Railroad Retirement Board November 27, 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: Application to Act as Representative Payee; OMB 3220-0052. Under Section 12 of the Railroad Retirement Act, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) may pay benefits to a representative payee when an employee, spouse or survivor annuitant is incompetent or is a minor. A representative payee may be a court- appointed guardian, a statutory conservator or an individual selected by the RRB. The procedures pertaining to the appointment and responsibilities of a representative payee are prescribed in 20 CFR Part 266. The forms furnished by the RRB to apply for representative payee status, and for securing the information needed to support the application follow. RRB Form AA-5, Application for Substitution of Payee, obtains information needed to determine the selection of a representative payee who will serve in the best interest of the beneficiary. RRB Form G-478, Statement Regarding Patient's Capability to Manage Payments, obtains information about an annuitant's capability to manage payments. The form is completed by the annuitant's personal physician or by a medical officer, if the annuitant is in an institution. It is not required when a court has appointed an individual or institution to manage the annuitant's funds or, in the absence of such appointment, when the annuitant is a minor. The RRB also provides representative payees with a booklet at the time of their appointment. The booklet, RRB Form RB-5, Your Duties as Representative Payee-Representative Payee's Record, advises representative payees of their responsibilities under 20 CFR 266.9 and provides a means for the representative payee to maintain records pertaining to the receipt and use of RRB benefits. The booklet is provided for the representative payee's convenience. The RRB also accepts records that were kept by representative payee's as part of a common business practice. Completion is voluntary. One response is requested of each respondent. The RRB is proposing non-burden impacting editorial changes to Forms AA-5 and G-478. No changes are proposed for the Booklet RB-5. The estimated completion time(s) is estimated at 17 minutes for Form AA-5, 6 minutes for Form G-478 and 60 minutes for Booklet RB-5. The RRB estimates that approximately 3,000 Form AA-5's, 2,000 Form G-478's and 15,300 RB-5's are completed annually. 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 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 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092 or send an e-mail to Ronald.Hodapp@RRB.GOV. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.