Policy and Systems

When A Lump-Sum Death Payment is Not Payable

The "1937 Act" or "1981 Amendment" lump-sum death payment cannot be paid if there is any survivor of the employee who is eligible for a railroad retirement annuity in the month the employee died.

In addition, a lump-sum death payment can only be paid if an application is filed by the second anniversary of the employee's death. If no application for the lump-sum death payment or a monthly benefit is received by that date, the lump-sum death payment cannot be paid.

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People Eligible To Receive A 1981 Amendment Lump-Sum Death Payment

A "1981 Amendment" lump-sum death payment is payable only to the widow(er) who was living in the same household with the employee at the time of the employee's death.

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When The 1937 Act Lump-Sum Death Payment Can Be Paid Directly To The Funeral Home

There are two situations in which the lump-sum death payment can be paid to the funeral home:

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People Eligible to Receive A 1937 Act Lump-Sum Death Payment

If the employee was survived by a widow(er) who was living with the employee, the entire lump-sum death payment is paid to the widow(er).

If no widow(er) qualifies and all of the employee's funeral expenses have not been paid, the lump-sum death payment is paid to the funeral home. If the unpaid funeral home expenses are greater than the lump-sum death payment, the entire lump-sum death payment is paid to the funeral home.

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Credit For Employee's Military Service

If the employee was never in the military service, go on to the next section.

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Important Reminders

Filing Requirements - To avoid losing sickness benefits, your benefit application must be received by a Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) office within 10 days of the first day for which you want to claim benefits. Your sickness claims must be filed within 30 days of the last day of the claim or 30 days from the date we mail the form to you, whichever is later.

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Checking Your Benefits by Telephone

You can obtain detailed information about your sickness benefit payments and claims at any time, by calling our national automated telephone service. Calling this number gives you access to:

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Fraud and Abuse Hotline

Call the toll-free Hot Line if you have reason to believe that someone is receiving railroad unemployment or sickness benefits to which he or she is not entitled. The Hot Line has been installed by the Railroad Retirement Board's Inspector General to receive any evidence of fraud or abuse of the RRB's benefit programs.

The toll-free Hot Line number is 1-800-772-4258. Or you may send your complaints in writing to the RRB, OIG, Hot Line Officer, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-1275.

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Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability

Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) regulations, no qualified person may be discriminated against on the basis of disability. RRB programs and activities must be accessible to all qualified applicants and beneficiaries, including those who are vision or hearing impaired. Disabled persons needing assistance (including auxiliary aids or program information in accessible formats) should contact the nearest RRB office.

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Paperwork Reduction Act Notice

To receive sickness benefits, you must complete an application and claim form(s). You may also be asked to complete other forms. Some of these forms are listed below along with estimates of how long we think it takes to complete them. The estimates include time for reviewing the instructions, getting the needed data, and reviewing the completed form. Federal agencies may not conduct or sponsor, and respondents are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB number.

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