Railroad Retirement Board in the United States

The Railroad Retirement Board administers comprehensive retirement-survivor and
unemployment-sickness beneﬁt programs for the Nation’s railroad workers and their
families.

The Railroad Retirement Board was originally established by the Railroad
Retirement Act of 1934, as amended (45 U.S.C. 201—228z-1).

The Board derives statutory authority from the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974
(45 U.S.C. 231–231u) and the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (45 U.S.C.
351–369). It administers these acts and participates in the administration of
the Social Security Act and the Health Insurance for the Aged Act insofar as they
affect railroad retirement beneﬁciaries.

The Board is composed of three members appointed by the President
with the advice and consent of the Senate: one upon recommendations of
representatives of employees; one upon recommendations of carriers; and one,
the Chairman, as a public member.

Activities

The Railroad Retirement Act provides for the payment of annuities to individuals who have completed at least 10 years of creditable railroad service,
or 5 years if performed after 1995, and have ceased compensated service upon
their attainment of speciﬁed ages, or at any age if permanently disabled for all
employment. In some circumstances occupational disability annuities or
supplemental annuities are provided for career employees.

A spouse’s annuity is provided, under certain conditions, for the wife
or husband of an employee annuitant. Divorced spouses may also qualify.
Survivor annuities are awarded to the qualiﬁed spouses, children, and
parents of deceased career employees, and various lump-sum beneﬁts are also
available under certain conditions. Beneﬁts based upon qualifying
railroad earnings in a preceding 1-year period are provided under the Railroad
Unemployment Insurance Act to individuals who are unemployed in
a beneﬁt year, but who are ready and willing to work, and to individuals who are unable to work because of sickness or injury.

The Board maintains, through its ﬁeld ofﬁces, a placement service for
unemployed railroad personnel.

For further information, contact Public Affairs, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, IL60611–2092. Phone, 312–751–4777. Fax, 312–751–7154. Email, opa@rrb.gov. Internet, http://www.rrb.gov.