[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 57 (Tuesday, March 24, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16687-16690]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06087]


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RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

    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: Application and 
Claim for Unemployment Benefits and Employment Service; OMB 3220-0022.
    Section 2 of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA) (45 
U.S.C. 231), provides unemployment benefits for qualified railroad 
employees. These benefits are generally payable for each day of 
unemployment in excess of four during a registration period (normally a 
period of 14 days).
    Section 12 of the RUIA provides that the RRB establish, maintain 
and operate free employment facilities directed toward the reemployment 
of railroad employees. The procedures for applying for the unemployment 
benefits and employment service and for registering

[[Page 16688]]

and claiming the benefits are prescribed in 20 CFR 325. 20 CFR 321 
provides for applying and filing claims for unemployment benefits 
electronically.
    The RRB utilizes the following forms to collect the information 
necessary to pay unemployment benefits. Form UI-1 (or its internet 
equivalent, Form UI-1 (internet)), Application for Unemployment 
Benefits and Employment Service, is completed by a claimant for 
unemployment benefits once in a benefit year, at the time of first 
registration. Completion of Form UI-1 or UI-1 (internet) also registers 
an unemployment claimant for the RRB's employment service.
    The RRB also utilizes Form UI-3 (or its internet equivalent Form 
UI-3 (internet)), Claim for Unemployment Benefits, for use in claiming 
unemployment benefits for days of unemployment in a particular 
registration period, normally a period of 14 days.
    Completion of Forms UI-1, UI-1(internet), UI-3, and UI-3 (internet) 
is required to obtain or retain benefits. The number of responses 
required of each claimant varies, depending on their period of 
unemployment. The RRB proposes no changes to the forms in this 
information collection.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UI-1............................................................           6,654              10           1,109
UI-1 (Internet).................................................           4,357              10             726
UI-3............................................................          27,815               6           2,782
UI-3 (Internet).................................................          42,836               6           4,284
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................          81,662  ..............           8,901
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. Title and purpose of information collection: RUIA Investigations 
and Continuing Entitlement; OMB 3220-0025.
    Under Section 1(k) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act 
(RUIA) (45 U.S.C. 231), unemployment and sickness benefits are not 
payable for any day remuneration is payable or accrues to the claimant. 
Also, Section 4(a-1) of the RUIA provides that unemployment or sickness 
benefits are not payable for any day the claimant receives the same 
benefits under any law other than the RUIA. Under Railroad Retirement 
Board (RRB) regulation 20 CFR 322.4(a), a claimant's certification or 
statement on an RRB-provided claim form, that he or she did not work on 
any day claimed and did not receive income such as vacation pay or pay 
for time lost, shall constitute sufficient evidence unless there is 
conflicting evidence. Further, under 20 CFR 322.4(b), when there is a 
question raised as to whether or not remuneration is payable or has 
accrued to a claimant with respect to a claimed day(s), an 
investigation shall be made with a view to obtaining information 
sufficient for a finding. The RRB utilizes the following three forms to 
obtain information from railroad employers, nonrailroad employers, and 
claimants, that is needed to determine whether a claimed day(s) of 
unemployment or sickness were improperly or fraudulently claimed: Form 
ID-5i, Request for Employment Information; Form ID-5R (SUP), Report of 
Employees Paid RUIA Benefits for Every Day in Month Reported as Month 
of Creditable Service; and Form UI-48, Statement Regarding Benefits 
Claimed for Days Worked. Completion is voluntary. One response is 
requested of each respondent.
    To qualify for unemployment or sickness benefits payable under 
Section 2 of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA), a railroad 
employee must have certain qualifying earnings in the applicable base 
year. In addition, to qualify for extended or accelerated benefits 
under Section 2 of the RUIA, a railroad employee who has exhausted his 
or her rights to normal benefits must have at least 10 years of 
railroad service (under certain conditions, military service may be 
credited as months of railroad service). Accelerated benefits are 
unemployment or sickness benefits that are payable to a railroad 
employee before the regular July 1 beginning date of a benefit year if 
an employee has 10 or more years of service and is not qualified for 
benefits in the current benefit year.
    During the RUIA claims review process, the RRB may determine that 
unemployment or sickness benefits cannot be awarded because RRB records 
show insufficient qualifying service and/or compensation. When this 
occurs, the RRB allows the claimant the opportunity to provide 
additional information if they believe that the RRB service and 
compensation records are incorrect.
    Depending on the circumstances, the RRB provides the following 
forms to obtain information needed to determine if a claimant has 
sufficient service or compensation to qualify for unemployment or 
sickness benefits. Form UI-9, Statement of Employment and Wages; Form 
UI-44, Claim for Credit for Military Service; Form ID-4U, Advising of 
Service/Earnings Requirements for Unemployment Benefits; and Form ID-
4X, Advising of Service/Earnings Requirements for Sickness Benefits. 
Completion of these forms is required to obtain or retain a benefit. 
One response is required of each respondent. The RRB proposes the 
following change to all forms, except ID-5R (SUP):
     Change PRA/PA notice to update the officer title and
     update RRB zip code.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UI-9............................................................              69              10              11
UI-44...........................................................              10               5               1
UI-48...........................................................              14              12               3
ID-4U...........................................................              35               5               3
ID-4X...........................................................              25               5               2

[[Page 16689]]

