After an internal process review, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has determined it will cease issuing the printed version of its annual Reminders (Form G-34). Because of this decision, RRB field offices and the Office of the Labor Member will no longer distribute the reminder cards.
However, Form G-34, which lists information for a given year such as payroll tax rates, unemployment/sickness benefit rates, and earnings limits, is available online to view, save, and print at RRB.gov/Benefits/Forms/G-34. Those who have appreciated having the form within reach for the past several decades should find the online version just as convenient.
Customers should also know the RRB is currently experiencing high call volume due to COVID-19 related issues, and anticipates the annual spike in calls that generates from mid-December through January. Those calling the agency’s toll-free number in December and January commonly ask about income tax statements, which will be mailed out by January 19, 2021. The RRB will not accept requests for duplicate tax statements until February 1, 2021.
With most RRB field offices still closed to the public because of the pandemic, the agency is again reminding customers of the self-service options available to them to help avoid lengthy wait times.
Customers can request the following documents online by visiting myRRB:
- Letters verifying income and monthly benefit rates
- Service and compensation statement
- Replacement Medicare card
- Duplicate tax statement
In addition, railroad employees who have established myRRB accounts can log in and:
- Apply for and claim unemployment benefits
- Claim sickness benefits
- Check the status of their unemployment or sickness benefit claims
- View their railroad service and compensation history
- Get an estimate of retirement benefits
To establish an account, employees should go to myRRB and click on the button labeled SIGN IN WITH LOGIN.GOV at the top of the page. This directs them to login.gov where they will be guided through the process of creating an account and verifying their identity -- which takes about 20 minutes to complete. Once an employee’s identity is verified, they will be prompted to sign in to their account and then return to myRRB.
Employees who have a PPW account for accessing myRRB can continue using those sign-in credentials for a short time. Because PPW accounts will eventually be phased out, the RRB encourages employees to transition to the login.gov platform at this time.
By using automated menus on the toll-free number (1-877-772-5772), callers can also request the same documents listed above. In addition, customers can access field office addresses, get general benefit information, and listen to special announcements.
To communicate directly with a local field office, customers should access the individual field office’s web page from Field Office Locator, and click on Send a Secure Message.
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