Railroad Folks: Comment on Medicare Form Tweaks Before Deadline Hits
Published Date: 3/28/2025
Notice
Summary
The Railroad Retirement Board is asking for public feedback on forms used to apply for Medicare benefits and prove health coverage. They want to make sure the forms are clear, useful, and not too much work to fill out. If you’re a railroad worker or family member applying for Medicare, these changes could affect how you submit your info, so get your comments in within 30 days!
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
New Form AA-23 for Part B Enrollment
The Railroad Retirement Board added Form AA-23, Application For Medicare--Medical Insurance (Part B) Program, which the RRB will use to determine if a qualified railroad retirement beneficiary is eligible to enroll through the Initial Enrollment Period (IEP), Special Enrollment Period (SEP), or General Enrollment Period (GEP). The notice lists an annual estimate of 1,000 responses for AA-23 at 5 minutes per response.
New Form AA-24 for SEP (Exceptional Conditions)
The RRB added Form AA-24, Application for Medicare Part B--Special Enrollment Period (Exceptional Conditions), to collect information needed to determine whether a qualified railroad retirement beneficiary is entitled to a SEP because of an exceptional condition. The notice estimates 600 annual responses for AA-24 at 10 minutes per response.
RL-311-F Changes to Prove Employer Coverage
The RL-311-F form (Evidence of Coverage Under An Employer Group Health Plan) was revised to add the option to return the form by facsimile, add a note advising inclusion of previous coverage dates if healthcare providers changed during employment, change wording about employment start dates, update pronouns to gender-neutral language, and add an attestation section. The notice estimates 2,000 annual responses for RL-311-F at 10 minutes per response.
Updated AA-6/AA-7/AA-8: Enrollment Definitions & Attestations
Forms AA-6 (Employee), AA-7 (Spouse/Divorced Spouse), and AA-8 (Widow/Widower) were revised to add clarifying language defining the Initial Enrollment Period (IEP), Special Enrollment Period (SEP), and General Enrollment Period (GEP), add GEP as an option on certain questions, add an attestation section, add fields for "OR SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION NUMBER" and "OR BIC", remove "COUNTY" fields, and add "U.S. Space Force" to military service options.
Estimated Paperwork Time Burden for Respondents
The RRB estimates the Information Collection Request will produce 3,840 total annual responses and a total burden of 368 hours across the collection. The notice lists per-form estimates (for example, AA-6: 180 responses at 8 minutes; AA-23: 1,000 responses at 5 minutes; RL-311-F: 2,000 responses at 10 minutes).
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Key Dates
Related Federal Register Documents
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