Privacy Act Notice — To receive unemployment benefits you must apply and furnish information. Information that the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) asks you to furnish is used to determine if you are eligible for benefits and the amount of benefits payable to you. Although furnishing information, including your social security number, is voluntary, the RRB cannot pay you benefits without this information. The RRB’s authority for requesting information is section 5(b) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act.

The RRB may routinely furnish information from its records to other government agencies and to other persons or companies for the purpose of administering the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, the Social Security Act or other benefit programs under Federal and State laws.

The RRB routinely furnishes information from its records to the following individuals, organizations and/or agencies:

1. The U.S. Treasury Department and the U.S. Postal Service, to issue benefit payments and to report non-delivery, forgery, theft, or loss of a benefit check.
   
2. A person or company which the claimant reports may award pay for time lost or some similar payment for the same period for which the RRB pays benefits.
   
3. Persons or companies named by the claimant as liable for paying damages for the same injury or illness for which the RRB pays sickness benefits.
   
4. The Internal Revenue Service for use in administering Federal tax laws.
   
5. A private collection agency, the General Accounting Office, the Department of Justice or the Internal Revenue Service for the collection of an overpayment.
   
6. Employers or insurance companies for use in administering supplemental benefit plans.
   
7. Law enforcement agencies and the Department of Justice for investigating or prosecuting a violation of law.
   
8. Employers to verify entitlement to benefits and to provide notice of benefit payment determinations.
   
9. State unemployment agencies to verify entitlement to benefits.

Other than information that may be disclosed routinely, no information about your claim may be disclosed without your consent.

Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act Notice — In addition to the uses of information described in the preceding Privacy Act Notice, information you provide may be used, without your consent, in automated matching programs. These matching programs are a computer comparison of Railroad Retirement Board records with records kept by other Federal agencies or State and local governmental agencies. Information from these matching programs is used to establish or verify a person’s eligibility for benefits and for repayment of benefits or delinquent debts.

What are Computer Matching Programs?
Computer matching programs compare our records with those of other Federal, State, or local government agencies. All agencies may use matching programs to find or prove that a person qualifies for benefits paid for by the Federal government.

How do Computer Matching Programs Affect You?
On forms that you fill out for us, you give us facts about yourself. Sometimes, we check the facts you and others give us. We use computer matching to do the checking. The law allows us to check this way even if you do not agree to it. We can also give any facts we have about you to other government agencies for them to use in their computer matching programs.

Paperwork Reduction Act Notice — To receive unemployment benefits, you must complete an application and claim form(s). Estimates of how long we think it takes to complete these forms are shown below. The estimates include time for reviewing the instructions, getting the needed information, and reviewing the completed form.

Federal agencies may not conduct or sponsor, and respondents are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB number. If you wish, send comments regarding the accuracy of our estimates or other aspects of the forms, including suggestions for reducing completion time, to the Chief of Information Management, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092. Be sure to include the form title with your comments.

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability — Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) regulations, no qualified person may be discriminated against on the basis of disability. RRB programs and activities must be accessible to all qualified applicants and beneficiaries, including those who are vision or hearing impaired. Disabled persons needing assistance (including auxiliary aids or program information in accessible formats) should contact the nearest RRB office. Complaints of alleged discrimination by the RRB on the basis of disability must be filed within 90 days in writing with the Director of Administration, Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092. Questions about individual rights under this regulation may be directed to the RRB's Director of Equal Opportunity at the same address.

Fraud and Abuse Hotline — Call the toll-free Fraud and Abuse Hot Line if you have reason to believe that someone is receiving railroad retirement or unemployment/sickness benefits to which (s)he is not entitled; that persons responsible for the financial affairs of minors or incompetent beneficiaries are misappropriating benefits; or that a doctor, hospital, or other provider of health care services is performing unnecessary or inappropriate services or is billing Medicare or services not received. You may also use the Hot Line to report any suspected misconduct by a Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) employee. The Hot Line has been installed by the RRB's Inspector General to receive any evidence of fraud or abuse of the RRB's benefit programs.

Call (toll-free) 1-800-772-4258. Or you may send your complaints in writing to the RRB, OIG, Hot Line Officer, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092.

Please do not call the Inspector General's Hot Line with questions about eligibility requirements, delayed claims, or similar problems. Such matters should be directed to the nearest RRB field office.

First	Back