Ryan Pigg has represented hundreds of railroad workers throughout the United States in personal injury lawsuits against railroad companies including Union Pacific and BNSF. When a railroad worker gets hurt on the job, he or she may be entitled to railroad retirement benefits while the lawsuit is pending. This helps the railroader’s families survive until a settlement is reached or a trial occurs. If you are an injured railroad worker, please contact Ryan Pigg immediately. The Railroad Retirement Board pays retirement and unemployment benefits to U.S. railroad workers. The board also helps cover health care costs with Medicare coverage, which starts at age 65 for most people.
The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is an independent agency of the federal government, headquartered in Chicago and a part of the U.S. Department of Labor. The RRB pays retirement and unemployment benefits to eligible U.S. railroad workers who meet certain eligibility requirements.
To be eligible for benefits through the RRB, you must:
Be an employee covered by a collective bargaining agreement that provides social security coverage or be a non-covered employee who works full-time or part-time on a permanent basis or intermittently on a seasonal basis in interstate commerce or its subsidiaries;
Have worked at least one year after becoming eligible for retirement benefits; and
Have earned at least five years’ worth of service credit based on your age (for example, if you are between ages 62–65 when you apply for survivor benefits).
Workers earn an annuity, a monthly income payment when they retire. How much they receive depends on their earnings and length of service -- the longer someone works, the more annuity benefits they will get per month. The average benefit is $2,320 a month.
The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) offers annuities to railroad workers who qualify. An annuity is a monthly income payment that continues for as long as a person lives. The amount of money you receive depends on how much you earned and the number of years that you worked for the railroad system.
For example, if someone retired with a $30,000 yearly salary over 20 years, they would receive an average of $2,320 per month from their RRB benefits.
Railroad Retirement spouses can also get benefits when their spouse retires or becomes disabled. A divorced spouse can be eligible for a railroad retirement spousal benefit if the couple was married for at least 10 years; eligibility also depends on age requirements and if there's a current spouse or survivor annuitant receiving benefits from the RRB.
Spouses of railroad workers who have been married for 10 years or more can receive benefits.
The spouse must be at least 60 years old to receive a spousal benefit.
The spouse must not be remarried (unless the current marriage is annulled).
Spousal benefits are paid to a surviving spouse upon the death of their partner.
Eligible family members can also receive benefits from the board. Child survivors of a rail worker who receives or has received benefits from the RRB can receive benefits until age 18, or up to age 25 if full-time students in an accredited secondary school with no higher grade attained than 12th grade.
Another benefit to being a rail worker is that your family can also receive benefits. If you pass away, your eligible family members, who are defined as your spouse, an ex-spouse who was married to you for at least 10 years, and any unmarried children under age 18 or up until they reach age 25 if full-time students in an accredited secondary school with no higher grade attained than 12th grade.
Also, if you were divorced from your spouse and there are no children involved in the divorce proceedings, then the former spouse may also receive benefits if they were married to you for at least 10 years prior to the divorce. You should note that this benefit does not apply to widows or widowers of deceased railroad workers -- only divorced spouses qualify for these survivor's benefits from RRB.
The Railroad Retirement Board helps cover health care costs with Medicare coverage, which starts at age 65 for most people. Medicare, a federal health insurance program, pays for all or part of your medical bills and allows you to choose the doctors and other health care providers you want. Your Railroad Retirement benefits can be used in combination with those from Social Security to pay for prescription drugs and other medical expenses not covered by Medicare Part B (outpatient hospital services) or Part D (prescription drug coverage).
The Railroad Retirement Board offers financial assistance to railroad workers and their families.
The Railroad Retirement Board pays retirement and unemployment benefits to U.S. railroad workers, who include employees of railroads and many private industries that are part of the railroad industry. The Railroad Retirement Board also administers a number of other programs that provide financial assistance to railroad workers and their families.
The Railroad Retirement Board is an important part of U.S. society and provides financial assistance to workers who have earned it through their hard work. The board also helps provide health coverage and other benefits for those who are eligible for them.
