ARCHIVES
of previous
"ARTICLES OF INTEREST" TO NARVRE
Years 2005, 2006 and 2007:
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TO: ALL NARVRE MEMBERS - USA -- December 29, 2007
The First Session of the 110th Congress recessed for 2007 with a mixed bag of accomplishments. The most recent action came with the approval of HR 2764 a massive Omnibus Appropriation bill that encompassed 11 appropriation bills for FY 2008 that commenced on October 1, 2007. This bill signed by the president at the cost of $555 billion funds the government through September 2008. Included in this bill is the funding for Amtrak at the tune of $1.34 billion for this fiscal year. Ridership on Amtrak is at an all time high with some 25.8 million passengers riding the rails this past fiscal year.
In another related Amtrak issue, the Senate passed a six-year authorization bill on October 30, 2007 by a 70 to 22 vote for $11.4 billion. This legislation was authored by Senators Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ and Trent Lott, R-MS. This bill is scheduled to be brought up in the House early in 2008.
The Railroad Retirement Board received $103 million for their operation in FY 2008
The House passed over 130 pieces of legislation many of them signed into law. Some of those accomplishments were raising the minimum wage (HR 2206); increasing car fuel efficiency standards to 35 miles per gallon (HR 6); implementing all the national security recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Report (HR 1); Passing the largest veterans' health care funding increase in the history of the VA (HR 2642); protecting middle class families from being hit with the Alternative Minimum Tax (HR 3996); expanding early childhood education and increasing grants and loans for college students (HR 1429 and HR 2669); and enacting strong new ethics rules to keep Congress accountable (S.1)
The Senate made up of a 49 Democrats and 49 Republicans and 2 Independents who caucus with the Democrats was a whole different ball game. On key pieces of legislation that the Republican minority was opposed to and all time high of 62 cloture votes (filibusters) were initiated. Cloture votes are the procedural votes that end debate and allow a bill to get a real vote on the floor. To pass as legislation, a bill needs 51 votes, but to end debate and get to that vote, 60 senators must vote for cloture. In the past, forcing a cloture vote, or filibustering was rare. In this session, however, Republicans are forcing cloture votes on nearly every piece of legislation under consideration by the Democratic-majority Senate. In effect, any bill that has fewer than 60 votes is dead on arrival.
In just 2007, legislation in the Senate has faced more filibusters than in any two-year session in the past three decades.
The use of the filibuster isn't an accident. It's a deliberate strategy on the part of the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY and his allies in the minority. The goal is to generate headlines like "Senate Fails to Pass Bill" and reinforce the belief that it's Congress in general that's the problem. Polls nationally shows that people believe that Congress failed to bring change after the 2006 Election especially the Democratic majority. As I pointed out in the above it is a designed strategy by the GOP minority in the Senate to block constructive legislation.
Some of the key legislation blocked by the filibuster rule in the Senate was the original minimum wage bill (HR 2) on January 24, 2007 but was later added to the Iraq War funding bill as a compromise;
The Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act (S.3) on April 18, 2007 that would have allowed Medicare to negotiate with drug companies directly;
The Employee Free Choice Act (HR 800) on June 26, 2007 which would have allowed employees to form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation.
There was countless other filibusters as well that
prohibited the majority from moving legislation that benefited the American people.
Thomas J. Dwyer
National Legislative Director
National
Association of Retired & Veteran
Railway Employees, Inc. (NARVRE)
11304 Norway Street Northwest
Coon Rapids, Minnesota 55448
(763) 757-1501 Fax: (763) 767-5794
Email: TDwyertcu@aol.com
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TO: ALL NARVRE MEMBERS - USA -- December 12, 2007
More important information from the
Railroad Retirement Board. Please share with your members via email and at all Unit
meetings.
Thomas J. Dwyer
National Legislative Director
National
Association of Retired & Veteran
Railway Employees, Inc. (NARVRE)
11304 Norway Street Northwest
Coon Rapids, Minnesota 55448
(763) 757-1501 Fax: (763) 767-5794
Email: TDwyertcu@aol.com
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RRB News
No. 07-10
For Immediate Release
December 2007
U.S. Railroad Retirement Board
Public Affairs 312-751-4777
844 North Rush Street 312-751-7154 (fax)
Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092
RRB Starting New Toll-Free Service Project
The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) announced that it has begun work on a new nationwide toll-free telephone service. A single toll-free number will provide RRB customers with easy access to the agency’s field service offices. In addition, it will offer options for self-service through automated menus as well as back-up coverage during emergency and busy periods.
