Proposed Collection; Comment Request

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:

Application for Survivor Death Benefits; OMB 3220-0031.

Under Section 6 of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), lump-sum death benefits are payable to surviving widow(er)s, children, and certain other dependents. Lump-sum death benefits are payable after the death of a railroad employee only if there are no qualified survivors of the employee immediately eligible for annuities. With the exception of the residual death benefit, eligibility for survivor benefits depends on whether the deceased employee was “insured” under the RRA at the time of death. If the deceased employee was not insured, jurisdiction of any survivor benefits payable is transferred to the Social Security Administration and survivor benefits are paid by that agency instead of the RRB. The requirements for applying for benefits are prescribed in 20 CFR parts 217, 219, and 234.

The collection obtains the information required by the RRB to determine entitlement to and amount of the survivor death benefits applied for. To collect the information, the RRB uses Forms AA-11a,

Designation for Change of Beneficiary for Residual Lump-Sum;

AA-21,

Application for Lump-Sum Death Payment and Annuities Unpaid at Death;

AA-21cert,

Application Summary and Certification;

G-131,

Authorization of Payment and Release of All Claims to a Death Benefit or Accrued Annuity Payment;

and G-273a,

Funeral Director's Statement of Burial Charges.

One response is requested of each respondent. Completion is required to obtain benefits. The RRB proposes no changes to any of the forms in the information collection.

Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden

[The estimated annual respondent burden is as follows]

Form No.

Annual

responses

Time

(minutes)

Burden

(hours)

AA-11a

100

10

17

AA-21cert (with assistance)

4,500

20

1,500

AA-21 (without assistance)

300

40

200

G-131

600

5

50

G-273a

5,000

10

833

Total

10,500

2,600

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

Dana.Hickman@RRB.GOV

. 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

Charles.Mierzwa@RRB.GOV

. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

Charles Mierzwa,

Chief of Information Resources Management.

[FR Doc. 2012-13043 Filed 5-29-12; 8:45 am]

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