2020-13985. 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: Continuing Disability Report; OMB 3220-0187. Under Section 2 of the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. 231a), an annuity is not payable or is reduced for any month in which the annuitant works for a railroad or earns more than prescribed dollar amounts from either non-railroad employment or self-employment. Certain types of work may indicate an annuitant's recovery from disability. The provisions relating to the reduction or non-payment of an annuity by reason of work, and an annuitant's recovery from disability for work, are prescribed in 20 CFR 220.17-220.20. The RRB conducts continuing disability reviews (CDR) to determine whether an annuitant continues to meet the disability requirements of the law. Provisions relating to when and how often the RRB conducts CDR's are prescribed in 20 CFR 220.186.

Form G-254, Continuing Disability Report, is used by the RRB to develop information for a CDR determination, including a determination prompted by a report of work, return to railroad service, allegation of medical improvement, or a routine disability review call-up. The RRB proposes no changes to Form G-254.

Form G-254a, Continuing Disability Update Report, is used to help identify a disability annuitant whose work activity and/or recent medical history warrants completion of Form G-254 for a more extensive review. The RRB proposes no changes to Form G-254a.

Form RL-8A, Occupational Disability Certification, was used to annually monitor occupational disability annuitants who met certain criteria. The form required annuitants to certify that they are still disabled in order to continue receiving their occupational disability annuities. A CDR may be conducted in any case in which the annuitant does not return a completed and signed RF-8A within 30 days to the RRB. Form RL-8 was used as a cover letter to transmit the Form RL-8A. The 3-member Board has decided our resources no longer allows us to perform CDRs (Continued Disability Reviews) for high-risk cases.

The RRB proposes to remove Form RL-8a from the information collection.

Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden

Form No.	Annual responses	Time (minutes)	Burden (hours)
G-254:
Annuitant	1,000	35	583
Employer verification	100	5	8
Doctor, hospital, or clinic verification	100	5	8
Vocational, Rehabilitation Counselor verification)	100	5	8
Other governmental agency verification	100	5	8
School verification	100	5	8
G-254a	1,500	5	125
Total	3,000		748

Additional Information or Comments: To request more information or to obtain a copy of the information collection justification, forms, and/or supporting material, contact Kennisha Tucker 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 emailed to [e-mail]. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

Brian Foster,

Clearance Officer.