[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 204 (Tuesday, October 24, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73054-73056]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23380]


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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: Medical Reports; 
OMB 3220-0038.
    Under sections 2(a)(1)(iv) and 2(a)(1)(v) of the Railroad 
Retirement Act (RRA) (45 U.S.C.231a), annuities are payable to 
qualified railroad employees whose physical or mental condition makes 
them unable to (1) work in their regular occupation (occupational 
disability) or (2) work at all (total disability). The requirements for 
establishing disability and proof of continuing disability under the 
RRA are prescribed in 20 CFR 220.
    Annuities are also payable to (1) qualified spouses and widow(ers) 
under sections 2(c)(1)(ii)(C) and 2(d)(1)(ii) of

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the RRA who have a qualifying child who became disabled before age 22; 
(2) surviving children on the basis of disability under section 
2(d)(1)(iii)(C), if the child's disability began before age 22; and (3) 
widow(er)s on the basis of disability under section 2(d)(1)(i)(B). To 
meet the disability standard, the RRA provides that individuals must 
have a permanent physical or mental condition that makes them unable to 
engage in any regular employment.
    Under section 2(d)(1)(v) of the RRA, annuities are also payable to 
remarried widow(er)s and surviving divorced spouses on the basis of, 
among other things, disability or having a qualifying disabled child in 
care. However, the disability standard in these cases is that found in 
the Social Security Act. That is, individuals must be unable to engage 
in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically 
determinable physical or mental impairment. The RRB also determines 
entitlement to a Period of Disability and entitlement to early Medicare 
based on disability for qualified claimants in accordance with section 
216 of the Social Security Act.
    When making disability determinations, the RRB needs evidence from 
acceptable medical sources. The RRB currently utilizes Forms G-3EMP, 
Report of Medical Condition by Employer; G-197, Authorization to 
Disclose Information to the Railroad Retirement Board; G-250, Medical 
Assessment; G-250A, Medical Assessment of Residual Functional Capacity; 
G-260, Report of Seizure Disorder; RL-11B, Disclosure of Hospital 
Medical Records; RL-11D, Disclosure of Medical Records from a State 
Agency; RL-11D1, Request for Medical Evidence from Employers, and RL-
250, Request for Medical Assessment, to obtain the necessary medical 
evidence. One response is requested of each respondent. Completion is 
required for all forms to obtain benefits except Form RL-11D1, which is 
voluntary. The RRB proposes no changes to Form G-3EMP, G-197, G-250, G-
250A, G-260, RL-11B, RL-11D, RL-11D1, and RL-250.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
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G-3EMP..........................................................             600              10             100
G-197...........................................................           6,000              10           1,000
G-250...........................................................          11,950              30           5,975
G-250A..........................................................              50              20              17
G-260...........................................................             100              25              42
RL-11B..........................................................           5,000              10             833
RL-11D..........................................................             250              10              42
RL-11D1.........................................................             600              20             200
RL-250..........................................................          11,950              10           1,992
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................          36,500  ..............          10,201
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    2. Title and purpose of information collection: Report of Stock 
Options and Other Payments; OMB 3220-0203.
    The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is directed by 45 U.S.C. 
231f(c)(2) to establish a financial interchange (FI) between the 
railroad retirement and social security systems to place the Social 
Security Old-Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) and Disability 
Insurance (DI) Trust Funds and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid 
Services (CMS) Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund in the same condition 
they would have been had railroad employment been covered by the Social 
Security Act and Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA). Each year, 
the RRB estimates the benefits and expenses that would have been paid 
by these trust funds, as well as the payroll taxes and income taxes 
that would have been received by them. To make these estimates, the RRB 
requires information on all earnings data that are not taxable under 
the Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA) but would be taxable under FICA.
    The payroll information collected from the BA-15 is essential for 
the calculation of payroll taxes and benefits used by the FI. Failure 
to collect NQSOs and ratification payment information will result in 
understating the payroll taxes that should have been collected and the 
benefit amounts that would have been payable under the Social Security 
Act for FI purposes. Accurate compensation file tabulations are also an 
integral part of the data needed to estimate future tax revenues and 
corresponding FI amounts. Without information on NQSOs and ratification 
payments, the amount of funds to be transferred between the RRB, SSA 
and CMS cannot be determined.
    Form BA-15, Report of Stock Options and Other Payments, to request 
employer information and report identifying information as well as each 
employee's social security number, name, and compensation information, 
which will be reported annually in a quarterly breakdown. The RRB 
receives Form BA-15 by secure Email, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), or 
via CD-ROM. The RRB proposes minor non-burden impacting changes to the 
Form BA-15:
     remove the word ``ratification'' and replace with 
``other'' in the first paragraph of the form and section 24-27 of the 
Form tab,
     remove the word ``ratification'' and replace with 
``other'' in the Instructions tab for number 14-17 & 24-27,
     remove the word ``ratification'' and replace with 
``other'' in the Data Layout tab for 28-31, and
     remove the first row titled ``Column'' in the Data Layout 
tab.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
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                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BA-15 (by secure E-mail, FTP, or CD-ROM)--Positive..............              50             300             250
BA-15 (by secure E-mail, FTP, or CD-ROM)--Negative..............             550              15           137.5

[[Page 73056]]

 
    Total.......................................................             600  ..............             388
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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 Money 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. 2023-23380 Filed 10-23-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P