[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7122-7124]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-01627]


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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

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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: RUIA Claims 
Notification and Verification System; OMB 3220-0171.
    Section 5(b) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA) (45 
U.S.C. 355), requires that effective January 1, 1990, when a claim for 
benefits is filed with the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), the RRB 
shall provide notice of the claim to the claimant's base year 
employer(s) to provide them an opportunity to submit information 
relevant to the claim before making an initial determination. If the 
RRB determines to pay benefits to the claimant under the RUIA, the RRB 
shall notify the base-year employer(s).
    The purpose of the RUIA Claims Notification and Verification System 
is to provide two notices, pre-payment Form ID-4K, Prepayment Notice of 
Employees' Applications and Claims for Benefits Under the Railroad 
Unemployment Insurance Act, and post-payment Form ID-4E, Notice of RUIA 
Claim Determination. Prepayment Form ID-4K provides notice to a 
claimant's base-year employer(s), of each unemployment application and 
unemployment and sickness claim filed for benefits under the RUIA and 
provides the employer an opportunity to convey information relevant to 
the proper adjudication of the claim.
    The railroad employer can elect to receive Form ID-4K by one of 
three options: A computer-generated paper notice, by Electronic Data 
Interchange (EDI), or online via the RRB's Employer Reporting System 
(ERS). The railroad employer can respond to the ID-4K notice by 
telephone, manually by mailing a completed ID-4K back to the RRB, or 
electronically via EDI or ERS. Completion is voluntary. The RRB 
proposes to replace using EDI with the use of secure File Transfer 
Protocol (FTP), which is the standard network protocol used for 
transferring files between a railroad employer and the RRB. The RRB 
proposes no changes to the other versions of the ID-4K.
    Once the RRB determines to pay a claim post-payment Form Letter ID-
4E, Notice of RUIA Claim Determination, is used to notify the base-year 
employer(s). This gives the employer a second opportunity to challenge 
the claim for benefits.
    The ID-4E mainframe-generated paper notice, EDI, and internet 
versions are transmitted on a daily basis, generally on the same day 
that the claims are approved for payment. Railroad employers who are 
mailed Form ID-4E are instructed to write if they want a 
reconsideration of the RRB's determination to pay. Employers who 
receive the ID-4E electronically, may file a reconsideration request by 
completing the ID-4E by either EDI or ERS. Completion is voluntary. The 
RRB proposes to replace using EDI with the use of secure File Transfer 
Protocol (FTP). The RRB proposes no changes to form ID-4K, ID-4K 
(Internet), ID-4E, and ID-4E (Internet).

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual           Time           Burden
                            Form No.                                 responses       (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ID-4K (Manual)..................................................           1,250               2              42
ID-4K (FTP).....................................................          17,600             (*)             210
ID-4K (Internet)................................................          66,800               2           2,226
ID-4E (Manual)..................................................              50               2               2
ID-4E (Internet)................................................             120               2               4
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................          85,820  ..............           2,484
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* The burden for the railroad employers receiving file transfer protocol (FTP) messages has been calculated in
  the following manner. We estimate that 10 minutes a day would be required on average for each of the 5
  railroad employers to operate the system. Based on 251 workdays in a year, we calculate the number of burden
  hours to be 210 hours, of which we allocated 40 percent to unemployment transactions (84 burden hours) and 60
  percent to sickness transactions (126 burden hours).

    2. Title and purpose of information collection: Request for 
internet Services, OMB 3220-0198. The RRB uses a Personal 
Identification Number (PIN)/Password system that allows RRB customers 
to conduct business with the agency electronically. As part of the 
system, the RRB collects information needed to establish a unique PIN/
Password that allows customer access to RRB internet-based services. 
The information collected is matched against records of the railroad 
employee that are maintained by the RRB. If the information is 
verified, the request is approved and the RRB mails a Password Request 
Code (PRC) to the requestor. If the information provided cannot be 
verified, the requestor is advised to contact the nearest field office 
of the RRB to resolve the discrepancy. Once a PRC is obtained from the 
RRB, the requestor can apply for a PIN/Password online. Once the PIN/
Password has been established, the requestor has access to RRB 
internet-based services.
    Completion is voluntary, however, the RRB will be unable to provide 
a PRC or allow a requestor to establish a PIN/Password (thereby denying 
system access), if the requests are not completed. The RRB proposes no 
changes to the PRC screens or the PIN/Password screens.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual           Time           Burden
                            Form No.                                 responses       (minutes)        (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Request PRC.....................................................          12,000             5.0           1,000
Establish Pin/Password..........................................          16,000             1.5             400
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------

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    Total.......................................................          28,000  ..............           1,400
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    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 D. Foster,
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021-01627 Filed 1-25-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P