[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 80 (Monday, April 27, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 23307]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-09682]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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: Railroad Separation
Allowance or Severance Pay Report; OMB 3220-0173.
Section 6 of the Railroad Retirement Act provides for a lump-sum
payment to an employee or the employee's survivors equal to the Tier II
taxes paid by the employee on a separation allowance or severance
payment for which the employee did not receive credits toward
retirement. The lump-sum is not payable until retirement benefits begin
to accrue or the employee dies. Also, Section 4 (a-1)(iii) of the
Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act provides that a railroad employee
who is paid a separation allowance is disqualified for unemployment and
sickness benefits for the period of time the employee would have to
work to earn the amount of the allowance. The reporting requirements
are specified in 20 CFR 209.14.
In order to calculate and provide payments, the Railroad Retirement
Board (RRB) must collect and maintain records of separation allowances
and severance payments which were subject to Tier II taxation from
railroad employers. The RRB uses Form BA-9, Report of Separation
Allowance or Severance Pay, to obtain information from railroad
employers concerning the separation allowances and severance payments
made to railroad employees and/or the survivors of railroad employees.
Employers currently have the option of submitting their reports on
paper Form BA-9, (or in like format) on a CD-ROM disk, or by File
Transfer Protocol (FTP), or secure Email. Completion is mandatory. One
response is requested of each respondent. The RRB proposes the
implementation of an Internet equivalent version of Form BA-9 that can
be submitted through the RRB's Employer Reporting System (ERS). No
other changes are proposed.
Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden
[The estimated annual respondent burden is as follows]
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual Time Burden
Form number responses (minutes) (hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BA-9 (Paper).................................................... 100 76 127
BA-9 (Internet)................................................. 215 15 54
BA-9 (CD-ROM)................................................... 10 76 13
BA-9 (secure Email)............................................. 25 76 32
BA-9 (FTP)...................................................... 10 76 13
-----------------------------------------------
Total....................................................... 360 .............. 239
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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. 2015-09682 Filed 4-24-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P