2011-22952. 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: RUIA Claims Notification and Verification System; OMB 3220-0171.

Section 5(b) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA), requires that effective January 1, 1990, when a claim for benefits is filed with the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), the RRB shall provide notice of the claim to the claimant's base year employer(s) to provide them an opportunity to submit information relevant to the claim before making an initial determination. If the RRB determines to pay benefits to the claimant under the RUIA, the RRB shall notify the base-year employer(s).

The purpose of the RUIA Claims Notification and Verification System is to provide two notices, pre-payment Form ID-4K, Prepayment Notice of Employees' Applications and Claims for Benefits Under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, and post-payment Form ID-4E, Notice of RUIA Claim Determination.

Prepayment Form ID-4K provides notice to a claimant's base-year employer(s), of each unemployment application and unemployment and sickness claim filed for benefits under the RUIA and provides the employer an opportunity to convey information relevant to the proper adjudication of the claim. The railroad employer can elect to receive notices of applications and claims by one of three options: A computer-generated Form Letter ID-4K paper notice, an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) version of the Form Letter ID-4K notice, or an Internet equivalent ID-4K, which is transmitted through the RRB's Internet-based Employer Reporting System (ERS).

The railroad employer can respond to the ID-4K notice by telephone, manually by mailing a completed ID-4K back to the RRB, or electronically via EDI or ERS. Completion is voluntary. No changes are being proposed to any of the ID-4K options.

Once the RRB determines to pay a claim post-payment Form Letter ID-4E, Notice of RUIA Claim Determination, is used to notify the base-year employer(s). This gives the employer a second opportunity to challenge the claim for benefits.

The mainframe-generated ID-4E paper notice and the EDI and Internet equivalent versions are transmitted on a daily basis, generally on the same day that the claims are approved for payment. Railroad employers who are mailed Form ID-4E are instructed to write if they want a reconsideration of the RRB's determination to pay. Employers who receive the ID-4E electronically, may file a reconsideration request by completing the ID-4E by either EDI or ERS. Completion is voluntary. No changes are being proposed to any of the ID-4E options.

Estimate of Annual Respondent Burden

[The estimated annual respondent burden is as follows]

Form No.	Annual responses	Time (minutes)	Burden (hours)
ID-4K (Manual)	1,250	2	42
ID-4K (EDI)	24,215	**	210
ID-4K (Internet)	52,300	2	1,743
ID-4E (Manual)	50	2	2
ID-4E (Internet)	120	2	4
Total	77,935		2,001
** The burden for the 5 participating employers who transmit EDI responses is calculated at 10 minutes each per day, 251 workdays a year or 210 total hours of burden.

Additional Information or Comments: To request more information or to obtain a copy of the information collection justification, forms, and/or supporting material, contact Charles Mierzwa, the RRB Clearance Officer, at [phone] or [e-mail]. Comments regarding the information collection should be addressed to Patricia Henaghan, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092 or e-mailed to [e-mail]. Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

Charles Mierzwa,

Clearance Officer.