The information in this section explains what the Railroad Retirement Board does after you file your annuity application. Included is important information about how soon you can expect a decision on your application.

Notice of Decision About Your Application

When you are ready to retire, contact your RRB field office to file your spouse annuity application. Our goal is to process your application as quickly as possible. Claims for some benefits may take longer to handle than others if they are more complex, or if we have to get information from other people or organizations. If this happens, we will give you an explanation and an estimate of the time required to make a decision.

Sometimes we will not be able to make a decision on your application for benefits without some additional information from you. If so, we will contact you by telephone or mail and ask you to send us the required forms, proofs, or statements.

If you do not receive a notice that additional information is needed, you should receive the decision on your annuity application as follows.

Advance Filing Cases -

When you file up to three months before the earliest date your spouse annuity or divorced spouse annuity can begin, you should receive your annuity award letter and first payment within 35 days of the date your annuity can begin.

However, note that no payment is due until the first day of the month after the first month of annuity entitlement, as explained in the following section.

Other Than Advance Filing Cases -

If you do not file your application in advance of the earliest date on which your annuity can begin, you should receive your annuity award letter and first payment within 65 days from the date you file your application.

Annuity Denial -

If you cannot be paid an annuity, the RRB will send you a decision within 35 days of the beginning date you requested, if you filed in advance, or within 65 days of the date you filed, if you did not file in advance, explaining why you cannot be paid and what you can do if you disagree with the reason you cannot be paid. If you think we made the wrong decision about your benefits, you have the right to ask for a review and to appeal within the required time limit shown in the denial letter.

How Payments are Made

The first payment you receive from the RRB will be separate from your annuity award letter. Annuities are payable at the beginning of the month following the month for which the annuity accrued. The payment that you receive at the beginning of the month actually represents the annuity that accrued for the previous month.

Advance Filing Cases -

When you file up to three months before the earliest date your spouse annuity or divorced spouse annuity can begin, no payment is due until the first day of the month after the first month of annuity entitlement.

Other Than Advance Filing Cases -

If you are not filing in advance of your annuity beginning date, the initial payment may be a partial payment, with an estimated monthly rate, representing payment due through the end of the preceding month. You will continue to receive this partial amount until your final rate can be determined and awarded. Once your final rate has been certified, you will receive any increase due from your annuity beginning date. You may receive this payment at any time during the month.

Remember: The payment that you receive after your initial payment will be made once a month on the first day of the month. If the first day of the month falls on a Sunday or a holiday, the payment will be received on the next business day. The payment that you receive at the beginning of each month actually represents the annuity that accrued for the previous month.

Direct Deposit to a Financial Institution

The Federal Government now requires that most government payments be sent directly to a savings or checking account at a financial institution, instead of being sent to the recipient's home. Under the RRB's Direct Deposit program, your monthly annuity payment will be made directly to your savings or checking account at the financial institution that you indicate on your annuity application. You will find that this is both safe and convenient.

If you decline direct deposit based on hardship, you can still change your mind at a later date. Telephone or visit your RRB field office. Have one of your personal checks handy. It contains the information needed to start direct deposit. The field office personnel will enter the information into our payment system and tell you when the direct deposit will take effect.

You may also take one of your annuity checks to your financial institution and ask them to complete an automated Quick$tart enrollment or a Form SF-1199A Authorization for Deposit of Federal Recurring Benefits. Your financial institution will submit your enrollment to the RRB. Shortly after the RRB receives your direct deposit information, your monthly annuity payments will start going directly to your savings or checking account.

If you later change your account or financial institution, follow the steps indicated above for direct deposit to your new account. Keep your old account open until the direct deposit of payments to your new account begins.

Even though your payments are on direct deposit, be sure to keep your home address on our records current.

Change of Address

Notify the nearest RRB office immediately if you change your address, even when your monthly annuity payments are going directly to your savings or checking account. All correspondence from the RRB is sent to your home mailing address on record. This mailing address is used to send any material other than your payments to you (such as notices of cost-of-living increases, Medicare information, new Annual Earnings Exempt Amounts, and tax statements). If you do not report your change of address, the RRB cannot be responsible for any important information that you do not receive.

A notice of change of address must always include:

• your RRB claim number;
  
  
• your name;
  
  
• your new address;
  
  
• your old address;
  
  
• the date you will start receiving mail at the new address, and;
  
  
• a statement that your notice of change of address applies for both you and the employee or applies to you alone.
  

When Your Annuity Is Not Payable

Spouse Annuity -

A spouse annuity is not payable for any month in which:

1. the employee's annuity is not payable;
   
   
2. you work for a railroad employer;
   
   
3. neither you nor the employee began railroad service before 1975 and you become entitled to your own RRA employee annuity that exceeds the amount of the spouse annuity; or,
   
   
4. you become entitled to an RRA survivor annuity on a different RRB earnings record that exceeds the spouse annuity rate.

Divorced Spouse Annuity -

A divorced spouse annuity is not payable for any month in which:

1. the employee's annuity is not payable;
   
   
2. you work for a railroad employer; or,
   
   
3. you become entitled to an RRA annuity based on your own earnings record that exceeds your RRA divorced spouse annuity rate.

When Your Annuity Ends

Spouse Annuity -

A spouse annuity ends the month before the month in which:

1. you die;
   
   
2. the employee dies (a widow(er)'s annuity may become payable at this time);
   
   
3. the employee's entitlement to an employee annuity terminates due to recovery from disability;
   
   
4. your marriage to the employee ends by absolute divorce (a divorced spouse annuity may become payable at this time);
   
   
5. your marriage to the employee is dissolved by annulment; or,
   
   
6. the child qualifying you for an annuity is no longer in care or attains age 18 or recovers from disability. Your spouse annuity will end unless you are old enough to receive a spouse annuity based on age.

Divorced Spouse Annuity -

A divorced spouse annuity ends the month before the month in which:

1. you die;
   
   
2. the employee dies (a surviving divorced spouse annuity may become payable at this time);
   
   
3. the employee's entitlement to an employee annuity terminates due to recovery from disability;
   
   
4. you marry;
   
   
5. you become entitled to social security benefits on your own earnings record that are greater than the RRA divorced spouse gross annuity; or,
   
   
6. you become entitled to an RRA survivor annuity based on another claim number that exceeds the amount of the RRA divorced spouse annuity.

Records You Should Keep

We recommend that you keep this booklet, even after you file your annuity application. It contains important information concerning your entitlement to railroad retirement benefits. You should also keep your annuity award notice or denial notice.

Also keep:

• any notes from the RRB representatives who helped you file your annuity application. The notes should detail any special aspects of your claim (such as why a certain employer was or was not your LPE);
  
  
• a copy of the AA-3, Receipt For Your Claim;
  
  
• a copy of your Federal Income Tax Form W-4-P Withholding Election Form; and,
  
  
• booklet RB-9 Employee and Spouse Annuities - Events That Must Be Reported to help you comply with RRB's reporting requirements.

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