Rights to benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act also carry responsibilities for reporting events that may affect the payment of these benefits to the employee or to members of the employee's family. If these events are not reported, benefit overpayments can occur that have to be repaid, sometimes with interest and penalties.
Under the Railroad Retirement Act, a current connection with the railroad industry is one of the eligibility requirements for occupational disability annuities, and is one of the factors that determine whether the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) or the Social Security Administration has jurisdiction over the payment of monthly benefits to survivors of a railroad employee. It is also one of the eligibility requirements for supplemental annuities.
Railroad Retirement Act spouse and widow(er)s' annuities (including divorced spouse, surviving divorced spouse, and remarried widow(er)s' annuities) are subject to reduction when social security benefits or dual railroad retirement annuities are also payable. Such railroad retirement benefits may also be reduced when a spouse or widow(er) is entitled to a public service pension unless certain exemption requirements are met.