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: Pension Plan Reports:

OMB 3220-0089. Under Section 2(b) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA),

the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) pays supplemental annuities to

qualified RRB employee annuitants. A supplemental annuity, which is

computed according to Section 3(e) of the RRA, can be paid at age 60 if

the employee has at least 30 years of creditable railroad service or at

age 65 if the employee has 25-29 years of railroad service. In addition

to 25 years of service, a ``current connection'' with the railroad

industry is required. Eligibility is further limited to employees who

had at least one month of rail service before October 1981 and were

awarded regular annuities after

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June 1966. Further, if an employee's 65th birthday was prior to

September 2, 1981, he or she must not have worked in rail service after

certain closing dates (generally the last day of the month following

the month in which age 65 is attained).

The RRB requires the following information from railroad employers

to calculate supplemental annuities: (a) the current status of railroad

employer pension plans and whether such an employer pension plan causes

a reduction to the supplemental annuity; (b) the amount of the employer

private pension being paid to the employee; (c) whether or not the

railroad employer pension is based on a collective bargaining

agreement, and; (d) whether the employer pension plan continues when

the employer status under the RRA changes.

The RRB currently utilizes Form(s) G-88p (Employer's Supplemental

Pension Report), G-88r (Request for Information About New or Revised

Pension Plan), and G-88r.1 (Request for Additional Information about

Employer Pension Plan in Case of Change of Employer Status or

Termination of Pension Plan), to obtain the necessary information from

railroad employers. One response is requested of each respondent.

Completion is mandatory. Minor editorial changes are being proposed to

all of the forms in order to incorporate language required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Also, at the request of railroad

employers, minor textual changes are being proposed to Form G-88p.

Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden

The estimated annual respondent burden is as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annual Time Burden

Form #(s) responses (Min) (Hrs)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

G-88p...................................... 2,200 8 293

G-88r...................................... 25 10 4

G-88r.1.................................... 15 10 3

----------------------------

Total.................................... 2,240 300

------------------------------------------------------------------------

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. 96-18224 Filed 7-17-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 7905-01-M