Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 121 / Monday, June 28, 2021 / Notices 34061 

Application for Refund of Retirement 

Deductions, SF 3106 and Current/ 

Former Spouse(s) Notification of 

Application for Refund of Retirement 

Deductions under FERS, SF 3106A. 

DATES: Comments are encouraged and 

will be accepted until July 28, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments on 

the proposed information collection to 

the Office of Information and Regulatory 

Affairs, Office of Management and 

Budget, 725 17th Street NW, 

Washington, DC 20503, Attention: Desk 

Officer for the Office of Personnel 

Management or sent via electronic mail 

to: oira_submission@omb.eop.gov or 

faxed to (202) 395–6974. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: A 

copy of this ICR with applicable 

supporting documentation, may be 

obtained by contacting the Retirement 

Services Publications Team, Office of 

Personnel Management, 1900 E Street 

NW, Room 3316–L, Washington, DC 

20415, Attention: Cyrus S. Benson, or 

sent via electronic mail to 

Cyrus.Benson@opm.gov or faxed to 

(202) 606–0910 or via telephone at (202) 

606–4808. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As 

required by the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995 OPM is soliciting comments 

for this collection. The information 

collection (OMB No. 3206–0170) was 

previously published in the Federal 

Register on December 30, 2020 at 85 FR 

86583, allowing for a 60-day public 

comment period. One comment was 

received. Our response is as follows: 

‘‘This is written in response to the 

comment on Federal Register 

Document #2020–28900 regarding the 

Application for Refund of Retirement 

Deductions, Standard Form (SF)–3106 

and Current/Former Spouse(s) 

Notification of Application for Refund 

of Retirement Deductions Under FERS, 

SF–3106A. 

The Standard Form 3106 is used by 

former Federal employees under the 

Federal Employees Retirement System 

(FERS) to apply for a refund of 

retirement deductions withheld during 

Federal employment, plus any interest 

provided by law. Standard Form 3106A, 

Current/Former Spouse(s) Notification 

of Application for Refund of Retirement 

Deductions under FERS, is used by 

refund applicants to notify their 

current/former spouse(s) that they are 

applying for a refund of retirement 

deductions, which is required by law. 

The Office of Personnel Management 

finds that the comments received are 

not relevant to the use of these forms. 

The Uniformed Services Employment 

and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 

(USERRA) covers certain Federal 

employees in the armed forces, the 

reserves, the National Guard and 

commissioned corps of the Public 

Health Service. The USERRA law allows 

for restoration to the position he or she 

would have attained had the employee 

not entered the uniformed service 

provided certain conditions are met. 

Since enactment of the law, OPM has 

provided guidance to agencies on 

processing service credit deposits for 

such cases. 

It appears that the comments are case 

specific to the processing of service 

credit deposits. If denied the 

opportunity to make the service credit 

deposit, the individual would have 

received a denial decision and provided 

information on his/her right to file a 

request for reconsideration.’’ 

The Office of Management and Budget 

is particularly interested in comments 

that: 

1. Evaluate whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of functions 

of the agency, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

2. Evaluate the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed collection of information, 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; 

3. Enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and 

4. Minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including through the 

use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology, 

e.g., permitting electronic submissions 

of responses. 

Standard Form 3106, Application for 

Refund of Retirement Deductions under 

FERS is used by former Federal 

employees under FERS, to apply for a 

refund of retirement deductions 

withheld during Federal employment, 

plus any interest provided by law. 

Standard Form 3106A, Current/Former 

Spouse(s) Notification of Application 

for Refund of Retirement Deductions 

under FERS, is used by refund 

applicants to notify their current/former 

spouse(s) that they are applying for a 

refund of retirement deductions, which 

is required by law. 

Analysis 

Agency: Retirement Operations, 

Retirement Services, Office of Personnel 

Management. 

Title: Application for Refund of 

Retirement Deductions under FERS. 

OMB Number: 3206–0170. 

Frequency: On occasion. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

Households. 

Number of Respondents: SF 3106 = 

8,000; SF 3106A = 6,400. 

Estimated Time per Respondent: SF 

3106 = 30 minutes; SF 3106A = 5 

minutes. 

Total Burden Hours: 4,533 hours. 

Office of Personnel Management. 

Alexys Stanley, 

Regulatory Affairs Analyst. 

