[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 68 (Thursday, April 10, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15373-15375]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-06113]
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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: Application for
Benefits Due But Unpaid at Death; OMB 3220-0055.
Under Section 2(g) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (45
U.S.C. 352), benefits that accrued but were not paid because of the
death of the employee shall be paid to the same individual(s) to whom
benefits are payable under section 6(a)(1) of the Railroad Retirement
Act. The provisions relating to the payment of such benefits are
prescribed in 20 CFR 325.5 and 20 CFR 335.5.
The RRB provides Form UI-63, Application for Benefits Due But
Unpaid at Death, to those applying for the accrued sickness or
unemployment benefits unpaid at the death of the employee and for
obtaining the information needed to identify the proper payee. One
response is requested of each respondent. Completion is required to
obtain a benefit. The RRB proposes the following changes to Form UI-63:
On the cover letter, removed ``his or her'' and replaced with
``their'' in second sentence and
On the second page, field 4, added ``Telephone No.'' column.
[[Page 15374]]
Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
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Annual
Form No. responses Time (minutes) Burden (hours)
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UI-63........................................................ 30 7 4
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2. Title and purpose of information collection: Employee's
Certification; OMB 3220-0140.
Section 2 of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) (45 U.S.C. 231a),
provides for the payment of an annuity to the spouse or divorced spouse
of a retired railroad employee. For the spouse or divorced spouse to
qualify for an annuity, the RRB must determine if any of the employee's
current marriage to the applicant is valid.
The requirements for obtaining documentary evidence to determine
valid marital relationships are prescribed in 20 CFR 219.30 through
219.35. Section 2(e) of the RRA requires that an employee must
relinquish all rights to any railroad employer service before a spouse
annuity can be paid.
The RRB uses Form G-346, Employee's Certification, to obtain the
information needed to determine whether the employee's current marriage
is valid. Form G-346 is completed by the retired employee who is the
husband or wife of the applicant for a spouse annuity. Completion is
required to obtain a benefit. One response is requested of each
respondent. The RRB proposes minor changes to Form G-346 certification
statement on page 2 and Paperwork Reduction Act Notice contact
information on page 3.
Consistent with 20 CFR 217.17, the RRB uses Form G-346sum,
Employee's Certification Summary, which mirrors the information
collected on Form G-346, when an employee, after being interviewed by
an RRB field office representative ``signs'' the form using an
alternative signature method known as ``attestation.'' Attestation
refers to the action taken by the RRB field office representative to
confirm and annotate the RRB's records of the applicant's affirmation
under penalty of perjury that the information provided is correct and
the applicant's agreement to sign the form by proxy. Completion is
required to obtain a benefit. One response is requested of each
respondent. The RRB proposes no changes to Form G-346sum.
Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
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Annual
Form No. responses Time (minutes) Burden (hours)
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G-346........................................................... 2,060 5 172
G-346sum........................................................ 1,960 5 163
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Total....................................................... 4,020 .............. 335
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3. 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.
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 no changes to Forms ID-4K, ID-4K (internet), ID-4E, and
ID-4E (internet).
Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
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Annual
Form No. responses Time (minutes) Burden (hours)
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ID-4K (Manual).................................................. 1,250 2 42
ID-4K (FTP)..................................................... 15,600 (*) 210
[[Page 15375]]
ID-4K (Internet)................................................ 63,000 2 2,100
ID-4E (Manual).................................................. 50 2 2
ID-4E (Internet)................................................ 120 2 4
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Total....................................................... 80,020 .............. 2,358
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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).
Additional Information or Comments: To request more information or
to obtain a copy of the information collection justification, forms,
and/or supporting material or 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. 2025-06113 Filed 4-9-25; 8:45 am]
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