RI20-063_OMB_SuppStmt_2016_06_09

2

OMB SUPPORTING STATEMENT

RI 20-63 - Survivor Annuity Election for a Spouse

RI 20-116 - Cover Letter for RI 20-63 Giving Information about the Cost to Elect Less

Than the Maximum Survivor Annuity

RI 20-117 - Cover Letter for RI 20-63 Giving Information about the Cost to Elect the

Maximum Survivor Annuity

1. Justification

1. Title 5, U. S. Code, Sections 8339(j)(5)(C)(i) and (k)(2) and Sections 8416(b) and (c) state that annuitants may elect to provide survivor annuity benefits for a spouse whom they marry after retirement.

2. RI 20-117, which can be customized to fit the annuitant’s specific situation, is used to provide information about the annuity payable after a survivor reduction to obtain the maximum survivor annuity. RI 20-63, Survivor Annuity Election for a Spouse, is available for retirees to file a specific written election with OPM to provide a survivor annuity. By returning the Request Form enclosed with RI 20-117 the annuitant may ask for information about electing less than the maximum survivor benefit. If the annuitant uses RI 20-117 to request information about the cost of electing less than the maximum survivor annuity, we use RI 20-116 to supply the requested information. Booklets 20-63A, Information on Electing a Survivor Annuity for Your Spouse, and 20-63B, Information on Electing a Survivor Annuity for Your Spouse When You are Providing a Former Spouse Survivor Annuity, are no longer needed. OPM could not comply with title 5 if this information were not collected. The Public Burden Statement meets the requirement of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3). There are editorial revisions to this information collection request (ICR).

2. New methods of information technology would do little to reduce the burden on the respondents. Although signing the election (RI 20-63) is not mandatory by law and regulation, it is available to the retiree to file with OPM a specific written election to provide a survivor annuity. RI 20-63 is not on the OPM website because the annuitant cannot make an informed election without information from OPM.

2. Elections are filed individually. Similar information certified by the respondent is not available. Duplication is minimized.

2. Information is not collected from small businesses.

2. If this information were not collected, annuitants would be unable to elect survivor benefits provided by law.

2. This information collection is consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.

2. A notice of proposed information collection was published in the Federal Register
   (Vol. 81, No. 34, Page 8760) on February 22, 2016, giving persons outside the agency an opportunity to comment on the form. No comments were received.

2. No payment or gift is provided to these respondents.

2. This information collection is protected by the Privacy Act of 1974 and OPM regulations (5 CFR 831.106). The routine uses for disclosure appear in the Federal Register for OPM/Central-1 (75 FR 15013, et seq., March 20, 2008).

2. This information collection does not include questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private.

2. We estimate that 2,400 survivor elections will be processed per year. The form requires 45 minutes to complete for a burden of 1,800 hours. Approximately 200 respondents ask for information about providing less than the maximum survivor annuity or decide not to make any election. We estimate it takes 10 minutes using RI 20-116 or 20-117 to ask for more information. This gives a burden of 34 hours. The total burden is 1,834 hours.

2. There is no cost to the respondent.

2. The annualized cost to the Federal government is $138,000 and $4,800 to provide information about electing less than the maximum survivor annuity. The total cost is $142,800. This cost includes employee salary hours devoted to the program, forms cost, and overhead.

2. There is no change to the respondent burden.

2. The results of this information collection are not published.

2. It is not cost-effective to reprint the whole supply of forms to change the OMB clearance expiration date. Therefore, we seek approval not to display the date on the form.

2. There are no exceptions to the certification statement.

2. Collections of Information Employing Statistical Methods

This information collection does not employ statistical methods.