Railroad Retirement Board August 3, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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: Job Information Report, OMB 3220-0193. In July of 1997, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) adopted standards for the adjudication of occupational disabilities under the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA). As part of these standards, the RRB requests job information to determine an applicant's eligibility for an occupational disability. The job information received from the railroad employer and railroad employee is compared, reconciled (if needed), and then used in the occupational disability determination process. The process of obtaining information from railroad employers used to determine an applicant's eligibility for an occupational disability is outlined in 20 CFR 220.13. To determine an occupational disability, the RRB determines if an employee is precluded from performing the full range of duties of his or her regular railroad occupation. This is accomplished by comparing the restrictions on impairment(s) causes against an employee's ability to perform his/her normal duties. To collect information needed to determine the effect of a disability on an applicant's ability to work, the RRB needs the applicant's work history. The RRB currently utilizes Form G-251, Vocational Report (OMB 3220-0141), to obtain this information from the employee applicant.