[FR Doc. 2021–13662 Filed 6–25–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6325–38–P 

RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD 

Agency Forms Submitted for OMB 

Review, Request for Comments 

Summary: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. chapter 35), the Railroad 

Retirement Board (RRB) is forwarding 

an Information Collection Request (ICR) 

to the Office of Information and 

Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB). Our 

ICR describes the information we seek 

to collect from the public. Review and 

approval by OIRA ensures that we 

impose appropriate paperwork burdens. 

The RRB invites comments on the 

proposed collections of information to 

determine (1) the practical utility of the 

collections; (2) the accuracy of the 

estimated burden of the collections; (3) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information that is the 

subject of collection; and (4) ways to 

minimize the burden of collections on 

respondents, including the use of 

automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

Comments to the RRB or OIRA must 

contain the OMB control number of the 

ICR. For proper consideration of your 

comments, it is best if the RRB and 

OIRA receive them within 30 days of 

the publication date. 

1. Title and purpose of information 

collection: Claimant Appeal Under the 

Railroad Retirement Act or and Railroad 

Unemployment Insurance Act; OMB 

3220–0007. 

Under Section 7(b)(3) of the Railroad 

Retirement Act (RRA) (45 U.S.C. 231f), 

and Section 5(c) of the Railroad 

Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA) 

(45 U.S.C. 355) any person aggrieved by 

a decision made by an office of the RRB 

on his or her application for an annuity 

or benefit under those Acts has the right 

to appeal to the RRB. This right is 

prescribed in 20 CFR 260 and 20 CFR 

320. The notification letter, which is 

provided at the time of filing the 


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34062 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 121 / Monday, June 28, 2021 / Notices 

original application, informs the 

applicant of such right. When an 

applicant protests a decision, the 

concerned RRB office reviews the entire 

file and any additional evidence 

submitted and sends the applicant a 

letter explaining the basis of the 

determination. The applicant is then 

notified that to protest further, they can 

appeal to the RRB’s Bureau of Hearings 

and Appeals. The appeal process is 

prescribed in 20 CFR 260.5 and 260.9 

and 20 CFR 320.12 and 320.38. 

To file a request for an appeal the 

applicant must complete Form HA–1, 

Appeal Under the Railroad Retirement 

Act or Railroad Unemployment 

Insurance Act. The form asks the 

applicant to explain the basis for their 

request for an appeal and, if necessary, 

to describe any additional evidence they 

wish to submit in support of the appeal. 

Completion is voluntary, however, if the 

information is not provided the RRB 

cannot process the appeal. 

Previous Requests for Comments: The 

RRB has already published the initial 

60-day notice (86 FR 21361 on April 22, 

2021) required by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). 

That request elicited no comments. 

Information Collection Request (ICR) 

Title: Claimant Appeal Under the 

Railroad Retirement Act or Railroad 

Unemployment Insurance Act. 

OMB Control Number: 3220–0007. 

Form(s) submitted: HA–1. 

Type of request: Revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

Affected public: Individuals or 

Households. 

Abstract: Under Section 7(b)(3) of the 

Railroad Retirement Act and Section 

5(c) of the Railroad Unemployment 

Insurance Act, a person aggrieved by a 

decision on his or her application for an 

annuity or other benefit has the right to 

appeal to the RRB. The collection 

provides the means for the appeal 

action. 

Changes proposed: The RRB proposes 

minor changes to Form HA–1 to the 

reference citation and minor grammar 

on page 2. 

The burden estimate for the ICR is as 

follows: 

Form No. Annual 

responses 

Time 

(minutes) 

Burden 

(hours) 

HA–1 ............................................................................................................................................ 550 20 183 

2. 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. 

Previous Requests for Comments: The 

RRB has already published the initial 

60-day notice (86 FR 21361 on April 22, 

2021) required by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). 

That request elicited no comments. 

Information Collection Request (ICR) 

Title: Application for Benefits Due but 

Unpaid at Death. 

OMB Control Number: 3220–0055. 

Form(s) submitted: UI–63. 

Type of request: Extension without 

change of a currently approved 

collection. 

Affected public: Individuals or 

Households. 

Abstract: The collection obtains the 

information needed by the Railroad 

Retirement Board to pay benefits 

accrued under section 2(g) of the 

Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, 

but not paid because of the death of the 

employee. 

Changes proposed: The RRB proposes 

no changes to Form UI–63. 

