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: 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

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Total........................ 500 ........... 55

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

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