E7-22582. Agency Forms Submitted for OMB Review, Request for Comments

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is forwarding an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to request a revision to a currently approved collection of information: 3220-0151, Representative Payee Monitoring consisting of Form(s) G-99a, Representative Payee Report and G-99c, Representative Payee Evaluation Report. Our ICR describes the information we seek to collect from the public. Review and approval by OIRA ensures that we impose appropriate paperwork burdens.

The RRB invites comments on the proposed collection of information to determine (1) The practical utility of the collection; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden of the collection; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information that is the subject of collection; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of collections on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments to RRB or OIRA must contain the OMB control number of the ICR. For proper consideration of your comments, it is best if RRB and OIRA receive them within 30 days of publication date.

Under Section 12 of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), the RRB may pay annuity benefits to a representative payee when an employee, spouse or survivor annuitant is incompetent or a minor. The RRB is responsible for determining if direct payment to an annuitant or a representative payee would best serve the annuitant's best interest. The accountability requirements authorizing the RRB to conduct periodic monitoring of representative payees, including a written accounting of benefit payments received, are prescribed in 20 CFR 266.7.

The RRB utilizes the following forms to conduct its representative payee monitoring program. Form G-99a, Representative Payee Report, is used to obtain information needed to determine whether the benefit payments certified to the representative payee have been used for the annuitant's current maintenance and personal needs and whether the representative payee continues to be concerned with the annuitant's welfare. RRB Form G-99c, Representative Payee Evaluation Report, is used to obtain more detailed information from a representative payee who fails to complete and return Form G-99a, or in situations when the returned Form G-99a indicates the possible misuse of funds by the representative payee. Form G-99c contains specific questions concerning the representative payee's performance and is used by the RRB to determine whether or not the representative payee should continue in that capacity. Completion of the forms in this collection is required to retain benefits.

Previous Requests for Comments: The RRB has already published the initial 60-day notice (72 FR 48696 on August 24, 2007) required by 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2). That request elicited no comments.

Information Collection Request (ICR)

Title: Representative Payee Monitoring.

OMB Control Number: 3220-0151.

Form(s) submitted: G-99a, G-99c.

Type of request: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Affected public: Individuals or households.

Abstract: Under Section 12(a) of the Railroad Retirement Act, the RRB is authorized to select, make payments to, and conduct transactions with an annuitant's relative or some other person willing to act on behalf of the annuitant as representative payee. The collection obtains information needed to determine if a representative payee is handling benefit payments in the best interest of the annuitant.

Changes Proposed: The RRB proposes no changes to Form G-99a. Minor, non-burden impacting editorial changes are proposed to Form G-99c.

The burden estimate for the ICR is as follows:

Estimated Completion Time for Form(s): Completion time for G-99a is estimated at 18 minutes. Completion time for Form G-99c is estimated at 24 to 31 minutes.

Estimated annual number of respondents: 6,000.

Total annual responses: 6,535 (6,000 G-99a's and 535 G-99c's).

Total annual reporting hours: 2,032.

Additional Information or Comments: Copies of the forms and supporting documents can be obtained from Charles Mierzwa, the agency clearance officer (312-751-3363) or [e-mail].

Comments regarding the information collection should be sent to Ronald J. Hodapp, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092 or [e-mail], and to the Office of Management Budget at Attn: Desk Officer for RRB, Fax: [phone] or via e-mail to [e-mail].

Charles Mierzwa,

Clearance Officer.