Railroad Disability

The Railroad Retirement Act is a Federal law that provides retirement and disability annuities for qualified railroad employees, as well as other benefit programs. These benefit programs are administered by the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board. It also has administrative responsibilities under the Social Security Act for certain benefit payments and railroad workers' Medicare coverage.

There are two types of Railroad disability annuities. The first is [Occupational Disability Annuity]. The second is [Total and Permanent Disability Annuity]. Following is an explanation of the requirements for each. For both types you must prove that you have a medically determinable severe impairment or combination of impairments that render you unable to work.

Occupational Disability

If you are unable to work in your regular railroad job, you may qualify for an occupational disability annuity.

You must:

• have a current connection with the railroad industry, and
  
  
• have 240 months of creditable railroad service, or have 120 months of creditable railroad service and be at least age 60, and
  
  
• be "permanently disabled" for work in your "regular railroad occupation."

"Regular railroad occupation" means the occupation in which you worked in more months in the last 5 years before your disability began than in any other occupation during that period.

You may, instead, claim as our "regular railroad occupation" the one in which your worked in more than half of all the months you worked in the last 15 years before your disability began.

Total and Permanent Disability

If you are unable to work in any kind of regular job, you may qualify for a total and permanent disability annuity.

You must:

• have 120 months of creditable railroad service, or
  
  
• have at least 60 months of creditable railroad service after 1995. (If you have less than 120 months of creditable railroad service, your Tier II cannot begin before you attain age 62), and
  
  
• be "permanently disabled" for any kind of "regular work."

"Regular work" means any type of work for any employer, not just the railroad.