Implementation of the new service will be phased in, starting with 12
RRB field offices. The 12 offices initially using the service will be St. Paul and Duluth,
Minnesota; Fargo, North Dakota;
Des Moines, Iowa; Jacksonville and Tampa, Florida; Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama;
Oakland, Sacramento and Covina, California; and Mesa, Arizona.
Altogether, these offices serve some 130,000 retired employees, spouses, and survivors and some 50,000 active rail employees.
Nationwide toll-free service will be provided to customers in additional RRB field locations once the initial implementation phase has been completed.
TO: ALL NARVRE MEMBERS - USA -- December 11, 2007
Information from the Railroad
Retirement Board for December 2007. Please share this with all your members at Unit
meetings and via email.
Thomas J. Dwyer
National Legislative Director
National
Association of Retired & Veteran
Railway Employees, Inc. (NARVRE)
11304 Norway Street Northwest
Coon Rapids, Minnesota 55448
(763) 757-1501 Fax: (763) 767-5794
Email: TDwyertcu@aol.com
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For Publication December 2007
Railroad Retirement Spouse Benefits
In addition to the retirement annuities payable to employees, the Railroad Retirement Act, like the Social Security Act, also provides annuities for the spouses of retired employees. Payment of a spouse annuity is made directly to the wife or husband of the employee. Divorced spouses may also qualify for benefits.
The following questions and answers describe the benefits payable to spouses and the eligibility requirements.
1. How are railroad retirement spouse annuities computed?
Regular railroad retirement annuities are computed under a two-tier formula. The spouse annuity formula is based on certain percentages of the employee's tier I and tier II amounts.
The tier I portion of an employee's annuity is based on both railroad retirement credits and any social security credits that the employee also earned. Computed using social security benefit formulas, an employee's tier I benefit approximates the social security benefit that would be payable if all of the employee's work were performed under the Social Security Act.
The tier II portion of the employee's annuity is based on railroad retirement credits only, and may be compared to the retirement benefits paid over and above social security benefits to workers in other industries.
The first tier of a spouse annuity, before any applicable reductions, is 50 percent of the railroad employee's unreduced tier I amount. The second tier amount, before any reductions, is 45 percent of the employee's unreduced tier II amount.
2. How does a railroad retirement spouse annuity compare to a social security spouse benefit?
The average annuity awarded to spouses in fiscal year 2007, excluding divorced spouses, was $910 a month, while the average monthly social security spouse benefit was about $368.
Annuities awarded in fiscal year 2007 to the spouses of employees who were of full retirement age or over and who retired directly from the rail industry with at least 25 years of service averaged $952 a month; and the average award to the spouses of employees retiring at age 60 or over with at least 30 years of service was $1,192 a month.
3. What are the age requirements for a railroad retirement spouse annuity?
The age requirements for a spouse annuity depend on the employee's age and date of retirement and the employee's years of railroad service. The following requirements apply if the employee's annuity began after 1974.
If a retired employee with 30 or more years of service is age 60 and receiving an annuity, the employee's spouse is also eligible for an annuity the first full month the spouse is age 60. Certain early retirement reductions are applied if the employee first became eligible for a 60/30 annuity July 1, 1984, or later and retired at age 60 or 61 before 2002. If the employee was awarded a disability annuity, has attained age 60 and has 30 years of service, the spouse can receive an unreduced annuity the first full month she or he is age 60, regardless of whether the employee annuity began before or after 2002 as long as the spouse's annuity beginning date is after 2001.
If a retired employee with less than 30 years of service is age 62 and receiving an annuity, the employee's spouse is also eligible for an annuity the first full month the spouse is age 62. Early retirement reductions are applied to the spouse annuity if the spouse retires prior to full retirement age. Full retirement age for a spouse is gradually rising to age 67, just as for an employee, depending on the year of birth. Reduced benefits are still payable at age 62, but the maximum reduction will be 35 percent rather than 25 percent by the year 2022. However, the tier II portion of a spouse annuity will not be reduced beyond 25 percent if the employee had any creditable railroad service before August 12, 1983.
4. What if the spouse is caring for a child of the retired employee?
A spouse of an employee receiving an age and service annuity (or a spouse of a disability annuitant who is otherwise eligible for an age and service annuity) is eligible for a spouse annuity at any age if caring for the employee's unmarried child, and the child is under age 18 or the child became disabled before age 22.
5. What are some of the other general eligibility requirements?
The employee must have been married to the spouse for at least one year, unless the spouse is the natural parent of their child; the spouse was eligible or potentially eligible for a railroad retirement widow(er)'s, parent's or disabled child's annuity in the month before marrying the employee; or the spouse was previously married to the employee and received a spouse annuity. However, entitlement to a surviving divorced spouse, surviving divorced young mother (father), or remarried widow(er) annuity does not waive the one-year marriage requirement.
