[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 16, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14139-14141]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-05892]


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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 forwarding 
an 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: Employer Reporting; 
3220-0005. Under Section 9 of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), and 
Section 6 of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA), railroad 
employers are required to submit reports of employee service and 
compensation to the RRB as needed for administering the RRA and RUIA. 
To pay benefits due on a deceased employee's earnings records or 
determine entitlement to, and amount of annuity applied for, it is 
necessary at times to obtain from railroad employers current (lag) 
service and compensation not yet reported to the RRB through the annual 
reporting process. The reporting requirements are specified in 20 CFR 
209.6 and 209.7.
    The RRB currently utilizes Form G-88A.1, Notice of Retirement and 
Verification of Date Last Worked, Form G-88A.2, Notice of Retirement 
and Request for Service Needed for Eligibility, and Form AA-12, Notice 
of Death and Compensation, to obtain the required lag service and 
related information from railroad employers. Form G-88A.1 is sent by 
the RRB via a computer-generated listing or transmitted electronically 
via the RRB's Employer Reporting System (ERS) to employers. ERS 
consists of a series of screens with completion instructions and 
collects essentially the same information as the approved manual 
version. Form G-88A.1 is used for the specific purpose of verifying 
information previously provided to the RRB regarding the date last 
worked by an employee. If the information is correct, the employer need 
not reply. If the information is incorrect, the employer is asked to 
provide corrected information. Form G-88A.2 is used by the RRB to 
secure lag service and compensation information when it is needed to 
determine benefit eligibility. Form AA-12 obtains a report of lag 
service and compensation from the last railroad employer of a deceased 
employee. This report covers the lag period between the date of the 
latest record of employment processed by the RRB and the date an 
employee last worked, the date of death or the date the employee may 
have been entitled to benefits under the Social Security Act.

[[Page 14140]]

The information is used by the RRB to determine benefits due on the 
deceased employee's earnings record.
    In addition, 20 CFR 209.12(b) requires all railroad employers to 
furnish the RRB with the home addresses of all employees hired within 
the last year (new-hires). Form BA-6a, Form BA-6 Address Report, is 
used by the RRB to obtain home address information of employees from 
railroad employers who do not have the home address information 
computerized and who submit the information in a paper format. The form 
also serves as an instruction sheet to railroad employers who submit 
the information electronically by magnetic tape, cartridge, or CD-ROM.
    Completion of the forms is mandatory. Multiple responses may be 
filed by respondent.
    Previous Requests for Comments: The RRB has already published the 
initial 60-day notice (80 FR 81381 on December 29, 2015) required by 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That request elicited no comments.

Information Collection Request (ICR)

    Title: Employer Reporting.
    OMB Control Number: 3220-0005.
    Form(s) submitted: AA-12, G-88A.1, G-88A.2, BA-6a, BA-6a 
(Internet), and BA-6a (Email).
    Type of request: Extension without change 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, railroad employers are required to report 
service and compensation for employees needed to determine eligibility 
to and the amounts of benefits paid.
    Changes proposed: The RRB proposes no changes to the forms in the 
collection.
    The burden estimate for the ICR is as follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                            Form No.                                  Annual      Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AA-12...........................................................              60               5               5
G-88A.1.........................................................             100               5               8
G-88A.1 Internet................................................             260               4              17
G-88A.1 Internet (Class 1 railroads)............................             144              16              38
G-88A.2.........................................................             100               5               8
G-88A.2 (Internet)..............................................           1,200             2.5              50
BA-6a Electronic Equivalent *...................................              14              15               4
BA-6a (Email)...................................................              30              15               8
BA-6a (File Transfer Protocol)..................................              10              15               3
BA-6a Internet (RR initiated)...................................             250              17              71
BA-6a Internet (RRB initiated)..................................             250              12              50
BA-6a Paper (RR initiated)......................................              80              32              43
BA-6a Paper (RRB initiated).....................................             250              32             133
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................           2,748  ..............             438
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    2. Title and purpose of information collection: Employee 
Representative's Status and Compensation Reports; OMB 3220-0014.
    Under Section 1(b)(1) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), the 
term ``employee'' includes an individual who is an employee 
representative. As defined in Section 1(c) of the RRA, an employee 
representative is an officer or official representative of a railway 
labor organization other than a labor organization included in the term 
``employer,'' as defined in the RRA, who before or after August 29, 
1935, was in the service of an employer under the RRA and who is duly 
authorized and designated to represent employees in accordance with the 
Railway Labor Act, or, any individual who is regularly assigned to or 
regularly employed by such officer or official representative in 
connection with the duties of his or her office. The requirements 
relating to the application for employee representative status and the 
periodic reporting of the compensation resulting from such status is 
contained in 20 CFR 209.10.
    The RRB utilizes Forms DC-2a, Employee Representative's Status 
Report, and DC-2, Employee Representative's Report of Compensation, to 
obtain the information needed to determine employee representative 
status and to maintain a record of creditable service and compensation 
resulting from such status. Completion is required to obtain or retain 
a benefit. One response is requested of each respondent.
    Previous Requests for Comments: The RRB has already published the 
initial 60-day notice (80 FR 81382 on December 29, 2015) required by 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That request elicited no comments.

