[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 217 (Friday, November 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88826-88828]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-26068]


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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: Application for 
Employee Annuity Under the Railroad Retirement Act; OMB 3220-0002.
    Section 2(a) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) (45 U.S.C. 231a) 
provides for payments of age and service, disability, and supplemental 
annuities to qualified employees. An annuity cannot be paid until the 
employee stops working for a railroad employer. In addition, the age 
and service employee must relinquish any rights held to such jobs. A 
disabled employee does not need to relinquish employee rights until 
attaining Full Retirement Age, or if earlier, when their spouse is 
awarded a spouse annuity. Benefits become payable after the employee 
meets certain other requirements, which depend on the type of annuity 
payable. The requirements for obtaining the annuities are prescribed in 
20 CFR parts 216 and 220.
    To collect the information needed to help determine an applicant's 
entitlement to, and the amount of, an employee retirement annuity the 
RRB uses Forms AA-1, Application for Employee Annuity; AA-1d, 
Application for Determination of Employee Disability; G-204, 
Verification of Workers Compensation/Public Disability Benefit 
Information, and electronic Forms AA-1cert, Application Summary and 
Certification, AA-1sum, Application Summary, and AA-1 (internet), 
Application for Employee Annuity.
    The AA-1 application process obtains information from an applicant 
about their marital history, work history, military service, benefits 
from other governmental agencies, railroad pensions and Medicare 
entitlement for either an age and service or disability annuity. An RRB 
representative interviews the applicant either at a field office, 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 on-line 
information system generates Form AA-1cert, Application Summary and 
Certification, or Form AA-1sum, Application Summary, a summary of the 
information that was provided for the applicant to review and approve. 
Form AA-1cert documents approval using the traditional pen and ink 
``wet'' signature, and Form AA-1sum documents approval using the 
alternative signature method called Attestation. When the RRB 
representative is unable to contact the applicant in person or by 
telephone, for example, the applicant lives in another country, a 
manual version of Form AA-1 is used.
    Form AA-1d, Application for Determination of Employee's Disability, 
is completed by an employee who is filing for a disability annuity 
under the RRA, or a disability freeze under the Social Security Act, 
for early Medicare based on a disability. Form G-204, Verification of 
Worker's Compensation/Public Disability Benefit Information, is used to 
obtain and verify information concerning a worker's compensation or a 
public disability benefit that is or will be paid by a public agency to 
a disabled railroad employee. Form AA-1 (internet) can be completed by 
the applicant and submitted through the RRB's website at www.rrb.gov. 
One response is requested of each respondent. Completion of the forms 
is required to obtain/retain a benefit. The RRB proposes no changes to 
Form AA-1, Form AA-1 (internet), Form AA-1cert, AA-1sum and Form G-204.
    The RRB proposes the following changes to Form AA-1d:
    <bullet> Section 1, General Instructions, the date is being updated 
to 06/06/24,
    <bullet> Section 6, Information About Your Daily Activities, add 
``Sleeping'' to the activity list for question 34,
    <bullet> Section 6, Information about Your Daily Activities, add a 
question 35b, ``Describe and explain if your condition affects your 
memory, concentration, or ability to understand and follow 
instructions. (Include when this change began.)'',
    <bullet> Section 7, Information About Your Work and Earnings, 
question 43, update to 12-2024 in example,
    <bullet> Section 11, Certification, question 63, remove the word 
``criminal'' from the sentence to read ``I know that if I am receiving 
a disability annuity and fail to report work and earnings promptly, I 
am committing a crime punishable by Federal law that may result in 
prosecution and/or penalty deductions in my annuity payments'',
    <bullet> Corrected the abbreviation word ``Cont.'' to ``Continued'' 
throughout form, and
    <bullet> Correct grammar, spacing, heading and other issues within 
the form for consistency.