6. Are spouse annuities subject to offset for the receipt of other benefits?
The tier I portion of a spouse annuity is reduced for any social security entitlement, regardless of whether the social security benefit is based on the spouse's own earnings, the employee's earnings or the earnings of another person. This reduction follows principles of social security law which, in effect, limit payment to the higher of any two or more benefits payable to an individual at one time.
The tier I portion of a spouse annuity may also be reduced for receipt of any Federal, State or local pension separately payable to the spouse based on the spouse's own earnings. The reduction generally does not apply if the employment on which the public service pension is based was covered under the Social Security Act throughout the last 60 months of public employment. (This 60-month requirement is being phased in over a five-year period ending March 1, 2009, and there are some exceptions.) Most military service pensions and payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs will not cause a reduction. For spouses subject to the public service pension reduction, the tier I reduction is equal to 2/3 of the amount of the public service pension.
In addition, if the employee was first eligible for a railroad retirement annuity and a Federal, State or local government pension after 1985, there may be a reduction in the employee's tier I amount for receipt of a public pension based, in part or in whole, on employment not covered by social security or railroad retirement after 1956. If the employee's tier I benefit is offset for a noncovered service pension, the spouse tier I amount is 50 percent of the employee's tier I amount after the offset.
The spouse tier I portion may also be reduced if the employee is under age 65 and is receiving a disability annuity as well as worker's compensation or public disability benefits.
While these offsets can reduce or even completely wipe out the tier I benefit otherwise payable to a spouse, they do not affect the tier II benefit potentially payable to that spouse.
7. Under what conditions can the divorced spouse of a rail employee receive a spouse annuity?
A spouse annuity may also be payable to the divorced wife or husband of a retired employee if their marriage lasted for at least 10 consecutive years, both have attained age 62 for a full month, and the divorced spouse is not currently married. (Effective August 17, 2007, a divorced spouse can receive an annuity even if the employee has not retired, provided they have been divorced for at least 2 years, the employee and spouse are at least age 62, and the employee is fully insured under the Social Security Act using combined railroad and social security earnings.)
The amount of a divorced spouse's annuity is, in effect, equal to what social security would pay in the same situation (tier I only) and therefore less than the amount of the spouse annuity otherwise payable. The average divorced spouse annuity awarded in fiscal year 2007 was $491.
8. Would the award of an annuity to a divorced spouse affect the monthly annuity rate payable to a retired employee and/or the current spouse?
No. If a divorced spouse becomes entitled to an annuity based on the employee's railroad service, the award of the divorced spouse's benefit would not affect the amount of the employee's annuity, nor would it affect the amount of the railroad retirement annuity that may be payable to the current spouse.
9. What if a husband and wife are both railroad employees?
If both the husband and wife are qualified railroad employees and either had some railroad service before 1975, both can receive separate railroad retirement employee and spouse annuities, without a full dual benefit reduction. If both the husband and wife started railroad employment after 1974, the amount of any spouse or divorced spouse annuity is reduced by the amount of the employee annuity to which the spouse is also entitled.
10. Are railroad retirement annuities subject to garnishment or property settlements?
Certain percentages of any railroad retirement annuity (employee, spouse or survivor) may be subject to legal process (i.e., garnishment) to enforce an obligation for child support and/or alimony payments.
Also, with the exception of the tier I portion of a railroad retirement annuity, all other portions of an employee's annuity are subject to court-ordered property settlements in proceedings related to divorce, annulment or legal separation.
11. How can a person get more information about railroad retirement spouse annuities?
For more information and/or a benefit estimate, a person should contact the nearest office of the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB). Most RRB offices are open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.
Persons can find the address and phone number of the RRB office serving their area by calling the automated toll-free RRB Help Line at 1-800-808-0772. They can also get this information from the agency's Web site at www.rrb.gov.
