[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
[[Page 73055]]
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
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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
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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)
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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