[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 40 (Thursday, February 28, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6840-6842]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-03487]


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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: Application for 
Survivor Insurance Annuities; OMB 3220-0030.
    Under Section 2(d) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), monthly 
survivor annuities are payable to surviving widow(er)s, parents, 
unmarried children, and in certain cases, divorced spouses, mothers 
(fathers), remarried widow(er)s, and grandchildren of deceased railroad 
employees if there are no qualified survivors of the employee 
immediately eligible for an annuity. The requirements relating to the 
annuities are prescribed in 20 CFR 216, 217, 218, and 219.
    To collect the information needed to help determine an applicant's 
entitlement to, and the amount of, a survivor annuity the RRB uses 
Forms AA-17, Application for Widow(er)'s Annuity; AA-17b, Applications 
for Determination of Widow(er)'s Disability; AA-18, Application for 
Mother's/Father's and Child's Annuity; AA-19, Application for Child's 
Annuity; AA-19a, Application for Determination of Child's Disability; 
AA-20, Application for Parent's Annuity, and electronic Forms AA-
17cert, Application Summary and Certification and AA-17sum, Application 
Summary.
    The on-line automated survivor annuity application (Forms AA-17, 
AA-18, AA-19, and AA-20) process obtains information about an 
applicant's marital history, work history, benefits from other 
government agencies, and Medicare entitlement for a survivor annuity. 
An RRB representative interviews the applicant either at a field office 
(preferred), an itinerant point, or by telephone. During the interview, 
the RRB representative enters the information obtained into an on-line 
information system. Upon completion of the interview, the system 
generates, for the applicant's review, either Form AA-17cert or AA-
17sum, which provides a summary of the information that the applicant 
provided or verified. Form AA-17cert, Application Summary and 
Certification, requires a tradition pen and ink ``wet'' signature. Form 
AA-17sum, Application Summary, documents the alternate signing method 
called ``Attestation,'' which is an action taken by the RRB 
representative to confirm and annotate in the RRB records (1) the 
applicant's intent to file an application; (2) the applicant's 
affirmation under penalty of perjury that the information provided is 
correct; and (3) the applicant's agreement to sign the application by 
proxy. When the RRB representative is unable to contact the applicant 
in person or by telephone, for example, the applicant lives in another 
country, a manual version of the appropriate form is used. One response 
is requested of each respondent. Completion of the forms is required to 
obtain a benefit.
    Previous requests for comments: The RRB has already published the 
initial 60-day notice (83 FR 66323 on December 26, 2018) required by 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That request elicited no comments.

Information Collection Request (ICR)

    Title: Application for Survivor Insurance Annuities.
    OMB control number: 3220-0030.
    Form(s) submitted: AA-17b, AA-17cert, AA-17sum, and AA-19a.
    Type of request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Affected public: Individuals or Households.
    Abstract: Under Section 2(d) of the Railroad Retirement Act, 
monthly survivor annuities are payable to surviving widow(er)s, 
parents, unmarried children, and in certain cases, divorced wives 
(husbands), mothers (fathers), remarried widow(er)s and grandchildren 
of deceased railroad employees. The collection obtains information 
needed by the RRB to determine entitlement to and the amount of the 
annuity applied for.
    Changes proposed: The RRB proposes significant changes to Form AA-
17b in support of the RRB's Disability Program Improvement Plan (DPIP) 
to enhance and improve disability case processing and overall program 
integrity as recommended by the RRB's Office of Inspector General and 
the Government Accountability Office. Proposed changes to Form AA-17b 
include the addition of questions regarding the applicant's attempt to 
go back to work; education and training; additional scheduled medical 
care; daily activities, including any social and recreational 
activities and volunteer work; and possible use of a facilitator or 
attorney to either complete or aid in the completion of the 
application. Clarification of existing items and other non-burden 
impacting editorial and formatting changes to make the AA-17b 
consistent with other DPIP forms enhancements are also being proposed.
    The burden estimate for the ICR is as follows:

