Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 16527-16528 [05-6337]

Agencies

• Railroad Retirement Board

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 61 (Thursday, March 31, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16527-16528]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-6337]


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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

    Employee Non-Covered Service Pension Questionnaire; OMB 3220-0154. 
Section 215(a)(7) of the Social Security Act provides for a reduction 
in social security benefits based on employment not covered under the 
Social Security Act or the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA). This 
provision applies a different social security benefit formula to most 
workers who are first eligible after 1985 to both a pension based in 
whole or in part on non-covered employment and a social security 
retirement or disability benefit. There is a guarantee provision that 
limits the reduction in the social security benefit to one-half of the 
portion of the pension based on non-covered employment after 1956. 
Section 8011 of Public Law 100-647 changed the effective date of the 
onset from the first month of eligibility to the first month of 
concurrent entitlement to the non-covered service benefit and the RRA 
benefit.
    Section 3(a)(1) of the RRA provides that the Tier I benefit of an 
employee annuity will be equal to the amount (before any reduction for 
age or deduction for work) the employee would receive if he or she 
would have been entitled to a like benefit under the Social Security 
Act. The reduction for a non-covered service pension also applies to a 
Tier I portion of employees under the RRA where the annuity or non-
covered service pension begins after 1985. Since the amount of a Tier I 
benefit of a spouse is one-half of the employee's Tier I, the spouse 
annuity is also affected by the employee's non-covered service pension 
reduction of his or her Tier I benefit.
    The RRB utilizes Form G-209, Employee Non-Covered Service Pension 
Questionnaire, to obtain needed information from railroad retirement 
employee applicants or annuitants about the receipt of a pension based 
on employment not covered under the Railroad Retirement Act or the 
Social Security Act. It is used as both a supplement to the employee 
annuity application, and as an independent questionnaire to be 
completed when an individual who is already receiving an employee 
annuity, becomes entitled to a pension. One response is requested of 
each respondent. Completion is required to obtain or retain benefits. 
The RRB proposes no changes to Form G-209.

Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden

    The estimated annual respondent burden is as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      Annual                    Burden
        Form (s)           responses   Time  (min)     (hrs)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
G-209 (partial questionnaire)....          100            1            2
G-209 (full questionnaire).......          400            8           53
                                  ---------------------------
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2. Title and Purpose of Information Collection

    Availability for Work; OMB 3220-0164. Under section 1(k) of the 
Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, unemployment benefits are not 
payable for any day for which the claimant is not available for work. 
Under Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) regulation 20 CFR 327.5, 
``available for work'' is defined as being willing and ready for work. 
This section further provides that a person is ``willing'' to work if 
that person is willing to accept and perform

[[Page 16528]]

for hire such work as is reasonably appropriate to his or her 
employment circumstances. The section also provides that a claimant is 
``ready'' for work if he or she: (1) Is in a position to receive notice 
of work and is willing to accept and perform such work, and (2) is 
prepared to be present with the customary equipment at the location of 
such work within the time usually allotted.
    Under RRB regulation 20 CFR 327.15, a claimant may be requested at 
any time to show, as evidence of willingness to work, that he or she is 
making reasonable efforts to obtain work. In order to determine whether 
a claimant is: (a) Available for work, and (b) willing to work, the RRB 
utilizes Forms UI-38 and UI-38s to obtain information from the claimant 
and Form ID-8k from his union representative. One response is completed 
by each respondent. The RRB proposes no changes to Forms UI-38, UI-38s 
and ID-8k.

Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden

    The estimated annual respondent burden is as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                      Annual                    Burden
          Form             responses    Time (min)     (hrs)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
UI-38s...........................  ...........  ...........  ...........
In person........................          250            6           25
By mail..........................          500           10           83
UI-38............................        3,750         11.5          719
ID-8k............................        3,100            5          258
                                  ---------------------------
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    Additional Information or Comments: To request more information or 
to obtain a copy of the information collection justifications, forms, 
and/or supporting material, please call the RRB Clearance Officer at 
(312) 751-3363 or send an e-mail request to Charles.Mierzwa@RRB.GOV. 
Comments regarding the information collection should be addressed to 
Ronald J. Hodapp, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 N. Rush Street, 
Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092 or send an e-mail to 
Ronald.Hodapp@RRB.GOV. Comments should be received within 60 days of 
this notice.

Charles Mierzwa,
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-6337 Filed 3-30-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-M