[Federal Register: February 2, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 21)]
[Notices]               
[Page 5081-5082]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02fe99-97]

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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.
    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 
noncovered 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 noncovered employment after 1956. Section 8011 of Pub. L. 100-
647 changed the effective date of the onset from the first month of 
eligibility to the first month of concurrent entitlement to the 
noncovered 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 noncovered service pension also applies to a 
Tier I portion of employees under the RRA where the annuity or 
noncovered 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 noncovered service 
pension reduction of his or her Tier I benefit.
    The RRB utilizes Form G-209, Employee Noncovered 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 a minor non-burden impacting editorial change 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

[[Page 5082]]


G-209 (full questionnaire).......          400            8           53
                                  --------------------------------------
    Total........................          500  ...........           55
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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, please call the RRB Clearance Officer at 
(312) 751-3363. Comments regarding the information collection should be 
addressed to Ronald J. Hodapp, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 N. Rush 
Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092. Written comments should be 
received within 60 days of this notice.
Chuck Mierzwa,
Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-2433 Filed 2-1-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-M