[[Page 88827]]



                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual
                            Form No.                                 responses    Time (minutes)  Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AA-1 (without assistance).......................................              30              62              31
AA-1cert (with assistance)......................................           5,425              30           2,712
AA-1sum (with assistance).......................................           2,750              29           1,329
AA-1 (internet) (without assistance)............................               0              45               0
AA-1d (with assistance).........................................           2,600              60           2,600
AA-1d (without assistance)......................................               5              90               7
G-204...........................................................              20              15               5
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................          10,830  ..............           6,902
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    2. Title and purpose of information collection: Application for 
Survivor Insurance Annuities; OMB 3220-0030.
    Under section 2(d) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) (45 U.S.C. 
231a), monthly survivor annuities are payable to surviving widow(er)s, 
parents, unmarried children, and in certain cases, divorced spouses, 
mothers (fathers), remarried widow(er)s, and grandchildren of deceased 
railroad employees if there are no qualified survivors of the employee 
immediately eligible for an annuity. The requirements relating to the 
annuities are prescribed in 20 CFR parts 216, 217, 218, and 219.
    To collect the information needed to help determine an applicant's 
entitlement to, and the amount of, a survivor annuity the RRB uses 
Forms AA-17, Application for Widow(er)'s Annuity; AA-17b, Applications 
for Determination of Widow(er)'s Disability; AA-18, Application for 
Mother's/Father's and Child's Annuity; AA-19, Application for Child's 
Annuity; AA-19a, Application for Determination of Child's Disability; 
AA-20, Application for Parent's Annuity, and electronic Forms AA-
17cert, Application Summary and Certification and AA-17sum, Application 
Summary.
    The on-line automated survivor annuity application (Forms AA-17, 
AA-18, AA-19, and AA-20) process obtains information about an 
applicant's marital history, work history, benefits from other 
government agencies, and Medicare entitlement for a survivor 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-17cert or AA-
17sum, which provides a summary of the information that the applicant 
provided or verified. Form AA-17cert, Application Summary and 
Certification, requires a tradition pen and ink ``wet'' signature. Form 
AA-17sum, Application Summary, documents the 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 applicant 
in person or by telephone, for example, the applicant lives in another 
country, a manual version of the appropriate form is used. One response 
is requested of each respondent. Completion of the forms is required to 
obtain a benefit.
    The RRB proposes no changes to forms AA-17cert.
    The RRB proposes the following changes to Form AA-17b:
    <bullet> Section 1, General Instructions, the date is being updated 
to 12/13/24,
    <bullet> Section 6, Information About Your Daily Activities, remove 
the word ``even'' from question 33 in sentence ``NOT AT ALL--I cannot 
do the activity even with or without assistance'',
    <bullet> Section 6, Information About Your Daily Activities, add 
``Sleeping'' to the activity list for question 33,
    <bullet> Section 6, Information About Your Daily Activities, rename 
question 34 to be question 34a,
    <bullet> Section 6, Information about Your Daily Activities, add a 
question 34b, ``Describe and explain if your condition affects your 
memory, concentration, or ability to understand and follow 
instructions. (Include when this change began.)'',
    <bullet> Section 7, Information About Your Work and Earnings, 
question 46, update to 12-2024 in example,
    <bullet> Section 10, Certification, question 65, remove the word 
``criminal'' from the sentence to read ``I know that if I am receiving 
a disability annuity and fail to report work and earnings promptly, I 
am committing a crime punishable by Federal law that may result in 
prosecution and/or penalty deductions in my annuity payments'', and
    <bullet> Correct grammar, spacing, and heading issues within the 
form for consistency
    The RRB proposes the following changes to Form AA-19a:
    <bullet> Section 1, General Instructions, the date is being updated 
to 12/13/24,
    <bullet> Section 5, Information About Your Daily Activities, remove 
the word ``even'' from question 28 in sentence ``NOT AT ALL--I cannot 
do the activity even with or without assistance'',
    <bullet> Section 5, Information About The Child's Daily Activities, 
add ``Sleeping'' to the activity list for question 28.
    <bullet> Section 5, Information About The Child's Daily Activities, 
rename question 29 to be question 29a.
    <bullet> Section 5, Information about Your Daily Activities, add a 
question 29b, ``Describe and explain if your condition affects your 
memory, concentration, or ability to understand and follow 
instructions. (Include when this change began.)''
    <bullet> Section 7, Information About Your Work and Earnings, 
question 74, update to 12-2024 in example.
    <bullet> Section 10, Certification, question 99, remove the word 
``criminal'' from the sentence to read ``I know that if I am receiving 
a disability annuity and fail to report work and earnings promptly, I 
am committing a crime punishable by Federal law that may result in 
prosecution and/or penalty deductions in my annuity payments'', and
    <bullet> Correct grammar, spacing, and heading issues within the 
form for consistency.
    The RRB proposes minor changes to the Form AA-17sum:
    <bullet> Update the outdated office hours with a link to the RRB 
website and the toll-free number, and
    <bullet> Remove the date that the applicant would be notified of a 
decision in the application process.

