[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 246 (Friday, December 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66001-66002]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-31425]


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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.

Title and Purpose of Information Collection

    Statement Regarding Contributions and Support of Children, RRB Form 
G-139 Section 2(d)(4) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), provides, 
in part, that a child is deemed dependent if the conditions set forth 
in Section 202(d)(3), (4) and (9) of the Social Security Act are met. 
In accordance with amendments to the Social Security Act (section 104 
of Public Law 104-21) the RRB amended its regulations to eliminate to 
``living-with'' requirement (as an alternative to actual dependency) as 
a basis for eligibility for an annuity as the stepchild of a railroad 
employee, and also to provide for the termination of the inclusion of a 
stepchild in the computation of the social security overall minimum 
guarantee provision when the stepparent's marriage to the natural 
parent is terminated.
    The regulations outlining child support and dependency requirements 
are prescribed in 20 CFR 222.50.
    Prior to the amendments to the Social Security Act, almost all 
child dependency determinations were ``deemed'' based on a child living 
with the railroad employee. To determine entitlement based on actual 
dependency, the RRB must solicit financial information regarding a 
child's means of support. A comparison is then made between the amount 
of support received from the railroad employee and the amount received 
from other sources.
    The RRB uses Form G-139, Statement Regarding Contributions and 
Support of Children, to collect information needed to adequately 
determine if the child meets the dependency requirement. Completion 
will be required to obtain a benefit. One response is required of each 
respondent. The RRB estimates that 500 Form G-139's will be

[[Page 66002]]

completed annually. The completion time is estimated at 60 minutes. The 
RRB proposes non-burden impacting editorial changes to Form G-139.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS: To request more information or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection justification, forms, and/
or supporting material, please call the RRB Clearance Officer at (312) 
751-3363. Comments regarding the information collection should be 
addressed to Ronald J. Hodapp, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 N. Rush 
Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092. Written comments should be 
received within 60 days of this notice.

Chuck Mierzwa,
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 01-31425 Filed 12-20-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-M