2017-13448. 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). 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 the RRB or OIRA must contain the OMB control number of the ICR. For proper consideration of your comments, it is best if the RRB and OIRA receive them within 30 days of the publication date.

Title and purpose of information collection: Representative Payee Monitoring; OMB 3220-0151.

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.

In cases where the representative payee does not have custody of the annuitant, proposed Form G-106, Statement of Care and Responsibility to Annuitant, will be used to solicit information about the representative payee's performance and the annuitant's well-being from the custodian of the annuitant. The proposed form contains specific questions concerning the representative payee's performance, and will be 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 (82 FR 19396 on April 27, 2017) 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.

Forms submitted: G-99a, G-99c and G-106.

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. If the representative payee does not have custody of the beneficiary, the RRB will obtain the information from the custodian for evaluation. 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 Forms G-99a and G-99c. However, we propose the implementation of new Form G-106 to the information collection.

The burden estimate for the ICR is as follows:

Form No.	Annual responses	Time (minutes)	Burden (hours)
G-99a (legal and all other, excepting parent for child)	5,400	18	1,620
G-99c (Parts I and II)	300	24	120
G-99c (Parts I, II, and III)	120	31	62
G-106	500	10	83
Total	6,320		1,885

Additional Information or Comments: Copies of the forms and supporting documents can be obtained from Dana Hickman at [phone] or [e-mail].

Comments regarding the information collection should be addressed to Brian Foster, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-1275 or [e-mail] and to the OMB Desk Officer for the RRB, Fax: [phone], Email address: [e-mail].

Brian D. Foster,

Clearance Officer.