The Railroad Retirement Act is a Federal law that provides retirement and
disability annuities for qualified railroad employees, spouse annuities for
their wives or husbands, and survivor benefits for the families of deceased
employees who were insured under the Act. These benefit programs are
administered by the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board. It also administers the
Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, and has administrative responsibilities
under the Social Security Act for certain benefit payments and railroad workers’
Medicare coverage.
This publication describes the retirement and disability annuities provided for
employees under the Railroad Retirement Act, and the benefits available to their
spouses and survivors. Medicare and unemployment-sickness insurance payments are
described in separate publications.
The information in this publication supersedes earlier editions. If you have any
questions about the information covered in this publication, or if you want one of
the Railroad Retirement Board’s pamphlets on Medicare or unemployment and
sickness insurance benefits, see Benefit
Forms and Publications or contact one of the Board’s field offices. The
personnel there will be glad to answer your questions and explain your benefit
rights.
See U.S. Railroad Retirement Board Offices for a list of cities with these
offices.
In addition, a toll-free Help Line is available at
1-800-808-0772, which can be used to obtain the addresses and telephone numbers
of the Board’s field offices. Employees can use the Help Line to obtain
statements of creditable service and compensation, and beneficiaries on the
rolls can use it to request a letter showing their
current monthly benefit rate or secure a replacement Medicare card or tax
statement. Information on a claimant’s unemployment or sickness benefit payments
can also be obtained by using the Help Line, which is available 24 hours a day,
7 days a week.
The services listed above, and others, are also available through
Benefit Online Services at the Board's Web site, www.rrb.gov. Other online
services allow users to get annuity estimates, review their service and
compensation history, and apply for or claim unemployment benefits. These
services are part of the Board's ongoing initiative to implement comprehensive
Internet services that will expand access to information and allow the railroad
public to conduct its business with the agency online. In addition, many of the
Board's publications are available for viewing and downloading, as is
information about benefit requirements and other topics of interest.
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