[[Page 88828]]



                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual           Time
                            Form No.                                 responses      (minutes)1/   Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AA-17 Application Process:
    AA-17cert...................................................             900              20             300
    AA-17sum....................................................           2,100              19             665
AA-17b:
    (With assistance)...........................................             175              50             146
    (Without assistance)........................................              20              60              18
AA-19a:
    (With assistance)...........................................             200              50             167
    (Without assistance)........................................              15              70              18
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
        Total...................................................           3,410  ..............           1,314
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    3. Title and purpose of information collection: Continuing 
Disability Report; OMB 3220-0187.
    Under Section 2 of the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. 231a), an 
annuity is not payable or is reduced for any month in which the 
annuitant works for a railroad or earns more than prescribed dollar 
amounts from either non-railroad employment or self-employment. Certain 
types of work may indicate an annuitant's recovery from disability. The 
provisions relating to the reduction or non-payment of an annuity by 
reason of work, and an annuitant's recovery from disability for work, 
are prescribed in 20 CFR 220.17-220.20. The RRB conducts continuing 
disability reviews (CDR) to determine whether an annuitant continues to 
meet the disability requirements of the law. Provisions relating to 
when and how often the RRB conducts CDR's are prescribed in 20 CFR 
220.186.
    Form G-254, Continuing Disability Report, is used by the RRB to 
develop information for a CDR determination, including a determination 
prompted by a report of work, return to railroad service, allegation of 
medical improvement, or a routine disability review call-up.
    The RRB proposes the following changes to Form G-254:
    <bullet> Section 5, Information about Your Condition before Full 
Retirement Age, remove the word ``even'' from question 31a in sentence 
``NOT AT ALL--I cannot do the activity even with or without 
assistance'',
    <bullet> Section 5, Information about Your Condition before Full 
Retirement Age, add ``Sleeping'' to the activity list for question 31a,
    <bullet> Section 5, Information about Your Condition before Full 
Retirement Age, add a question 31e, ``Describe and explain if your 
condition affects your memory, concentration, or ability to understand 
and follow instructions. (Include when this change began.)'', and
    <bullet> Correct grammar, spacing, and heading issues within the 
form for consistency.
    Form G-254a, Continuing Disability Update Report, is used to help 
identify a disability annuitant whose work activity and/or recent 
medical history warrants completion of Form G-254 for a more extensive 
review. The RRB proposes no changes to Form G-254a.

                                      Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Annual           Time
                            Form No.                                 responses      (minutes)1/   Burden (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-254:
    Annuitant...................................................             900              40             600
    Employer verification.......................................             100               5               8
    Doctor, hospital, or clinic verification....................             100               5               8
    Vocational, Rehabilitation Counselor verification...........             100               5               8
    Other governmental agency verification......................             100               5               8
    School verification.........................................             100               5               8
G-254a..........................................................           1,350               5             113
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
        Total...................................................           2,750  ..............             753
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#367d5358585f455e57187b5958534f7644445418515940"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="efa48a8181869c878ec1a280818a96af9d9d8dc1888099">[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#c88abaa1a9a6e68ea7bbbcadba88babaaae6afa7be"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2d6f5f444c43036b425e59485f6d5f5f4f034a425b">[email protected]</span></a>. Written comments should be received within 60 
days of this notice.

Brian Foster,
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-26068 Filed 11-7-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P


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