The burden estimate for the ICR is as 

follows: 

Form No. Annual 

responses 

Time 

(minutes) 

Burden 

(hours) 

UI–63 ........................................................................................................................................... 24 7 3 

3. Title and purpose of information 

collection: Medicare; OMB 3220–0082. 

Under Section 7(d) of the Railroad 

Retirement Act (RRA) (45 U.S.C. 231f), 

the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) 

administers the Medicare program for 

persons covered by the railroad 

retirement system. The RRB uses Form 

AA–6, Employee Application for 

Medicare; Form AA–7, Spouse/Divorced 

Spouse Application for Medicare; and 

Form AA–8, Widow/Widower 

Application for Medicare; to obtain the 

information needed to determine 

whether individuals who have not yet 

filed for benefits under the RRA are 

qualified for Medicare payments 

provided under Title XVIII of the Social 

Security Act. 

Further, in order to determine if a 

qualified railroad retirement beneficiary 

who is claiming supplementary medical 

insurance coverage under Medicare is 

entitled to a Special Enrollment Period 

(SEP) and/or premium surcharge relief 

because of coverage under an Employer 

Group Health Plan (EGHP), the RRB 

needs to obtain information regarding 

the claimant’s EGHP coverage, if any. 

The RRB uses Form RL–311–F, 

Evidence of Coverage Under An 

Employer Group Health Plan, to obtain 

the basic information needed to 

establish EGHP coverage for a qualified 

railroad retirement beneficiary. 

Completion of the forms is required to 

obtain a benefit. One response is 

requested of each respondent. 

Previous Requests for Comments: The 

RRB has already published the initial 

60-day notice (86 FR 21361 on April 22, 

2021) required by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). 

That request elicited no comments. 

Information Collection Request (ICR) 

Title: Medicare. 

OMB Control Number: 3220–0082. 

Form submitted: AA–6, AA–7, AA–8 

and RL–311–F. 

Type of request: Revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

Affected public: Individuals or 

Households; Businesses or other for 

profits. 

Abstract: The Railroad Retirement 

Board administers the Medicare 

program for persons covered by the 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 121 / Monday, June 28, 2021 / Notices 34063 

railroad retirement system. The forms in 

the collection obtain both information 

needed to enroll non-retired employees 

and survivor applicants in the plan and 

information from railroad employers 

needed to determine if a railroad 

retirement beneficiary is entitled to a 

special enrollment period when 

applying for supplemental medical 

coverage under Medicare. 

Changes proposed: The RRB proposes 

no changes to the forms AA–6, AA–7, or 

AA–8. The RRB proposed the following 

changes to Form RL–311–F: 

• Add the option to return the form 

by facsimile. 

• Changed question 4 to replace 

working with employed, add an 

employment start date for the employee, 

and add additional instructions. 

The burden estimate for the ICR is as 

follows: 

Form No. Annual 

responses 

Time 

(minutes) 

Burden 

(hours) 

AA–6 ............................................................................................................................................ 180 8 24 

AA–7 ............................................................................................................................................ 50 8 7 

AA–8 ............................................................................................................................................ 10 8 1 

RL–311–F .................................................................................................................................... 2,000 10 333 

Total ...................................................................................................................................... 2,240 ........................ 365 

4. Title and purpose of information 

collection: Request to Non-Railroad 

Employer for Information About 

Annuitant’s Work and Earnings; OMB 

3220–0107. 

Under Section 2 of the Railroad 

Retirement Act (RRA) (45 U.S.C. 231a), 

a railroad employee’s retirement 

annuity or an annuity paid to the spouse 

of a railroad employee is subject to work 

deductions in the Tier II component of 

the annuity and any employee 

supplemental annuity for any month in 

which the annuitant works for a Last 

Pre-Retirement Non-Railroad Employer 

(LPE). The LPE is defined as the last 

person, company, or institution, other 

than a railroad employer, that employed 

an employee or spouse annuitant. In 

addition, the employee, spouse, or 

divorced spouse Tier I annuity benefit is 

subject to work deductions under 

Section 2(f)(1) of the RRA for earnings 

from any non-railroad employer that are 

over the annual exempt amount. The 

regulations pertaining to non-payment 

of annuities by reason of work and LPE 

are contained in 20 CFR 230.1 and 

230.2. 

