Railroad Workers Get More Doctors to Prove They're Disabled
Published Date: 1/16/2025
Rule
Summary
The Railroad Retirement Board is updating its rules to accept more types of medical experts when deciding disability claims, like school psychologists and audiologists. This change matches Social Security’s updated rules and helps make sure claims get fair and modern reviews. The new rule starts March 17, 2025, so if you’re applying for disability, your medical evidence might come from more kinds of specialists now.
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
More kinds of medical experts accepted
If you apply for Railroad Retirement disability, the Board will accept medical reports from more types of specialists starting March 17, 2025. Newly designated acceptable medical sources include licensed or certified school psychologists (for intellectual disability, learning disabilities, and borderline intellectual functioning only), licensed podiatrists (for foot or foot-and-ankle impairments, depending on State scope of practice), qualified speech-language pathologists (for speech or language impairments only, with state licensure/certification or ASHA certificate), licensed audiologists (for hearing loss, auditory processing, and balance disorders within their scope), licensed advanced practice registered nurses (within their licensed scope), and licensed physician assistants/physician associates (within their licensed scope).
Limits on using other medical providers' reports
The Board will accept and consider evidence from other licensed healthcare workers (for example, licensed clinical social workers, naturopaths, and chiropractors), but it still requires objective medical evidence from an acceptable medical source to establish the presence of a medically determinable impairment. That means reports from these other providers can help explain how an impairment affects your ability to work, but they cannot alone establish that you have the impairment.
Personalized for You
How does this regulation affect your finances?
Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this federal register document means for your household, plus every other regulation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Key Dates
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-17116, Modifications to the Regulations Implementing the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as Amended
The U.S. Department of Labor publishes this final rule to revise its implementing regulations for the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended (VEVRAA). These revisions will align the regulations with Executive Order 14173 and remove the VEVRAA regulations' cross-references to the Executive Order 11246 authority. Executive Order 11246 was revoked by Executive Order 14173 on January 21, 2025. This final rule also makes technical revisions to update the VEVRAA regulations' jurisdictional thresholds, which were adjusted for inflation by the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council on October 1, 2025.
2026-17115, Modifications to the Regulations Implementing Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as Amended
The U.S. Department of Labor is revising its implementing regulations for Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Section 503). The revisions align the regulations with applicable law and recent executive orders, including Executive Order 14173, "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity," and Executive Order 14219, "Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President's `Department of Government Efficiency' Deregulatory Initiative."
2026-17114, Rescission of Executive Order 11246 Implementing Regulations
On January 21, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14173, "Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity," which revoked Executive Order 11246. Accordingly, the U.S. Department of Labor publishes this final rule to rescind the implementing regulations for Executive Order 11246.
2026-17088, Carboxin; Pesticide Tolerances
This regulation establishes tolerances for residues of carboxin in or on multiple crops that are discussed later in this document. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), UPL Delaware Inc. submitted a petition to EPA requesting that EPA establish a maximum permissible level for residues of this pesticide in or on the identified commodities.
2026-17120, Fisheries of the South Atlantic; 2026 Commercial Closure of Red Snapper in the South Atlantic
NMFS implements an accountability measure for red snapper in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic. NMFS projects that commercial landings of red snapper will reach the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) for the 2026 fishing year. Therefore, NMFS is closing the commercial sector for red snapper in the South Atlantic EEZ. This closure is necessary to protect the red snapper resource.
2026-17113, Fisheries of the South Atlantic; Commercial Closure for Blueline Tilefish in the South Atlantic
NMFS implements an accountability measure for the commercial harvest of blueline tilefish in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the South Atlantic. NMFS estimates that commercial landings of blueline tilefish will reach the commercial annual catch limit (ACL) for the 2026 fishing year. Accordingly, NMFS closes the commercial sector of blueline tilefish in the South Atlantic EEZ to protect the blueline tilefish resource from overfishing.
Previous / Next Documents
Previous: 2025-00510, Joint Policies of the Departments of the Interior and of the Army Relative to Reservoir Project Lands
The Departments of the Interior and the Army updated rules to make it easier for the Interior to buy certain types of land rights around older reservoirs, mostly those built before 1962. This change affects how the government handles land deals that don’t involve full ownership, which happens only sometimes. The new rule kicks in on April 16, 2025, unless people send in serious objections by March 17, 2025.
Next: 2025-00542, Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain; Corrections
The Department of Commerce fixed some missing instructions in a December 2024 rule that protects the U.S. from risky tech and services linked to foreign adversaries. This correction updates important parts of the rule to keep the review process clear and strong. The changes take effect on February 4, 2025, and affect companies dealing with certain tech transactions.