Railroad Board Seeks Input on Death Benefit Claim Forms
Published Date: 11/19/2025
Notice
Summary
The Railroad Retirement Board is asking for public feedback on forms they use to figure out who gets death benefits when a railroad worker passes away. They want to make sure the forms are clear, useful, and not too much work to fill out. If you have thoughts, send them in within 30 days to help improve the process—no money changes yet, just better paperwork!
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Key Dates
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-16251, Jurisdiction Determinations
The Railroad Retirement Board amends its regulations to reflect statutory amendments granting jurisdiction to the Board to pay benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act and under Title II of the Social Security Act to railroad employees and auxiliary beneficiaries who have less than ten years of railroad service, but at least five years after 1995. The amendment also adds divorced spouses to the list of auxiliary beneficiaries to whom the Board will pay benefits in accordance with controlling law. The existing regulation is no longer consistent with the statutory criteria in the Railroad Retirement Act for jurisdictional determinations and is therefore facially unlawful.
2026-16250, Determining Disability
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2026-14437, Proposed Collection; Comment Request
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The Railroad Retirement Board announced that civil monetary penalties won’t go up in 2026 because the government couldn’t get the inflation data needed to adjust them. This means penalties will stay the same as in 2025, affecting anyone who might face fines under these rules. So, no surprise hikes next year—penalties hold steady, keeping things predictable!
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