The RRB utilizes Form RL–231–F, 

Request to Non-Railroad Employer for 

Information About Annuitant’s Work 

and Earnings, to obtain the information 

needed to determine if a work 

deduction should be applied because an 

annuitant worked in non-railroad 

employment after the annuity beginning 

date. One response is requested of each 

respondent. Completion is voluntary. 

Previous Requests for Comments: The 

RRB has already published the initial 

60-day notice (86 FR 21362 on April 22, 

2021) required by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). 

That request elicited no comments. 

Information Collection Request (ICR) 

Title: Request to Non-Railroad 

Employer for Information About 

Annuitant’s Work and Earnings. 

OMB Control Number: 3220–0107. 

Form(s) submitted: RL–231–F. 

Type of request: Extension without 

change of a currently approved 

collection. 

Affected public: Private Sector; 

Businesses or other for-profits, Not-forprofit institutions. 

Abstract: Under the Railroad 

Retirement Act (RRA), benefits are not 

payable if an annuitant works for an 

employer covered under the RRA or last 

non-railroad employer. The collection 

obtains information regarding an 

annuitant’s work and earnings from a 

non-railroad employer. The information 

is used to determine whether benefits 

should be withheld. 

Changes proposed: The RRB proposes 

no changes to Form RL–231–F. 

The burden estimate for the ICR is as 

follows: 

Form No. Annual 

responses 

Time 

(minutes) 

Burden 

(hours) 

RL–231–F .................................................................................................................................... 300 30 150 

5. Title and Purpose of information 

collection: Annual Earnings 

Questionnaire for Annuitants in Last 

Pre-Retirement Non-Railroad 

Employment; OMB 3220–0179. 

Under Section 2(e)(3) of the Railroad 

Retirement Act (RRA) (45 U.S.C. 231a), 

an annuity is not payable for any month 

in which a beneficiary works for a 

railroad. In addition, an annuity is 

reduced for any month in which the 

beneficiary works for an employer other 

than a railroad employer and earns more 

than a prescribed amount. Under the 

1988 amendments to the RRA, the Tier 

II portion of the regular annuity and any 

supplemental annuity must be reduced 

by one dollar for each two dollars of 

Last Pre-Retirement Non-Railroad 

Employment (LPE) earnings for each 

month of such service. However, the 

reduction cannot exceed 50 percent of 

the Tier II and supplemental annuity 

amount for the month to which such 

deductions apply. The LPE generally 

refers to an annuitant’s last employment 

with a non-railroad person, company, or 

institution prior to retirement, which 

was performed at the same time as 

railroad employment or after the 

annuitant stopped railroad employment. 

The collection obtains earnings 

information needed by the RRB to 

determine if possible reductions in 

annuities are in order due to LPE. 

The RRB utilizes Form G–19L, 

Annual Earnings Questionnaire, to 

obtain LPE earnings information from 

annuitants. One response is requested of 

each respondent. Completion is 

required to retain a benefit. 

Previous Requests for Comments: The 

RRB has already published the initial 

60-day notice (86 FR 21362 on April 22, 

2021) required by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). 

That request elicited no comments. 

Information Collection Request (ICR) 

Title: Annual Earnings Questionnaire 

for Annuitants in Last Pre-Retirement 

Non-Railroad Employment. 

OMB Control Number: 3220–0179. 

Form submitted: G–19L. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
34064 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 121 / Monday, June 28, 2021 / Notices 

Type of request: Extension without 

change of a currently approved 

collection. 

Affected public: Individuals or 

Households. 

Abstract: Under Section 2(e)(3) of the 

Railroad Retirement Act, an annuity is 

not payable or is reduced for any month 

in which the beneficiary works for a 

railroad or earns more than the 

prescribed amounts. The collection 

obtains earnings information needed by 

the Railroad Retirement Board to 

determine possible reductions in 

annuities because of earnings. 

Changes proposed: The RRB proposes 

no changes to Form G–19L. 

The burden estimate for the ICR is as 

follows: 

Form No. Annual 

responses 

Time 

(minutes) 

Burden 

(hours) 

G–19L .......................................................................................................................................... 300 15 75 

Additional Information or Comments: 

Copies of the forms and supporting 

documents can be obtained from 

Kennisha Tucker at (312) 469–2591 or 

Kennisha.Tucker@rrb.gov. Comments 

regarding the information collection 

should be addressed to Brian Foster, 

Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North 

Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60611– 

1275 or Brian.Foster@rrb.gov. 