TO: ALL NARVRE MEMBERS - USA -- December 08, 2007
This past year NARVRE has been attempting to correct those inequities in the Railroad Retirement Act as it relates to widows and widowers with the passage of the Railroad Retirement and Survivors' Improvement Act of 2001. Keep in mind that NARVRE was not at the table when the 2001 legislation was agreed to by the parties. This is known as the "initial minimum amount" (WIMA). Every January NARVRE officers get calls from widows as well as the Railroad Retirement Board on not receiving COLA's. We would never have signed off on freezing widows and widowers cost-of-living increases for some 25 percent of railroad surviving spouses. Under current law those widows and widowers will not see a COLA until at least 5 to 7 years after the death of their spouse (railroad retiree). In the future upon the death of the railroad retiree the widow or widower also will have their COLA frozen because of this section of the law. It is NARVRE's intention to remedy this situation in the law. We are attempting to have legislation introduced whether the interested parties want to go along or not. The Railroad Retirement Trust Fund has a surplus of $32.7 billion as of September 2007 and increase of $13.3 billion since the enactment of the law in 2001. There is also another section of the law that also penalizes widows and widowers called the "Takeback" provision which was tacked on in 1983 when the Trust Fund was facing financial problems. That case is no longer true today. At that time, Tier II benefits were reduced by 5 percent which had the effect of permanently reducing benefits upon the death of the railroad retiree. The widow or widower than had their annuity reduced by the 5 percent.
NARVRE needs your assistance in contacting your Member of the House of Representatives to support this legislation. Although, it is not yet introduced, the time has come to make contact with your House member to support our efforts. Your National Officers will keep you updated as we progress along the way. I would appreciate copies of all your emails and responses to your efforts for future reference. Keep in mind that the retiree is the majority covered under the Railroad Retirement Act. Let them know where you stand! Thank you for all the past support. Roll this information to all those on your email lists whether they are NARVRE members or not.
You can locate your Member of Congress on the NARVRE web site by clicking on contacting Congress or call the Toll Free numbers at 1-877-668-3864 or 1-877-668-3864.
This is a NARVRE sponsored proposal and we are on
our own. Your involvement is crucial. Let's get it done! Thank you once again!
Thomas J. Dwyer
National Legislative Director
National
Association of Retired & Veteran
Railway Employees, Inc. (NARVRE)
11304 Norway Street Northwest
Coon Rapids, Minnesota 55448
(763) 757-1501 Fax: (763) 767-5794
Email: TDwyertcu@aol.com
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TO: ALL NARVRE MEMBERS - USA -- November 14, 2007
Information from the BLET Auxiliary
about events and legislation now pending in the 1st Session of the 110 Congress,
Courts and RRB affecting railroad workers and retirees.
Thomas J. Dwyer
National Legislative Director
National
Association of Retired & Veteran
Railway Employees, Inc. (NARVRE)
11304 Norway Street Northwest
Coon Rapids, Minnesota 55448
(763) 757-1501 Fax: (763) 767-5794
Email: TDwyertcu@aol.com
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NOVEMBER WEBSITE UPDATE
H.R. 2095, THE FEDERAL
RAILROAD SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2007
HR 2095, the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007 addressing fatigue, limbo time, and security matters was passed in the House of Representatives on October 17, by a vote of 377 for and 38 against. The final bill included an amendment that was offered by Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-CA, that prohibits rail safety inspections to be outsourced to Mexico. This amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
On October 25, rail union employees from Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads testified on before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee about how their supervisors had discouraged them from reporting serious accidents or even delayed treatment for their injuries. The House hearing focused on harassment and intimidation of rail workers and House committee members were enlightened about how railroads coerce employees to not report on-the-job accidents and injuries. H.R. 2095 includes a provision that guarantees the right to prompt medical attention and makes it unlawful for a railroad to interfere in the relationship between an injured railroad worker and his or her doctor.
With any luck, the Senate version of this bill (S. 1889), which needs to be altered somewhat, especially with regard to hours of service, will be voted on soon. If this bill passes in the Senate, it will go to a Conference Committee for agreement between the House bill and the Senate bill. If the Senate doesn't change their bill before the vote, we can hope that the final bill will change in favor of the house version through Conference Committee action.
S.294,
THE AMTRAK REAUTHORIZATION BILL
On October 30, by a vote of 70-22, the United States Senate passed S.294, the Amtrak Reauthorization bill. This bill authorizes $11.4 billion over six years for Amtrak and also sets performance along with service standards. This legislation also expands the ability for future inter-city passenger rail routes and creates a state-federal capital program for further passenger rail development.
An amendment offered by
Senator Tom Coburn, R-OK, that would have eliminated food service on long distance trains
was defeated. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for further
consideration.
On November 8, House and
Senate Appropriations Committee negotiators agreed on a $105.6 billion spending bill
providing funding for the Department of Transportation and the Department of Housing and
Urban Development for fiscal year 2008. The conference agreement provides
$1.375 billion for operating, capital and debt service subsidies for Amtrak, $5 million
more than the Senate bill and $25 million less than the House bill. The
conference agreement also splits the difference between the House and Senate approaches to
a new program created by the bill to give matching grants to states for intercity
passenger rail infrastructure development – the conferees provide $75 million (the
House program was $50 million and the Senate program was $100 million). When
combined, the conference agreement provides $1.45 billion for intercity passenger rail,
which is $550 million over the President’s request and $156 million over the amount
appropriated in 2007. The conference agreement also includes language that prohibits
Amtrak from moving any of its jobs overseas.
