[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 206 (Friday, October 24, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63652-63654]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-25312]


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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: Railroad Service 
and Compensation Reports/System Access Application; OMB 3220-0008.
    Under Section 9 of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) and Section 6 
of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA) the Railroad 
Retirement Board (RRB) maintains for each railroad employee, a record 
of compensation paid to that employee by all railroad employers for 
whom the employee worked after 1936. This record, which is used by the 
RRB to determine eligibility for, and amount of, benefits due under the 
laws it administers, is conclusive as to the amount of compensation 
paid to an employee during such period(s) covered by the report(s) of 
the compensation by the employee's railroad employer(s), except in 
cases when an employee files a protest pertaining to his or her 
reported compensation within the statute of limitations cited in 
Section 9 of the RRA and Section 6 of the RUIA.
    To enable the RRB to establish and maintain the record of 
compensation, employers are required to file with the RRB, reports of 
their employees' compensation, in such manner and form and at such 
times as the RRB prescribes. Railroad employers' reports and 
responsibilities are prescribed in 20 CFR 209. The RRB currently 
utilizes Form BA-3, Annual Report of Creditable Compensation, and Form 
BA-4, Report of Creditable Compensation Adjustments, to secure the 
required information from railroad employers. Form BA-3 provides the 
RRB with information regarding annual creditable service and 
compensation for each individual who worked for a railroad employer 
covered by the RRA and RUIA in a given year. Form BA-4 provides for the 
adjustment of any previously submitted reports and also the opportunity 
to provide any service and compensation that had been previously 
omitted. Requirements specific to Forms BA-3 and BA-4 are prescribed in 
20 CFR 209.8 and 209.9.
    Employers currently have the option of submitting BA-3 and BA-4 
reports electronically by CD-ROM, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), secure 
Email, or online via the RRB's Employer Reporting System (ERS).
    The information collection also includes RRB Form BA-12, 
Application for Employer Reporting Internet Access, and Form G-440, 
Report Specifications Sheet. Form BA-12 is completed by railroad 
employers to obtain system access to ERS. Once access is obtained, 
authorized employees may submit reporting forms online to the RRB. The 
form determines what degree of access (view/only, data entry/
modification or approval/submission) is appropriate for that employee. 
It is also used to terminate an employee's access to ERS. Form G-440, 
Report Specifications Sheet, serves as a certification document for 
various RRB employer reporting forms (Forms BA-3, BA-4, Form BA-6a, BA-
6, Address Report (OMB 3220-0005), BA-9, Report of Separation Allowance 
or Severance Pay (OMB 3220-0173) and BA-11, Report of Gross Earnings 
(OMB 3220-0132)). It records the type of medium the report was 
submitted on, and serves as a summary recapitulation sheet for reports 
filed on paper. The RRB proposes minor non-burden impacting changes to 
Form BA-12 and G-440.

[[Page 63653]]



                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
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                                                                                                      Burden
                   Reporting                       Responses             Time  (minutes)              (hours)
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BA-3:
    Paper.....................................              24  116.85 (7,011 min)..............           2,804
    Electronic Media..........................              96  46.25 (2,775 min)...............           4,440
    BA-3 (Internet)...........................             593  46.25 (2,775 min)...............          27,426
                                               -----------------------------------------------------------------
        Total BA-3............................             713  ................................          34,670
BA-4:
    Paper.....................................             160  1.25 (75 min)...................             200
    Electronic Media..........................             285  1.00 (60 min)...................             285
    BA-4 (Internet)...........................           3,852  .33 (20 min)....................           1,284
                                               -----------------------------------------------------------------
        Total BA-4............................           4,297  ................................           1,769
BA-12:
    Initial Access............................             295  .33 (20 min)....................              98
    Access Termination........................              38  .166 (10 min)...................               6
                                               -----------------------------------------------------------------
        Total BA-12...........................             333  ................................             105
G-440 (Certification):
    Form BA-3 (zero employees)................              19  .25 (15 min)....................               5
    Form BA-11 (zero employees)...............              60  .25 (15 min)....................              15
    Paper forms (without recap)...............               7  .25 (15 min)....................               2
    Electronic transactions...................              94  .50 (30 min)....................              47
    BA-3 and BA-4 (with recap)................             125  1.25 (75 min)...................             156
                                               -----------------------------------------------------------------
    Total G-440...............................             305  ................................             224
                                               =================================================================
        Grand Total...........................           5,648  ................................          36,768
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    2. Title and purpose of information collection: Medical Reports; 
OMB 3220-0038.
    Under sections 2(a)(1)(iv) and 2(a)(1)(v) of the Railroad 
Retirement Act (RRA), annuities are payable to qualified railroad 
employees whose physical or mental condition makes them unable to (1) 
work in their regular occupation (occupational disability) or (2) work 
at all (permanent total disability). The requirements for establishing 
disability and proof of continuing disability under the RRA are 
prescribed in 20 CFR 220.
    Under Sections 2(c)(1)(ii)(C) and 2(d)(1)(ii) of the RRA, annuities 
are also payable to qualified spouses and widow(ers), respectively, who 
have a qualifying child who became disabled before age 22. Annuities 
are also payable to surviving children on the basis of disability under 
section 2(d)(1)(iii)(C) if the child's disability began before age 22 
as well as to widow(er)s on the basis of disability under section 
2(d)(1)(i)(B). To meet the disability standard, the RRA provides that 
individuals must have a permanent physical or mental condition that 
makes them unable to engage in any regular employment.
    Under section 2(d)(1)(v) of the RRA, annuities are also payable to 
remarried widow(er)s and surviving divorced spouses on the basis of, 
among other things, disability or having a qualifying disabled child in 
care. However, the disability standard in these cases is that found in 
the Social Security Act. That is, individuals must be unable to engage 
in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically 
determinable physical or mental impairment. The RRB also determines 
entitlement to a Period of Disability and entitlement to early Medicare 
based on disability for qualified claimants in accordance with Section 
216 of the Social Security Act.
    When making disability determinations, the RRB needs evidence from 
acceptable medical sources. The RRB currently utilizes Forms G-3EMP, 
Report of Medical Condition by Employer; G-197, Authorization to 
Release Medical Information to the Railroad Retirement Board; G-250, 
Medical Assessment; G-250A, Medical Assessment of Residual Functional 
Capacity; G-260, Report of Seizure Disorder; RL-11B, Disclosure of 
Hospital Medical Records; RL-11D, Disclosure of Medical Records from a 
State Agency; and RL-250, Request for Medical Assessment, to obtain the 
necessary medical evidence. One response is requested of each 
respondent. Completion is voluntary.
    The RRB proposes to add a fraud statement; request a doctor's 
National Provider Number; and make other minor non-burden impacting 
editorial and cosmetic changes to Forms G-250, G-250A, and G-260. The 
RRB also proposes to revise Form G-197 to include authorization to 
disclose educational records from various sources, as well as make 
other minor non-burden impacting editorial changes.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
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                                                                      Annual           Time           Burden
                            Form No.                                 responses       (minutes)        (hours)
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G-3EMP..........................................................             600              10             100
G-197...........................................................           6,000              10           1,000
G-250...........................................................          11,950              30           5,975
G-250A..........................................................              50              20              17
G-260...........................................................             100              25              42
RL-11B..........................................................           5,000              10             833

[[Page 63654]]

 
RL-11D..........................................................             250              10              42
RL-250..........................................................          11,950              10           1,992
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................          35,900  ..............          10,001
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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. 2014-25312 Filed 10-23-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P