[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 249 (Tuesday, December 30, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78505-78507]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-30497]


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RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD


Agency Forms Submitted for OMB Review, Request for Comments

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is an 
forwarding Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB). Our ICR describes the information we seek to collect from 
the public. Review and approval by OIRA ensures that we impose 
appropriate paperwork burdens.
    The RRB invites comments on the proposed collections of information 
to determine (1) the practical utility of the collections; (2) the 
accuracy of the estimated burden of the collections; (3) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information that is 
the subject of collection; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of 
collections on respondents, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments to the 
RRB or OIRA must contain the OMB control number of the ICR. For proper 
consideration of your comments, it is best if the RRB and OIRA receive 
them within 30 days of the publication date.
    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 (Form BA-3, Form BA-4, Form BA-6a, 
BA-6, Address Report (OMB 3220-0005), Form BA-9, Report of Separation 
Allowance or Severance Pay (OMB 3220-0173) and Form 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.
    Previous Requests for Comments: The RRB has already published the 
initial 60-day notice (79 FR 63652 on October 24, 2014) required by 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). On November 25, 2014, the RRB received comments from 
the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), 
strongly supporting the RRB's continued collection of the data on Forms 
BA-3 and BA-4 stating ``these forms are our main data source for key 
components of BEA's economic statistics.''

Information Collection Request (ICR)

    Title: Railroad Service and Compensation Reports/System Access 
Application.
    OMB Control Number: 3220-0008.
    Form(s) submitted: BA-3, BA-3 (Internet), BA-4, BA-4 (Internet), 
BA-12 and G-440.
    Type of request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Affected public: Private Sector; Businesses or other for-profits.
    Abstract: Under the Railroad Retirement Act and the Railroad 
Unemployment Insurance Act, employers are required to report service 
and compensation for each employee to update Railroad Retirement Board 
records for payments of benefits. The collection obtains service and 
compensation information and information needed to ensure secure system 
access from employers who voluntarily opt to use the RRB's Internet-
based Employer Reporting System to submit reporting forms and 
information needed to certify employer reporting transactions.
    Changes proposed: The RRB proposes to eliminate the paper version 
of Form BA-3 and to make minor non-burden impacting changes to Forms 
BA-12.
    The burden estimate for the ICR is as follows:

[[Page 78506]]



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                                                                                                      Burden
                   Reporting                       Responses             Time  (minutes)              (hours)
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BA-3:                                           ..............  ................................  ..............
    Electronic Media..........................              96  46.25 (2,775 min)...............           4,440
    BA-3 (Internet)...........................             617  46.25 (2,775 min)...............          28,536
                                               -----------------------------------------------------------------
        Total BA-3............................             713  ................................          32,976
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  ................................          35,074
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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(er)s, 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.
    Previous Requests for Comments: The RRB has already published the 
initial 60-day notice (79 FR 63653 on October 24, 2014) required by 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2).

Information Collection Request (ICR)

    Title: Medical Reports.
    OMB Control Number: 3220-0038.
    Form(s) submitted: G-3EMP, G-197, G-250, G-250a, G-260, RL-11B, RL-
11D, RL-250.
    Type of request: Revision of a currently approved collection of 
information.
    Affected public: Individuals or households; Private Sector; State, 
Local and Tribal Government.
    Abstract: The Railroad Retirement Act provides disability annuities 
for qualified railroad employees whose physical or mental condition 
renders them incapable of working in their regular occupation 
(occupational disability) or any occupation (total disability). The 
medical reports obtain information needed for determining the nature 
and severity of the impairment.
    Changes proposed: 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. There 
are no proposed changes to Forms RL-11B, RL-11D, RL-250.
    The burden estimate for the ICR is as follows:

[[Page 78507]]



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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
RL-11D..........................................................             250              10              42
RL-250..........................................................          11,950              10           1,992
                                                                          35,900  ..............          10,001
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    Additional Information or Comments: Copies of the forms and 
supporting documents can be obtained from 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 [email protected] and to the OMB 
Desk Officer for the RRB, Fax: 202-395-6974, Email address: 
[email protected].

Charles Mierzwa,
Chief of Information Resources Management.
[FR Doc. 2014-30497 Filed 12-29-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P