[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31108-31109]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14067]


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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: Supplemental 
Information on Accident and Insurance; OMB 3220-0036.
    Under Section 12(o) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act 
(RUIA), the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is entitled to 
reimbursement of the sickness benefits paid to a railroad employee if 
the employee receives a sum or damages for the same infirmity for which 
the benefits are paid. Section 2(f) of the RUIA requires employers to 
reimburse the RRB for days in which salary, wages, pay for time lost or 
other remuneration is later determined to be payable. Reimbursements 
under section 2(f) generally result from the award of pay for time lost 
or the payment of guaranteed wages. The RUIA prescribes that the amount 
of benefits paid be deducted and held by the employer in a special fund 
for reimbursement to the RRB.
    The RRB currently utilizes Forms SI-1c, Supplemental Information on 
Accident and Insurance; SI-5, Report of Payments to Employee Claiming 
Sickness Benefits Under the RUIA; ID-3s and ID-3s (Internet), Request 
for Lien Information--Report of Settlement; ID-3s-1, Lien Information 
Under Section 12(o) of the RUIA; ID-3u and ID-3u (Internet), Request 
for Section 2(f) Information; ID-30k, Notice to Request Supplemental 
Information on Injury or Illness; and ID-30k-1, Notice to Request 
Supplemental Information on Injury or Illness; to obtain the necessary 
information from claimants and railroad employers. Completion is 
required to obtain benefits. One response is requested of each 
respondent. The RRB proposes no changes to the forms in the collection.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SI-1c...........................................................             475               5              40
SI-5............................................................               7               5               1
ID-3s (Paper & Telephone).......................................           4,000               3             200
ID-3s (Internet)................................................           2,000               3             100
ID-3s-1 (Paper & Telephone).....................................           3,000               3             150
ID-3u (Paper & Telephone).......................................             400               3              20
ID-3u (Internet)................................................             200               3              10
ID-30k..........................................................              55               5               5
ID-30k.1........................................................              65               5               5
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................          10,202  ..............             531
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. Title and purpose of information collection: Pension Plan 
Reports; OMB 3220-0089.
    Under Section 2(b) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), the 
Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) pays supplemental annuities to 
qualified RRB employee annuitants. A supplemental annuity, which is 
computed according to Section 3(e) of the RRA, can be paid at age 60 if 
the employee has at least 30 years of creditable railroad service or at 
age 65 if the employee has 25-29 years of railroad service. In addition 
to 25 years of service, a ``current connection'' with the railroad 
industry is required. Eligibility is further limited to employees who 
had at least 1 month of rail service before October 1981 and were 
awarded regular annuities after June 1966. Further, if an employee's 
65th birthday was prior to September 2, 1981, he or she must not have 
worked in rail service after certain closing dates (generally the last 
day of the month following the month in which age 65 is attained). 
Under Section 2(h)(2) of the RRA, the amount of the supplemental 
annuity is reduced if the employee receives monthly pension payments, 
or a lump-sum pension payment from a private pension from a railroad 
employer, to the extent the payments are based on contributions from 
that employer. The employee's own contribution to their pension account 
does not cause a reduction. A private railroad employer pension is 
defined in 20 CFR 216.42.
    The RRB requires the following information from railroad employers 
to calculate supplemental annuities: (a) The current status of railroad 
employer pension plans and whether such plans cause reductions to the 
supplemental annuity; (b) whether the employee receives monthly 
payments from a private railroad employer pension, elected to receive a 
lump sum in lieu of monthly pension payments from such a plan, or was 
required to receive a lump sum from such a plan due to the plan's small 
benefit provision; and (c) the amount of the payments attributable to 
the railroad employer's contributions. The requirement that railroad 
employers furnish pension information to the RRB is contained in 20 CFR 
209.2.
    The RRB currently utilizes Form G-88p and G-88p (Internet), 
Employer's Supplemental Pension Report, and Form G-88r, Request for 
Information About New or Revised Employer Pension Plan, to obtain the 
necessary information from railroad employers. One response is 
requested of each respondent. Completion is mandatory.
    The RRB proposes to revise Forms G-88p and G-88p (Internet) to 
acquire

[[Page 31109]]

more accurate employee pension information by asking the employer 
whether the employee is currently eligible for a pension and 
instructing the employer to indicate whether the employee filed for the 
pension or instead elected to defer distribution from the pension 
account in Items 11a and 11b (paper) and Items 10a and 10b (Internet). 
The RRB also proposes to make other editorial changes. The RRB proposes 
no changes to Form G-88r.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-88p...........................................................             100               8              13
G-88p (Internet)................................................             200               6              20
G-88r...........................................................              10               8               1
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................             310  ..............              34
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    3. Title and purpose of information collection: Statement Regarding 
Contributions and Support; OMB 3220-0099.
    Under Section 2 of the Railroad Retirement Act, dependency on an 
employee for one-half support at the time of the employee's death can 
affect (1) entitlement to a survivor annuity when the survivor is a 
parent of the deceased employee; (2) the amount of spouse and survivor 
annuities; and (3) the Tier II restored amount payable to a widow(er) 
whose annuity was reduced for receipt of an employee annuity, and who 
was dependent on the railroad employee in the year prior to the 
employee's death. One-half support may also negate the public service 
pension offset in Tier I for a spouse or widow(er). The Railroad 
Retirement Board (RRB) utilizes Form G-134, Statement Regarding 
Contributions and Support, to secure information needed to adequately 
determine if the applicant meets the one-half support requirement. One 
response is completed by each respondent. Completion is required to 
obtain benefits. The RRB proposes no changes to Form G-134.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-134
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    With Assistance.............................................              75             147             184
    Without assistance..........................................              25             180              75
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
        Total...................................................             100  ..............             259
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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 Brian Foster, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 
North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-1275 or emailed to 
[email protected]. Written comments should be received within 60 
days of this notice.

Brian D. Foster,
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-14067 Filed 7-3-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P