00-16488. 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:

Job Information Report, OMB 3220-0193.

In July of 1997, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) adopted standards for the adjudication of occupational disabilities under the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA). As part of these standards, the RRB requests job information to determine an applicants eligibility for an occupational disability. The job information received from the railroad employer and railroad employee is compared, reconciled (if needed), and then used in the occupational disability determination process. The process of obtaining information from railroad employers used to determine an applicant's eligibility for an occupational disability is outlined in 20 CFR 220.13.

To determine an occupational disability, the RRB determines if an employee is precluded from performing the full range of duties of his or her regular railroad occupation. This is accomplished by comparing the restrictions on impairment(s) causes against an employee's ability to perform his/her normal duties. To collect information needed to determine the effect of a disability on an applicant's ability to work, the RRB needs the applicant's work history. The RRB currently utilizes Form G-251, Vocational Report (OMB 3220-0141), to obtain this information from the employee applicant.

Note:

Form G-251 is provided to all applicants for employee disability annuities and to those applicants for a widow(er)'s disability annuity who indicate that they have been employed at some time.

In accordance with the standards, the RRB also requests pertinent job information from employers. The employer is given thirty days from the date of the notice to respond. The responses are not required, but are voluntary. If the job information is received timely, it is compared to the job information provided by the employee. Any material differences are resolved by an RRB disability examiner. Once resolved, the information is compared to the restrictions caused by the medical impairment. If the restrictions prohibit the performance of the regular railroad occupation, the claimant is found occupationally disabled.

The RRB uses two forms to secure job information data from the railroad employer. RRB Form G-251a, Employer Job Information (job description), is released to an employer when an application for an occupational disability is filed by an employee whose regular railroad occupation is one of the more common types of railroad jobs (locomotive engineer, conductor, switchman, etc.) It is accompanied by a^* generic job description^* for that particular railroad job. The generic job descriptions describe how these select occupations are generally performed in the railroad industry. However, not all occupations are performed the same way from railroad to railroad. Thus, the employer is given an opportunity to comment on whether the job description matches the employee's actual duties. If the employer concludes that the generic job description accurately describes the work performed by the applicant, no further action will be necessary. If the employer determines that the tasks are different, it may provide the RRB with a description of the actual job tasks. The employer has thirty days from the date the form is released to reply.

Note:

The generic job descriptions were prepared and approved by a joint committee consisting of representatives of railroad labor and railroad management.

Proposes Form G-251b, Employer Fob Information (general), is released to an employer when an application for an RRB occupational disability is filed by an employee whose regular railroad occupation does not have a generic job description. It notifies the employer that the employee has filed for a disability annuity and that, if the employer wishes, it may provide the RRB with job duty information. The type of information RRB is seeking is outlined on the form. the employer has thirty days from the date the form is released to reply.

The RRB proposes minor non-burden impacting changes to Form-251a and G-251b. The completion time for Form G-251a and G-251b is estimated at 20 minutes. Completion is voluntary. The RRB estimates that approximately 125 G-251a's and 305 G-251b's are completed annually.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

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 [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.