2014-22935 Filed 9-25-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P