03-6240. 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 Spouse Annuity Under the Railroad Retirement Act; OMB 3220-0042 section 2(c) of the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA), provides for the payment of annuities to spouses of railroad retirement annuitants who meet the requirements under the RRA. The age requirements for a spouse annuity depend on the employee's age and date of retirement and the employee's years of railroad service. The requirements relating to the annuities are prescribed in 20 CFR 216, 218, 219, 232, 234, and 295.

The RRB currently uses the electronic AA-3cert, Application Summary and Certification process and manual Form AA-3, Application for Spouse/Divorced Spouse Annuity, to obtain the information needed to determine an applicant's entitlement to an annuity and the amount of the annuity.

The AA-3cert process obtains information from an applicant by means of an interview with an RRB field-office representative. During the interview, the field-office representative enters the information obtained into an on-line information system. Upon completion of the interview, the applicant receives Form AA-3cert, Application Summary and Certification, which summarizes the information that was provided by/or verified by the applicant, for review and signature. The RRB also uses manual Form AA-3 in instances where the RRB representative is unable to contact the applicant in person or by telephone, i.e., the applicant lives in another country.

The RRB estimates the burden for the collection as follows:

Estimated Burden

Form No.	Estimated annual responses	Estimated completion time (per response)	Estimated annual burden (hours)
AA-3CERT	8,400	30	4,200
AA-3 (manual)	100	58	97
Total	8,500		4,297

No changes are proposed to Form AA-3cert or Form AA-3. Completion is required to obtain a benefit. One response is requested of each respondent.

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 Office at [phone]. 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.