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain. Find this particular 

information collection by selecting 

‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open 

for Public Comments’’ or by using the 

search function. 

Brian Foster, 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2021–13666 Filed 6–25–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7905–01–P 

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE 

PRESIDENT 

Request for Information To Improve 

Federal Scientific Integrity Policies 

AGENCY: White House Office of Science 

and Technology Policy. 

ACTION: Notice of request for 

information. 

SUMMARY: The White House Office of 

Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) 

seeks information to help improve the 

effectiveness of Federal scientific 

integrity policies to enhance public trust 

in science. The January 27, 2021 

Presidential Memorandum on Restoring 

Trust in Government Through Scientific 

Integrity and Evidence-Based 

Policymaking (Memorandum) directs 

OSTP to convene an interagency task 

force under the National Science and 

Technology Council to review the 

effectiveness of policies developed since 

the issuance of the Presidential 

Memorandum on scientific integrity 

issued on March 9, 2009 in preventing 

improper political interference in the 

conduct of scientific research and the 

collection of data; preventing the 

suppression or distortion of findings, 

data, information, conclusions, or 

technical results; supporting scientists 

and researchers of all genders, races, 

ethnicities, and backgrounds; and 

advancing the equitable delivery of the 

Federal Government’s programs. To 

support this assessment, OSTP seeks 

information about: (1) The effectiveness 

of Federal scientific integrity policies 

and needed areas of improvement; (2) 

good practices Federal agencies could 

adopt to improve scientific integrity, 

including in the communication of 

scientific information, addressing 

emerging technologies and evolving 

scientific practices, supporting 

professional development of Federal 

scientists, and promoting transparency 

in the implementation of agency 

scientific integrity policies; and (3) 

other topics or concerns that Federal 

scientific integrity policies should 

address. Please note the purpose of this 

RFI is not to receive reports on alleged 

offenses that are in violation of Federal 

scientific integrity policies. If you have 

witnessed or experienced any harmful 

acts that may undermine scientific 

integrity and you would like to report 

these allegations, please contact the 

Scientific Integrity Officer or Office of 

the Inspector General at the relevant 

Federal agency. 

DATES: Interested persons and 

organizations are invited to submit 

comments on or before 5:00 p.m. ET on 

July 28, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Interested individuals and 

organizations should submit comments 

electronically to ScientificIntegrityRFI@

ostp.eop.gov and include ‘‘SI–FTAC 

RFI’’ in the subject line of the email. 

Due to time constraints, mailed paper 

submissions will not be accepted, and 

electronic submissions received after 

the deadline cannot be ensured to be 

incorporated or taken into 

consideration. 

Instructions 

Response to this RFI is voluntary. 

Each responding entity (individual or 

organization) is requested to submit 

only one response. OSTP welcomes any 

responses to inform and guide the work 

of the Scientific Integrity Fast-Track 

Action Committee (SI–FTAC). Please 

feel free to respond to one or as many 

prompts as you choose. Submission 

must not exceed 7 pages in 12-point or 

larger font, with a page number 

provided on each page. Responses 

should include the name of the 

person(s) or organization(s) filing the 

comment, as well as the respondent 

type (e.g., academic, advocacy, 

professional society, community-based 

organization, industry, member of the 

public, government, other). 

Respondent’s role in the organization 

may also be provided (e.g., researcher, 

administrator, student, program 

manager, journalist) on a voluntary 

basis. Comments containing references, 

studies, research, and other empirical 

data that are not widely published 

should include copies or electronic 

links of the referenced materials. No 

business proprietary information, 

copyrighted information, or personally 

identifiable information should be 

submitted in response to this RFI. Please 

be aware that comments submitted in 

response to this RFI may be posted on 

OSTP’s website or otherwise released 

publicly. 

In accordance with FAR 15.202(3), 

responses to this notice are not offers 

and cannot be accepted by the Federal 

Government to form a binding contract. 

Additionally, those submitting 

responses are solely responsible for all 

expenses associated with response 

preparation. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

additional information, please direct 

questions to Ryan Donohue at 

ScientificIntegrity@ostp.eop.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background: On January 27, 2021, 

President Biden issued a Presidential 

Memorandum on Restoring Trust in 

Government Through Scientific 

Integrity and Evidence-Based 

Policymaking (2021 Memorandum). The 

Memorandum asserts the 


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