Railroad Benefits Forms Get the Usual Public Comment Request
Published Date: 10/29/2026
Notice
Summary
The Railroad Retirement Board wants your thoughts on how it collects info for railroad workers applying for unemployment benefits and job help. They’re checking if the forms and online options work well and don’t cause too much hassle. If you’re a railroad employee or help them, now’s the time to speak up before changes are made—no extra costs, just smoother paperwork!
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 4 costs, 0 mixed.
Changes to medical evidence forms for disability
If you apply for disability annuities, the RRB proposes changes to several medical forms (G-3EMP, G-250, G-250A, G-260, RL-11B, RL-11D1, RL-250) including added instructions, new questions (e.g., surgery history, functional tasks, 'Crawl'), and explicit notes that some forms must be completed by a medical examiner. The RRB estimates 5,269 annual responses for these medical-related forms with a total burden of 1,514 hours (e.g., G-250: 1,750 responses at 30 minutes each).
Employer reporting for stock options continues
Employers must continue to submit Form BA-15 (Report of Stock Options and Other Payments) to provide non-RRTA compensation data used for the financial interchange with Social Security and Medicare. The RRB estimates 600 annual BA-15 responses with a total burden of 198 hours (10 positive reports at 300 minutes each; 590 negative reports at 15 minutes each).
Unemployment claim forms remain required
If you are a railroad employee claiming unemployment benefits, you must continue to complete Form UI-1 (Application) and Form UI-3 (Claim) or their internet equivalents to obtain or retain benefits. The RRB estimates 137,459 annual responses for these forms, totaling 15,026 burden hours (UI-1 and UI-1 internet: 19,208 responses; UI-3 and UI-3 internet: 118,251 responses).
Removal of two paper job-placement forms
The RRB proposes to remove Form ES-21 (Referral to State Employment Service) and Form ES-21c (Report of State Employment Service Office) from its information collections because Field Service no longer disseminates or tracks these forms as claimants increasingly use other digital federal, state, and private job placement platforms.
Updates to claimant interview form (UI-35)
The RRB proposes revisions to Form UI-35 (now titled 'Record of Claimant Interview') including added fields for Email Address, a 'Maximum miles willing to commute' field, and other wording/layout changes. The RRB reports 4,254 in-person and 140 mail UI-35 responses annually (4,394 responses) with corresponding burdens of 7 and 11 minutes per response respectively.
Medicaid number removed from buy‑in report
The RRB removed the 'Medicaid Number' section from Form RL-380-F (Report of Medicaid State Office on Beneficiary's Buy-In Status) to comply with the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA). The RRB estimates 600 annual responses for RL-380-F with a total burden of 100 hours.
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Key Dates
Related Federal Register Documents
2026-16250, Determining Disability
The Railroad Retirement Board amends its regulations to update the amount of monthly allowable earnings for a disability annuitant to reflect the formula in section 2(e)(4) of the Railroad Retirement Act. The existing regulation is no longer consistent with the statutory formula in the Railroad Retirement Act for the maximum monthly allowable earnings for a disability annuitant and is therefore facially unlawful.
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.
2026-14437, Proposed Collection; Comment Request
The Railroad Retirement Board wants your thoughts on updates to a form used when someone quits their job and applies for unemployment benefits. They’ve made some wording clearer and added a question about efforts to fix problems before leaving work. If you’re affected, these changes might save you time and help the agency get better info—comments are open now, so don’t miss your chance to weigh in!
2026-10206, Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment
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!
2026-10078, Annuity Beginning and Ending Dates
If you’re a railroad worker with 30 years of service turning 60, good news! Starting June 22, 2026, you can begin your annuity without having to take a reduced monthly benefit like before. This change means more money in your pocket sooner, and it fixes old rules that didn’t match the law.
2026-06685, Actuarial Advisory Committee With Respect to the Railroad Retirement Account; Notice of Public Meeting
The Actuarial Advisory Committee will hold a virtual meeting on May 5, 2026, to discuss important numbers and assumptions for the 2026 Railroad Retirement Annual Report. This affects railroad workers and retirees by helping ensure their retirement funds stay strong and reliable. Anyone interested can join the meeting or share their thoughts before it happens.
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