1. An apparatus for encoding video information, the apparatus comprising: a memory configured to store one or more layers of video information, each layer comprising at least one picture; and a processor operationally coupled to the memory and configured to: determine a number of active reference layer pictures associated with at least one picture of the one or more layers, the number of active reference layer pictures indicating a number of pictures that the at least one picture may utilize for inter-layer prediction; determine a number of direct reference layers associated with the at least one picture of the one or more layers, the number of direct reference layers indicating a number of layers that a layer containing the at least one picture may utilize for inter-layer prediction; determine whether the number of direct reference layers equals the number of active reference layer pictures; based on the determination that the number of direct reference layers equals the number of active reference layer pictures, refrain from further signaling inter-layer reference picture information in a video slice associated with the at least one picture of the one or more layers; and based on the determination that the number of direct reference layers does not equal the number of active reference layer pictures, signal inter-layer reference picture information in a video slice associated with the at least one picture of the one or more layers.