 
ID-5i...........................................................           1,050              15             262
ID-5R (SUP).....................................................             400              10              67
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................           1,603  ..............             349
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    3. Title and purpose of information collection: Public Service 
Pension Questionnaires; OMB 3220-0136.
    Public Law 95-216 amended the Social Security Act of 1977 by 
providing, in part, that spouse or survivor benefits may be reduced 
when the beneficiary is in receipt of a pension based on employment 
with a Federal, State, or local governmental unit. Initially, the 
reduction was equal to the full amount of the government pension. 
Public Law 98-21 changed the reduction to two-thirds of the amount of 
the government pension.
    Public Law 108-203 amended the Social Security Act by changing the 
requirement for exemption to a public service offset, so that Federal 
Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes are deducted from the public 
service wages for the last 60 months of public service employment, 
rather than just the last day of public service employment.
    Sections 4(a)(1) and 4(f)(1) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) 
(45 U.S.C. 231) provides that a spouse or survivor annuity should be 
equal in amount to what the annuitant would receive if entitled to a 
like benefit from the Social Security Administration. Therefore, the 
public service pension (PSP) provisions apply to RRA annuities. RRB 
regulations pertaining to the collection of evidence relating to public 
service pensions or worker's compensation paid to spouse or survivor 
applicants or annuitants are prescribed in 20 CFR 219.64c.
    The RRB utilizes Form G-208, Public Service Pension Questionnaire, 
and Form G-212, Public Service Monitoring Questionnaire, to obtain 
information used to determine whether an annuity reduction is in order. 
Completion of the forms is voluntary. However, failure to complete the 
forms could result in the nonpayment of 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)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-208...........................................................              70              16              19
G-212...........................................................           1,100              15             275
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................           1,170  ..............             294
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4. Title and purpose of information collection: Report of Medicaid 
State Office on Beneficiary's Buy-In Status; OMB 3220-0185.
    Under Section 7(d) of the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. 231), 
the RRB administers the Medicare program for persons covered by the 
railroad retirement system. Under Section 1843 of the Social Security 
Act, states may enter into ``buy-in agreements'' with the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services for the purpose of enrolling certain groups 
of low-income individuals under the Medicare medical insurance (Part B) 
program and paying the premiums for their insurance coverage. 
Generally, these individuals are categorically needy under Medicaid and 
meet the eligibility requirements for Medicare Part B. States can also 
include in their buy-in agreements, individuals who are eligible for 
medical assistance only. The RRB utilizes Form RL-380-F, Report of 
Medicaid State Office on Beneficiary's Buy-In Status, to obtain 
information needed to determine if certain railroad beneficiaries are 
entitled to receive Supplementary Medical Insurance program coverage 
under a state buy-in agreement in the states in which they reside. 
Completion of Form RL-380-F is voluntary. One response is received from 
each respondent. The RRB proposes the following changes to Form RL-380-
F:
     Remove the word ``claim'' from the second box on the right 
side and
     remove the word ``claim'' and replaced with ``Medicare'' 
for question 4.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    Annual
                           Form No.                               responses      Time (minutes)   Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RL-380-F.....................................................             600               10              100
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    5. Title and purpose of information collection: Self-Employment/
Corporate Officer Work and Earnings Monitoring; OMB 3220-0202.
    Section 2 of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) (45 U.S.C. 231) 
provides for the payment of disability annuities to qualified 
employees. Section 2 also provides that if the Railroad Retirement 
Board (RRB) receives a report of an annuitant working for a railroad or 
earning more than prescribed dollar amounts from either nonrailroad 
employment or self-employment, the annuity is no longer payable, or can 
be reduced, for the months worked. The regulations related to the 
nonpayment or reduction of the annuity by reason of work are prescribed 
in 20 CFR 220.160-164.

[[Page 16690]]

    Some activities claimed by the applicant as ``self-employment'' may 
actually be employment for someone else (e.g., training officer, 
consultant, salesman). 20 CFR 216.22(c) states, for example, that an 
applicant is considered an employee, and not self-employed, when acting 
as a corporate officer, since the corporation is the applicant's 
employer. Whether the RRB classifies a particular activity as self-
employment or as work for an employer depends upon the circumstances in 
each case. The circumstances are prescribed in 20 CFR 216.21-216-23.
    Certain types of work may actually indicate an annuitant's recovery 
from disability. Regulations related to an annuitant's recovery from 
disability for work are prescribed in 20 CFR 220.17-220-20.
    In addition, the RRB conducts continuing disability reviews (also 
known as a CDR), to determine whether the annuitant continues to meet 
the disability requirements of the law. Payment of disability benefits 
and/or a beneficiary's period of disability will end if medical 
evidence or other information shows that an annuitant is not disabled 
under the standards prescribed in Section 2 of the RRA. Continuing 
disability reviews are generally conducted if one or more of the 
following conditions are met: (1) The annuitant is scheduled for a 
routine periodic review, (2) the annuitant returns to work and 
successfully completes a trial work period, (3) substantial earnings 
are posted to the annuitant's wage record, or (4) information is 
received from the annuitant or a reliable source that the annuitant has 
recovered or returned to work. Provisions relating to when and how 
often the RRB conducts disability reviews are prescribed in 20 CFR 
220.186.
    To enhance program integrity activities, the RRB utilizes Form G-
252, Self-Employment/Corporate Officer Work and Earnings Monitoring. 
Form G-252 obtains information from a disability annuitant who either 
claims to be self-employed or a corporate officer, or who the RRB 
determines to be self-employed or a corporate officer after a 
continuing disability review. The continuing disability review may be 
prompted by a report of work, return to railroad service, an allegation 
of a medical improvement or a routine disability review call-up. The 
information gathered is used to determine entitlement and/or continued 
entitlement to, and the amount of, the disability annuity, as 
prescribed in 20 CFR 220.176. Completion is required to retain 
benefits. One response is required of each respondent. The RRB proposes 
no changes to Form G-252.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-252...........................................................             100              20              33
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................             100  ..............              33
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Additional Information or Comments: To request more information or 
to obtain a copy of the information collection justification, forms, 
and/or supporting material, contact Kennisha Tucker at (312) 469-2591 
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 Foster,
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-06087 Filed 3-23-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P