Information Collection Request (ICR)

    Title: Employee Representative's Status and Compensation Reports.
    OMB Control Number: 3220-0014.
    Form(s) submitted: DC-2 and DC-2a.
    Type of request: Revision of a currently approved collection of 
information.
    Affected public: Private Sector; Businesses or other for-profits.
    Abstract: Benefits are provided under the Railroad Retirement Act 
(RRA) for individuals who are employee representatives as defined in 
section 1 of the RRA. The collection obtains information regarding the 
status of such individuals and their compensation.
    Changes proposed: The RRB proposes to remove Form DC-2a from the 
information collection due to receiving less than 10 responses a year.
    The burden estimate for the ICR is as follows:

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                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DC-2............................................................              82              30              41
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................              82  ..............              41
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[[Page 14141]]

    3. Title and purpose of information collection: Survivor 
Questionnaire; OMB 3220-0032.
    Under Section 6 of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), benefits that 
may be due on the death of a railroad employee or a survivor annuitant 
include (1) a lump-sum death benefit (2) a residual lump-sum payment 
(3) accrued annuities due but unpaid at death, and (4) monthly survivor 
insurance payments. The requirements for determining the entitlement of 
possible beneficiaries to these benefits are prescribed in 20 CFR 234.
    When the RRB receives notification of the death of a railroad 
employee or survivor annuitant, an RRB field office utilizes Form RL-
94-F, Survivor Questionnaire, to secure additional information from 
surviving relatives needed to determine if any further benefits are 
payable under the RRA. Completion is voluntary. One response is 
requested of each respondent.
    Previous Requests for Comments: The RRB has already published the 
initial 60-day notice (80 FR 81383 on December 29, 2015) required by 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That request elicited no comments.

Information Collection Request (ICR)

    Title: Survivor Questionnaire.
    OMB Control Number: 3220-0032.
    Form(s) submitted: RL-94-F.
    Type of request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Affected public: Individuals or Households.
    Abstract: Under Section 6 of the Railroad Retirement Act, benefits 
are payable to the survivors or the estates of deceased railroad 
employees. The collection obtains information used to determine if and 
to whom benefits are payable; such as a widow(er) due survivor 
benefits, an executor of the estate, or a payer of burial expenses.
    Changes proposed: The RRB proposes adding new Item 8d, Divorced 
Spouse's Date of Divorce from Employee; minor non-burden impacting 
changes; and editorial changes to Form RL-94-F.
    The burden estimate for the ICR is as follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RL-94-F Items 5-10, and 18......................................              50               9               8
RL-94-F, Items 5-18.............................................           7,200              11           1,320
RL-94-F, Item 18 only...........................................             750               5              63
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................           8,000  ..............           1,391
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4. Title and purpose of information collection: Employer's Deemed 
Service Month Questionnaire; OMB 3220-0156.
    Section 3 (i) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), as amended by 
P.L. 98-76, provides that the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), under 
certain circumstances, may deem additional months of service in cases 
where an employee does not actually work in every month of the year, 
provided the employee satisfies certain eligibility requirements, 
including the existence of an employment relation between the employee 
and his or her employer. The procedures pertaining to the deeming of 
additional months of service are found in the RRB's regulations at 20 
CFR 210, Creditable Railroad Service.
    The RRB utilizes Form GL-99, Employer's Deemed Service Months 
Questionnaire, to obtain service and compensation information from 
railroad employers to determine if an employee can be credited with 
additional deemed months of railroad service. Completion is mandatory. 
One response is required for each RRB inquiry.
    Previous Requests for Comments: The RRB has already published the 
initial 60-day notice (80 FR 81383 on December 29, 2015) required by 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That request elicited no comments.

Information Collection Request (ICR)

    Title: Employer's Deemed Service Month Questionnaire.
    OMB Control Number: 3220-0156.
    Form(s) submitted: GL-99.
    Type of request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Affected public: Individuals or Households.
    Abstract: Under Section 3(i) of the Railroad Retirement Act, the 
Railroad Retirement Board may deem months of service in cases where an 
employee does not actually work in every month of the year. The 
collection obtains service and compensation information from railroad 
employers needed to determine if an employee may be credited with 
additional months of railroad service.
    Changes proposed: The RRB proposes non-burden impacting editorial 
changes to Form GL-99.
    The burden estimate for the ICR is as follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
GL-99...........................................................           2,000               2              67
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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. 2016-05892 Filed 3-15-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P