Railroad Disability Annuity

Did you know?
Former Railroad workers may be eligible for a Disability Annuity from the Railroad Retirement Board.

There are two types of Railroad Disability Annuity:  There is Occupational Disability and Permanent & Total Disability.

Occupational Disability applies when you cannot perform your past “Railroad” work. You can receive Occupational Disability at any age if you have 240 months of Railroad service, OR you are at least 60 years old and have 120 months of Railroad service.

Permanent & Total Disability is when you cannot do ANY past work (neither your past RR work nor your past Non-RR work). You can receive Permanent & Total Disability at any age with at least 120 months of Railroad service.
If someone has less than 120 months of Railroad service they can still qualify for Railroad Disability Annuity as long as at least 60 of those Railroad service months are after 1995. However, your Tier II benefit cannot begin until you reach the age of 62. (See below for explanation of Tiers).

There is a Two Tier Structure for Railroad Disability Annuity.
Tier I is RR retirement and is equivalent to Social Security wages and benefit amounts. Tier II is similar to a private pension and is based solely on your RR employment.

There is a 5 month waiting period before your backpay can start accruing.
Just like Social Security disability benefits, there is a 5 month waiting period. If you file your initial application with RRB in October, your benefits will not start accruing until the following April.

You can request your case can be expedited if you have a medical condition that falls under the Social Security Compassionate Allowance List.

Railroad Disability Annuity uses the same listed conditions as SSA. These conditions primarily include certain type of cancers, brain disorders, and a number of rare disorders.

Author(s)
Jessica Friedman
Friedman Law Firm