[[Page 6841]]



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                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
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AA-17 Application Process:
    AA-17cert...................................................             900              20             300
    AA-17sum....................................................           2,100              19             665
AA-17b:
    (With assistance)...........................................             250              45             188
    (Without assistance)........................................              20              55              18
AA-19a:
    (With assistance)...........................................             200              45             150
    (Without assistance)........................................              15              65              16
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
        Total...................................................           3,485  ..............           1,337
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    2. Title and purpose of information collection: Application for 
Spouse Annuity Under the Railroad Retirement Act; OMB 3220-0042.
    Section 2(c) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), provides for the 
payment of annuities to spouses of railroad retirement annuitants who 
meet the requirements under the RRA. The age requirements for a spouse 
annuity depend on the employee's age, date of retirement, and years of 
railroad service. The requirements relating to the annuities are 
prescribed in 20 CFR 216, 218, 219, 232, 234, and 295.
    To collect the information needed to help determine an applicant's 
entitlement to, and the amount of, a spouse annuity the RRB uses non-
OMB Form AA-3, Application for Spouse/Divorced Spouse Annuity, and 
electronic OMB Forms AA-3cert, Application Summary and Certification, 
and AA-3sum, Application Summary.
    The AA-3 application process gathers information from an applicant 
about their marital history, work history, benefits from other 
government agencies, and Medicare entitlement for a spouse annuity. An 
RRB representative interviews the applicant either at a field office 
(preferred), an itinerant point, or by telephone. During the interview, 
the RRB representative enters the information obtained into an on-line 
information system. Upon completion of the interview, the system 
generates, for the applicant's review, either Form AA-3cert or AA-3sum, 
which is a summary of the information that the applicant provided or 
verified. Form AA-3cert, Application Summary and Certification, 
requires a traditional pen and ink ``wet'' signature. Form AA-3sum, 
Application Summary, documents an alternate signing method called 
``Attestation,'' which is an action taken by the RRB representative to 
confirm and annotate in the RRB records (1) the applicant's intent to 
file an application; (2) the applicant's affirmation under penalty of 
perjury that the information provided is correct; and (3) the 
applicant's agreement to sign the application by proxy. When the RRB 
representative is unable to contact the applicant in person or by 
telephone, for example, the applicant lives in another country, a 
manual version of Form AA-3 is used. One response is requested of each 
respondent. Completion of the form is required to obtain a benefit.
    Previous requests for comments: The RRB has already published the 
initial 60-day notice (83 FR 66324 on December 26, 2018) required by 44 
U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That request elicited no comments.

Information Collection Request (ICR)

    Title: Application for Spouse Annuity Under the Railroad Retirement 
Act.
    OMB control number: 3220-0042.
    Form(s) submitted: AA-3cert and AA-3sum.
    Type of request: Extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.
    Affected public: Individuals or Households.
    Abstract: The Railroad Retirement Act provides for the payment of 
annuities to spouses of railroad retirement annuitants who meet the 
requirements under the Act. The application obtains information 
supporting the claim for benefits based on being a spouse of an 
annuitant. The information is used for determining entitlement to and 
amount of the annuity applied for.
    Changes proposed: The RRB proposes no changes to the forms in the 
information collection.
    The burden estimate for the ICR is as follows:

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                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form AA-3cert (Ink Signature)...................................           6,400              30           3,200
Form AA-3sum (Attestation)......................................           4,600              29           2,223
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................          11,000  ..............           5,423
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[[Page 6842]]

    Additional information or comments: Copies of the forms and 
supporting documents can be obtained from Brian Foster at (312) 751-
4826 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 [email protected] and to the OMB 
Desk Officer for the RRB, Fax: 202-395-6974, Email address: 
[email protected].

Brian Foster,
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019-03487 Filed 2-27-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7905-01-P