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.