Policy and Systems

Payments From Employers

A child cannot be entitled as a student if the child's employer asks or requires the child to attend school and pays the child for doing so.

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Social Security Benefits or Other Railroad Retirement Annuities

Social security benefits or other railroad retirement annuities will reduce the student's benefit.

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Part IV - Events That Affect A Student's Entitlement

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How a Student Survivor Annuity is Paid

When possible, the student annuity payments are deposited directly into the annuitant's checking or savings account at a financial institution. Therefore, bring one of the student's checks with you when you file for benefits. This will allow the field office representative to enter the information in our payment system and tell the student when the direct deposit will take effect.

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One Application Concept for a Survivor Annuity

Benefits for minor children or students in the retirement Special Guaranty computation do not convert to survivor annuities upon the death of the employee. A survivor annuity application for a child's annuity is required.

Otherwise, an application for children's annuities filed by, or on behalf of, minor children protect their rights to student annuities when they attain age 18, provided there is no break in entitlement between the month they attain age 18 and the month they become entitled as full-time students. A new application for a child's annuity is not needed.

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Independent Study and Home Schooling

If a student is enrolled at an educational institution for less than 20 hours per week, but participates in the school's independent study program, you need to provide documentation from the school recognizing and providing credits for the independent study. The RRB requires the documentation listed in Part I for home schooling cases.

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Forms Needed to Qualify for a Student Survivor Annuity

The following are available at the RRB field office nearest you to develop the information needed for the student annuity:

An Application for Child's Annuity obtains information concerning a student's relationship to the employee. This form can be filed through the RRB field office on Application Express (APPLE); and,
Form G-315 Student Questionnaire is required to obtain the dates of school attendance and verification of the school attendance from the school official.

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Part III - Student Survivor Annuity

Student annuities are payable when the students, or their representatives, file survivor annuity applications and the students meet the requirements in Part I.

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How A Student Benefit Is Paid

The benefits are not paid directly to the student. If both the employee and the spouse are entitled to railroad retirement annuities, the amount of the total family benefit is divided between the employee and spouse annuities. The employee receives 2/3 of the family total (excluding any divorce spouse) as the employee monthly annuity rate. The spouse receives 1/3 of the family total (excluding any divorced spouse) as the spouse monthly annuity rate.

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One Application Concept for Special Guaranty

A Form G-319, Statement Regarding Family and Earnings for the Special Guaranty Computation, including minor children protects their rights to student benefits when they attain age 18, provided there is no break in entitlement between the month they attain age 18 and the month they become entitled as full-time students.

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