What is a System of Records?

As defined in the Privacy Act, a system of records is a group of records that are retrieved by some kind of personal identifier, such as a name or number. The RRB, like all agencies of the Federal government, is required to publish a description of its systems of records. The description usually includes the following main titles:

• Name
• Location
• Categories of individuals covered by the system
• Categories of records covered by in the system
• Authority for maintenance of the system
• Routine uses of the records
• Policies and practices for storing retrieving, accessing, retaining and disposing of records
• Name and address of the system manager
• Notification
• Record access, and contesting record procedures
• Record source categories

If you are a member of the railroad public, information about you may be maintained in more than one system of records. We deliberately say "may,' because, with few exceptions, records are not kept forever, but are destroyed according to established record disposal schedules.

You Worked for a Railroad

If you ever worked in the railroad industry, even for a period as short as one day, records are maintained on you in:

RRB-5 Master File of Railroad Employees' Creditable Compensation

If you registered with the Railroad Retirement Board to obtain your social security number, a 700 series number, a record is maintained on you in:

RRB-12 Railroad Employee's Registration File

If you have at least 120 months of railroad service or worked in the current reporting year, a record is maintained on you in:

RRB-4 Estimated Annuity, Total Compensation and Residual Amount File (MARC)

If you have ever worked under the Social Security System, a record is maintained on you in:

RRB-16 Social Security Administration Master Earnings File

It is also possible that a record could be found on you in the following "research-history" system:

RRB-29 Railroad Employees' Gross Gross Earnings

You Worked for a Railroad & Filed for Benefits under Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA)
(Unemployment or Sickness Benefits)

Depending upon when you filed, records may be maintained on you in the following systems:

		RRB-6 Unemployment Insurance Record File
		RRB-7 Applications for Unemployment Benefits and Placement Service under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act
		RRB-21 Railroad Unemployment and Sickness Benefit System

If you appealed a decision of the Board regarding your claim or application under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, a record on you might also be found in:

RRB-17 Appeals Decisions from Initial Denials for Benefits Under the Provisions of the Railroad Retirement Act or the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act

You Worked for a Railroad & Filed for Benefits under Railroad Retirement Act (RRA)
(Retirement, Survivor or Medicare Benefits)

The major system containing records on you in this case is:

RRB-22 Railroad Retirement, Survivor, and Pensioner Benefit System

In addition, if you were enrolled in Medicare, records are maintained for you in:

RRB-20 Health Insurance and Supplementary Medical Insurance Enrollment and Premium Payment System (MEDICARE)

If you filed a claim under Part B of Medicare, a record could be maintained on you in:

RRB-3 Medicare, Part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) Payment System--Contracted to Palmetto Government Benefit Administrators

If you appealed a decision of the Board regarding your application for benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act, a record could be maintained on you in:

RRB-17 Appeals Decisions from Initial Denials for Benefits Under the Provisions of the Railroad Retirement Act or the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act

Finally, a record might be maintained on you in the following "research-history" systems:

		RRB-26 Payment, Rate, and Entitlement History File
		RRB-27 Railroad Retirement Board--Social Security Administration Financial Interchange System

You Never Worked for a Railroad but Filed for Benefits under the RRA on the Earnings Record of Someone Who Did Work for a Railroad

If you are the spouse, divorced spouse, child, widow, surviving divorced spouse, or parent of a current or former railroad employee and have filed for recurring benefits on that employee's earnings, a record may be maintained on you in the following systems of records identified above (RRB-3, RRB-17, RRB-20, RRB-22, RRB-26).

Other situations:

If you received a benefit and were overpaid or erroneously paid and we have not been able to collect the amount due us, a record may be maintained on you in:

RRB-42 Overpayment Accounts

If you were the subject of an investigation by the Board's Office of Inspector General, a record may be maintained on you in:

RRB-43 Investigation Files

If you were the subject of a legal opinion by the Board's General Counsel, a record may be maintained on you in:

RRB-10 Legal Opinion and Correspondence Files

If you were involved in litigation with the Board, a record may be maintained on you in:

RRB-11 Files on Concluded Litigation

Assistance

If you need assistance in finding the system of records you want to see or in learning which systems might contain a record on you, you may call the Chief Privacy Officer at 312-751-4869 or contact the nearest field office.