Notice2022-03164
Proposed Collection; Comment Request
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
February 15, 2022
Issuing agencies
Railroad Retirement Board
Abstract
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. 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.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 31 (Tuesday, February 15, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 15, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8618-8620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[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
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Annual
Form No. responses Time (minutes) Burden (hours)
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DC-1 (RRB.Gov).................................................. 720 25 300
DC-1 (Pay.Gov).................................................. 1,680 25 700
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Total....................................................... 2,400 .............. 1,000
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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:
<bullet> 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.
<bullet> 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
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Annual
Form No. responses Time (minutes) Burden (hours)
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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
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Total....................................................... 7,800 .............. 1,975
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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
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Annual
Form No. responses Time (minutes) Burden (hours)
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Form AA-3cert (Ink Signature)................................... 6,180 30 3,090
Form AA-3sum (Attestation)...................................... 3,520 29 1,701
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Total....................................................... 9,700 .............. 4,791
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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
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Annual Time (minutes)
Form No. responses \1\ Burden (hours)
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G-93......................................................... 1,300 15 325
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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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#3c77595252554f545d1268495f57594e7c4e4e5e125b534a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6328060d0d0a100b024d371600080611231111014d040c15">[email protected]</span></a>. 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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1250607b737c3c547d61667760526060703c757d64"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b1f3c3d8d0df9ff7dec2c5d4c3f1c3c3d39fd6dec7">[email protected]</span></a>. 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
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 15, 2022.
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