Each year, the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) prepares a "Certificate of Service Months and Compensation" (Form BA-6) for every railroad employee who had creditable railroad compensation in the previous calendar year. The RRB will mail the forms to employees during the first half of June. Anyone with compensation reported who has not received Form BA-6 by July 1, or needs a replacement, should contact the nearest RRB field office by calling the agency's toll-free number, 1-877-772-5772.

It is important that employees review their Form BA-6 to see whether their own records of service months and creditable compensation agree with the figures shown on the form.

Besides the months of service reported by employers, Form BA-6 shows the number of any additional service months deemed by the RRB. Deemed service months may be credited under certain conditions for an employee who did not work in all 12 months of the year, but had creditable tier II earnings exceeding monthly prorations of the creditable tier II earnings maximum for the year. However, the total of reported and deemed service months may never exceed 12 in a calendar year, and no service months, reported or deemed, can be credited after retirement, severance, resignation, discharge, or death.

Form BA-6 shows the number of months of verified military service creditable as service under the Railroad Retirement Act, if the service was previously reported to the RRB. Employees are encouraged to submit proofs of age and/or military service in advance of their actual retirement.

Filing these proofs with the RRB in advance will streamline the benefit application process and prevent payment delays.

The BA-6 sumary is VERY IMPORTANT.  To qualify for Unemployment, your first year of service, you have to have at least 5 months of service.  This Office has received reports of certain new-hire employees not receiving credits for months of service for the year in which they have performed compensated service.

According to UP banking, Railroad Retirement tax is taken out of ANY pay that a New hire receives.  But, there is often a delay in when the money is reported to the RRB. This Office is working with the Carrier to correct this problem.

It is critical that employees verify the months credited, as this could effect, not only retirement eligibility timeframes, but also critical items such as unemployment eligibility timeframes.

The bottom line is ALWAYS check your BA-6 to make sure there are no mistakes.  You can lose benefits if your months are reported incorrectly.  You only have 4 years to protest a problem with your RRB Credits.

Special thanks are in order for Vice General Chairman/Local Chairman Larry Romine for his work in uncovering this discrepancy.