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Application
Forms
To receive the disability
benefits described in this booklet, you must file an application
form. This chapter will explain the forms you must file
to receive a disability benefit.
To expedite filing for a disability
annuity, you or a family member should call or write the
nearest
Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) field office to schedule
an appointment. For the appointment, bring in any medical
evidence in your possession and any medical records you
can secure from your treating physicians.
Disability
Annuity
To receive monthly
disability annuity payments, Form AA-1d,
Application for Determination
of Employee Disability,
must be filed with Form AA-1, Application
for Employee Annuity, and
Form G-251, Vocational
Report.
If you have filed for a disability annuity, you are automatically
considered for a period of disability and early Medicare
coverage.
Period
of Disability and Early Medicare Coverage
If you have
already received a monthly railroad retirement annuity payment,
you may file Forms AA-1d and G-251 for period of disability
and early Medicare coverage. Normally, you would do this if
you:
-
are disabled
and applied for, or are already receiving, monthly annuity
payments based on 30 years of railroad service at age
60 or later, or
-
receive monthly
disability payments but you did not previously qualify
for a period of disability or early Medicare coverage
when your annuity began.
Medical
Evidence
When you apply
for any type of disability benefit, it is your responsibility
to prove to the RRB that you are "permanently
disabled" . You must provide or tell us
about any evidence which may show you are disabled.
How
to Furnish Medical Evidence
You may furnish
medical evidence in three ways:
- We
will give you a report form for your personal physician
to complete. In this way, we can get information about
your condition from the medical source that knows you
best.
- We
will ask you to sign an authorization to release to the
RRB any hospital, clinic or employer medical records about
your condition.
- We
may ask you to be examined at the RRB’s expense if more
evidence is needed to:
- obtain more detailed or specialized
medical findings about your condition, or
- resolve conflicts or differences
in the evidence already in file.
Acceptable
Sources of Medical Evidence
The
following are acceptable sources of medical evidence:
-
Licensed
physicians
-
Licensed
osteopaths
-
Licensed
or certified psychologists
-
Licensed
optometrists
-
Persons authorized
to send copies or summaries of the medical records of
hospitals, clinics, sanitariums, medical institutions
or health care facilities.
Other
Sources of Information
Sometimes, information
from other sources can be important to a decision about
your ability to work, such as:
-
public and
private social welfare agencies,
-
observations
by non-medical sources (for instance, a vocational consultant),
-
other practitioners
(naturopaths, chiropractors, audiologists, etc.).
Failure
to Submit Evidence
It is in your
best interest to fully cooperate if medical or other evidence
is needed so that the decision on your claim is made as
quickly as possible and based on the best information available.
If you fail to
submit medical evidence that is needed and requested, a
decision will be made on the evidence available.
If you fail or
refuse to report without good cause for an examination scheduled
and paid for by the RRB, it may be decided that you are
not disabled.
After
You Return Your Application
After the RRB
receives your completed application and all the needed evidence,
the RRB will decide if you are entitled to disability benefits.
If you
cannot receive disability benefits, the RRB will send you
a notice explaining:
-
why you cannot
receive disability benefits, and
-
what you
can do if you disagree with the reason you cannot receive
them.
If you can receive
disability benefits, you will receive a notice that shows
the amount of your monthly payments, if any, and other information
about your benefits.
Sometimes the
RRB will not be able to make a decision on your application
without obtaining additional information. If so, an RRB
representative will contact you by telephone or mail. You
may be asked to send us additional forms, proofs or statements
that are needed. You may also be asked to report for a medical
examination.
The RRB
will normally notify you of the decision on your application
in 4 months or less. If you do not hear from us within that
time, contact the nearest RRB office.
Periodic
Review of Disability
Your case may
be periodically reviewed to determine if your condition
is still severe enough to prevent you from working. This
is necessary to see if your disability annuity, period of
disability, or early Medicare coverage should continue.
When your case
is reviewed, we may ask you for information and evidence
or to report for a medical examination.
Information
and Assistance
Any time you
need information or assistance, you may contact the nearest
field office of the RRB. In addition to the personal attention
you will receive, special booklets and other printed material
are available. To locate the nearest RRB office visit our
Web site at http://www.rrb.gov/field.html,
or call our toll-free HelpLine at 1-800-808-0772.
If you
need to personally visit one of our field offices, please
call for an appointment. You will not be refused service
if you do not have an appointment, but our staff can serve
you better when an appointment is made. Most offices are
open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through
Friday.
Vocational
Rehabilitation Services
Vocational rehabilitation
providers furnish a wide variety of services to help people
with disabilities return to work. These services are designed
to provide the client with the training or other services
that are needed to return to work, to enter a new line of
work, or to enter the workforce for the first time.
If you are disabled
and want to work, you may contact the rehabilitation agency
in your state directly at any time and let that agency know
of your interest in receiving rehabilitation services to
help go to work. The address and telephone number of the
state vocational rehabilitation agency can be found in the
telephone book.
Your
Responsibilities
Rights to benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act also
carry responsibilities for reporting events that may affect
the payment of benefits. The RRB informs you of events you
are obligated to report; and, if you do not comply, benefit
overpayments can occur that have to be repaid, sometimes
with interest and penalties. Part V of this booklet lists
the events that you must promptly report to the RRB.
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