[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 14 (Thursday, January 22, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3266-3267]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00980]
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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: Appeal Under the
Railroad Retirement and Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act; OMB 3220-
0007.
Under Section 7(b)(3) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), and
Section 5(c) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA) 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 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. The RRB proposes no changes to Form
HA-1.
Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
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Form No. Annual responses Time (minutes) Burden (hours)
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HA-1................................................ 550 20 185
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2. Title and purpose of information collection: Annual Earnings
Questionnaire; OMB 3220-0179.
Under section 2(e)(3) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), 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 fifty 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. The RRB proposes no changes to Form G-19L.
[[Page 3267]]
Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
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Form No. Annual responses Time (minutes) Burden (hours)
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G-19L.................................................. 300 15 75
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Total.............................................. 300 ................. 75
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Additional Information or Comments: To request more information or
to obtain a copy of the information collection justification, forms,
and/or supporting material, contact Dana Hickman at (312) 751-4981 or
[email protected]. Comments regarding the information collection
should be addressed to Charles Mierzwa, Railroad Retirement Board, 844
North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092 or emailed to
[email protected]. Written comments should be received within 60
days of this notice.
Charles Mierzwa,
Chief of Information Resources Management.
[FR Doc. 2015-00980 Filed 1-21-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P