Policy and Systems

Full-Time Student

For Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) purposes, a student is generally considered to be in full-time attendance (FTA) while in an elementary or secondary school course of at least 13 weeks duration with minimum attendance of 20 hours per week. The program must be in accordance with the law of the State or other jurisdiction in which the student resides. This includes enrollment in:

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Unmarried Student

Students must be "unmarried." They are unmarried if:

they have never been married; or,
they were married before the student benefit became payable and that marriage has ended by death, divorce or annulment.

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Employee's Student Child

The term "child" means the employee's unmarried:

natural child;
adopted child;
dependent stepchild; or,
under certain conditions, grandchild whose parents are deceased or disabled.

A child age 18-19 qualifies as a student if in full-time attendance at an elementary or secondary school.

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Part I - Requirements For Student Benefits

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Railroad Retirement Benefits for Students

Background

This document contains important information regarding student benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act (RRA). We recommend that you read this information before you start filling out your statements.

Why This Is Important

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When Your Disability Annuity Could End

A. At Full Retirement Age

At full retirement age, your entitlement to a disability annuity ends, and your entitlement to an age-and-service annuity begins. This means that your entitlement to annuity payments is no longer affected by the restrictions that apply to disability annuitants as discussed in this booklet. However, your annuity is still subject to the restrictions discussed in booklet RB-1, Employee Annuity, for age-and-service annuitants. If you do not have a copy of this booklet, you should request one.

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Who Can Be Included In The Family Group

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How The Special Guaranty Affects Your Annuity

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Special Guaranty in Employee and Spouse Annuities

Overview

This booklet is issued for the purpose of general information. Certain limitations, exceptions and special cases are not covered.

The booklet is presented to you section by section as it appears in print. Links to each section are listed in the menu on the left.

Background

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General Conditions Under Which a Person is Entitled to a Railroad Retirement Divorced Spouse Annuity

Age Requirement

When all eligibility requirements are met and you file an application, a divorced spouse annuity based on your age can begin as explained in Chart 1. Chart 2 explains Full Retirement Age (FRA).

Chart 1 - Determining Your Age Requirement

If the employee is at least:

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