Railroad employees who become sick or injured are not covered under state workers' compensation laws. Instead, they may be entitled to receive "sickness benefits" from the U. S. Railroad Retirement Board. Sickness benefits are generally considered temporary or short-term.  Sickness benefits and eligibility requirements are described in Booklet UB-11, which can be obtained from any Railroad Retirement Board office, your employer, your labor organization or the RRB’s Web site at www.rrb.gov. An application form for RRB sickness benefits is included in the booklet.

Eligibility to receive such benefits depends upon the employee's months of railroad service in the calendar year prior to the year in which he or she becomes unable to work.

In order to receive sickness benefits an employee must:

• be unable to work due to sickness, injury, pregnancy or the birth of a child;
• receive no wages, salary, pay for time lost, vacation pay, holiday pay, military reservist pay, pay under a wage continuation plan, sick pay or other remuneration from railroad or nonrailroad employment for the days benefits are being claimed. Such pay must be reported on the claim form. However, payments under an employee's own health or accident insurance policy, or group insurance policy, or under a supplemental sickness benefit plan administered by the employer or an insurance company do not prevent the payment of sickness benefits and should not be reported on your claim forms (see the section Sick Pay and Supplemental Sickness Benefits);
• obtain an application for sickness benefits from your employer, labor organization, or RRB office;
• have your doctor complete the statement of sickness in support of your claim for sickness benefits; and
• complete and file the application for sickness benefits within 10 days of the first day you become sick or injured. You may lose benefits if you file late. An application is considered filed on the day it is received by any office of the RRB.

You may receive benefits for any kind of injury or illness whether it occurs on or off the job; but if you are paid a settlement or collect damages as a result of the injury or illness, the amount of your benefits must be refunded to the RRB. This is true regardless of a state's "no-fault" law. The RRB will normally notify the liable party, and the person or company making the settlement or paying the damages usually reimburses the RRB for the amount due. However, if the RRB is not reimbursed in full at the time of settlement, you may have to repay benefits to the RRB.

Verify the accuracy of the amount of benefits withheld from your settlement by checking your own record of RRB payments or by contacting the RRB. Notify the RRB immediately if you believe the correct amount was not withheld from your settlement.

For further information or questions, .

If you are unemployed, you may be eligible to receive unemployment benefits from the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), the Federal agency responsible for administering the railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA). Booklet UB-10 provides information about the requirements for receiving railroad unemployment insurance benefits, the amount of benefits payable and procedures for claiming benefits. An application form for RRB unemployment benefits is included in the booklet.

You can file your application and claims online at the RRB's web site. To use online services you must have a PIN and Password (PPW) account. The Web site explains how to open a PPW account.

For further information or questions, .

The basic requirement for a regular employee annuity is 120 months (10 years) of creditable railroad service or 60 months (5 years) of creditable railroad service if such service was performed after 1995. Service months need not be consecutive, and, in some cases, military service may be counted as railroad service.

For additional information, go to the RRB's web site. or .

Employees with 30 or more years of creditable service are eligible for regular annuities based on age and service the first full month they are age 60. Early retirement reductions are applied if the employee first became eligible for a 60/30 annuity July 1, 1984, or later and retired at ages 60 or 61 before 2002.

Employees with 10-29 years of creditable service, or 5-9 years, if at least 5 years were after 1995, are eligible for regular annuities based on age and service the first full month they are age 62.

An annuity based on age cannot be paid until the employee stops railroad employment, files an application and gives up any rights to return to work for a railroad employer.

For additional information go to the RRB's web site or .

A total disability annuity can be paid at any age if an employee is permanently disabled for all regular work and has at least 10 years (120 months) of creditable railroad service. Employees with 5-9 years of creditable railroad service, if at least 5 years were performed after 1995, may qualify for tier I only before retirement age on the basis of total disability if they also meet certain social security earnings requirements. An age reduced tier II amount would be payable at age 62.

An occupational disability annuity can be paid at age 60 if an employee has at least 10 years of railroad service or at any age if the employee has at least 20 years (240 months) of service, when the employee is permanently disabled for his or her regular railroad occupation. A “current connection” with the railroad industry is also required for an annuity based on occupational, rather than total, disability.

A five-month waiting period beginning with the month after the month of the onset of disability is required before any disability annuity payments can begin.

While an annuity based on disability is not paid until an employee has stopped working for a railroad, employment rights need not be relinquished until the employee attains full retirement age. However, in order for a supplemental annuity to be paid by the Board, or for an eligible spouse to begin receiving annuity payments, a disabled annuitant under full retirement age must relinquish employment rights.

For additional information, go to the RRB's web site or .

A supplemental annuity can be paid at age 60, if the employee has at least 30 years of creditable railroad service, or at age 65, if the employee has 25-29 years of railroad service.

In addition to the service requirements, a "current connection" with the railroad industry is required for all supplemental annuities. Eligibility is further limited to employees who had some rail service before October 1981.

For additional information, go to the RRB's web site or .

The spouse, divorced spouse or surviving spouse of a railroad employee may be eligible for an annuity. The eligibility requirements vary greatly depending upon each individual’s circumstances.

Employee and spouse annuity estimates may be obtained on the RRB’s Web site.

For additional information, go to the RRB's web site or .

Sickness benefits, unemployment benefits and annuity forms and publications are available on the Railroad Retirement Board’s Web site.