Every applicant for railroad retirement benefits or Medicare must submit some type of documentary evidence or proof to support a claim for benefits. The purpose of this booklet is to describe the types of acceptable evidence and to assist you in obtaining these records if they are not in your possession. If, after following these guidelines, you are unable to obtain the necessary evidence, contact the nearest field office of the RRB for assistance.
Evidence submitted in support of an applicant's claim should be:
- an original document; or
- a copy of a public record certified by the custodian of the record
Note that photocopied, faxed, or emailed documents are not acceptable; neither are documents that have been altered in any way.
Most documents brought into the field office will be copied for our records and returned to you right away. If an original document is received in the mail, it will be carefully preserved by the RRB and returned to you after we have made a copy.