[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 15, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8618-8620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03164]


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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: Employer's 
Quarterly Report of Contributions under the Railroad Unemployment 
Insurance Act; OMB 3220-0012.
    Under Section 8 of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA) 
(45 U.S.C. 231g), as amended by the Railroad Unemployment Improvement 
Act of 1988 (Pub. L. 100-647), the RRB determines the amount of an 
employer's contribution, primarily on the basis of the RUIA benefits 
paid, both unemployment and sickness, to the employees of the railroad 
employer. These experienced-based contributions take into account the 
frequency, volume, and duration of the employees' unemployment and 
sickness benefits. Each employer's contribution rate includes a 
component for administrative expenses as well as a component to cover 
costs shared by all employers. The regulations prescribing the manner 
and conditions for remitting the contributions and for adjusting 
overpayments or underpayments of contributions are contained in 20 CFR 
345.

[[Page 8619]]

    RRB Form DC-1, Employer's Quarterly Report of Contributions under 
the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, is used by railroad employers 
to report and remit their quarterly contributions to the RRB. Employers 
can use either the manual version of the form or its internet 
equivalent. One response is requested quarterly of each respondent and 
completion is mandatory. The RRB proposes no changes to the manual and 
electronic versions of Form DC-1.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DC-1 (RRB.Gov)..................................................             720              25             300
DC-1 (Pay.Gov)..................................................           1,680              25             700
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................           2,400  ..............           1,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. Title and purpose of information collection: Application for 
Survivor Death Benefits; OMB 3220-0031.
    Under Section 6 of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) (45 U.S.C. 
231e), lump-sum death benefits are payable to surviving widow(er)s, 
children, and certain other dependents. Lump-sum death benefits are 
payable after the death of a railroad employee only if there are no 
qualified survivors of the employee immediately eligible for annuities. 
With the exception of the residual death benefit, eligibility for 
survivor benefits depends on whether the deceased employee was 
``insured'' under the RRA at the time of death. If the deceased 
employee was not insured, jurisdiction of any survivor benefits payable 
is transferred to the Social Security Administration and survivor 
benefits are paid by that agency instead of the RRB. The requirements 
for applying for benefits are prescribed in 20 CFR 217, 219, and 234.
    The collection obtains the information required by the RRB to 
determine entitlement to and amount of the survivor death benefits 
applied for. To collect the information, the RRB uses Forms AA-21, 
Application for Lump-Sum Death Payment and Annuities Unpaid at Death; 
AA-21cert, Application Summary and Certification; G-131, Authorization 
of Payment and Release of All Claims to a Death Benefit or Accrued 
Annuity Payment; and G-273a, Funeral Director's Statement of Burial 
Charges. One response is requested of each respondent. Completion is 
required to obtain benefits.
    The RRB proposes the following changes to Forms AA-21and G-273a:
     Forms AA-21 and--add the RRB headquarters mailing address 
in Section 10, How to Return Your Application, of Form AA-21 in order 
to provide address information for returning completed forms.
     Form G-273a--add the RRB headquarters mailing address to 
the last sentence of the second paragraph of Form G-273a above Item 1, 
Date of Death, in order to provide address information for returning 
completed forms.
    The RRB proposes no changes to Form AA-cert or Form G-131.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AA-21cert with assistance.......................................           3,500              20           1,167
AA-21 without assistance........................................             200              40             133
G-131...........................................................             100               5               8
G-273a..........................................................           4,000              10             667
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................           7,800  ..............           1,975
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    3. 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) (45 U.S.C. 231a), 
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

[[Page 8620]]

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.
    The RRB proposes no changes to Forms AA-3cert and AA-3sum.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form AA-3cert (Ink Signature)...................................           6,180              30           3,090
Form AA-3sum (Attestation)......................................           3,520              29           1,701
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................           9,700  ..............           4,791
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4. Title and purpose of information collection: Statement of 
Claimant or Other Person; OMB 3220-0183.
    To support an application for an annuity under Section 2 of the 
Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) (45 U.S.C. 231a) or for unemployment 
benefits under Section 2 of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act 
(RUIA) (45 U.S.C. 352), pertinent information and proofs must be 
furnished for the RRB to determine benefit entitlement. Circumstances 
may require an applicant or other person(s) having knowledge of facts 
relevant to the applicant's eligibility for an annuity or benefits to 
provide written statements supplementing or changing statements 
previously provided by the applicant. Under the railroad retirement 
program these statements may relate to a change in an annuity beginning 
date(s), date of marriage(s), birth(s), prior railroad or non-railroad 
employment, an applicant's request for reconsideration of an 
unfavorable RRB eligibility determination for an annuity or various 
other matters. The statements may also be used by the RRB to secure a 
variety of information needed to determine eligibility to unemployment 
and sickness benefits. Procedures related to providing information 
needed for RRA annuity or RUIA benefit eligibility determinations are 
prescribed in 20 CFR 217 and 320 respectively.
    The RRB utilizes Form G-93, Statement of Claimant or Other Person, 
to obtain from applicants or other persons, the supplemental or 
corrective information needed to determine applicant eligibility for an 
RRA annuity or RUIA benefits. Completion is voluntary. One response is 
requested of each respondent. The RRB proposes no changes to Form G-93.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                    Annual       Time (minutes)
                           Form No.                               responses           \1\         Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-93.........................................................           1,300               15              325
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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. 2022-03164 Filed 2-14-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P