Amtrak is
proving that it is still a viable mode of transportation posting its fifth
straight yearly increase in ridership, setting a record for usage this year since its
inception in 1971.
FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE ACT (FMLA) STATUS
On May 4, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously rejected the request of rail carriers to rehear a case involving a March 2nd ruling blocking the carriers' efforts to force employees to use their vacation and personal leave days for FMLA purposes, rather than at the times employees choose as provided in the collective bargaining agreement. The Carriers petitioned the Supreme Court for review of the ruling, and the interested unions have until December 15th to file their oppositions to the petition. It is likely that the Court will not decide whether to take the case until later in the Winter or early Spring, 2008, if at all. If the Court grants the Carriers' petition, the case will then have to be fully briefed on the merits and set for oral argument, which would probably not occur until the Supreme Court's next term in October of 2008.
The Carriers still maintain that even without the statute, the applicable collective bargaining agreements allow management to require employees to use the paid leave they have chosen for other purposes. That dispute has to be resolved in Section 3 arbitration. In the meantime, BLET members are advised to continue filing claims to document their FMLA disputes with management as we wait for the Supreme Court to act.
RAILROAD RETIREMENT NEWS:
Benefit Increase in 2008
In January 2008, the average regular railroad retirement employee annuity will increase $35 a month, and the average of combined benefits for an employee and spouse will increase $47 a month. For those aged widow(er)s eligible for an increase, the average annuity will increase $21 a month. However, widow(er)s whose annuities are being paid under the Railroad Retirement and Survivors’ Improvement Act of 2001 will not receive annual cost-of-living adjustments until their annuity amount is exceeded by the amount that would have been paid under prior law, counting all interim cost-of-living increases otherwise payable. Almost 30 percent of the widow(er)s on the Board’s rolls are being paid under the 2001 law.
For more detailed information regarding benefit increases for 2008, please refer to the RRB Bulletin issued in October of 2007, or contact your Railroad Retirement Board office.
Medicare Premium Increase in 2008
For most beneficiaries covered
by Medicare, the standard Part B premium generally deducted from monthly benefits
increases from $93.50 in 2007 to $96.40 in 2008.
Retiree earnings limits to rise in 2008
Railroad
retirement annuitants subject to earnings restrictions can earn more in 2008 without
having their benefits reduced, as a result of increases in earnings limits indexed to
average national wage increases.
Earnings
restrictions apply to those who have not attained full social security retirement age.
For employee and spouse annuitants, full retirement age ranges from age 65 for
those born before 1938 to age 67 for those born in 1960 or later. For survivor
annuitants, full retirement age ranges from age 65 for those born before 1940 to age 67
for those born in 1962 or later.
For full
information regarding earning restrictions and increased limits, please see the Railroad
Retirement Board Bulletin from October 2007, or call your Railroad Retirement office.
TO: ALL NARVRE MEMBERS - USA -- November 01, 2007
Information from the Railroad
Retirement Board on earnings limitation if you have not reached Full Retirement Age (FRA)
based on year of birth.
Thomas J. Dwyer
National Legislative Director
National
Association of Retired & Veteran
Railway Employees, Inc. (NARVRE)
11304 Norway Street Northwest
Coon Rapids, Minnesota 55448
(763) 757-1501 Fax: (763) 767-5794
Email: TDwyertcu@aol.com
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RRB News
No. 07-8
For Immediate Release
October 2007
Retiree Earnings Limits to Rise
Those railroad retirement annuitants subject to earnings restrictions can earn more in 2008 without having their benefits reduced, as a result of increases in earnings limits indexed to average national wage increases.
Like social security benefits, some railroad retirement benefit payments are subject to deductions if an annuitant’s earnings exceed certain exempt amounts. These earnings restrictions apply to those who have not attained full social security retirement age. For employee and spouse annuitants, full retirement age ranges from age 65 for those born before 1938 to age 67 for those born in 1960 or later. For survivor annuitants, full retirement age ranges from age 65 for those born before 1940 to age 67 for those born in 1962 or later.
For those under full retirement age throughout 2008, the exempt earnings amount rises to $13,560 from $12,960 in 2007. For beneficiaries attaining full retirement age in 2008, the exempt earnings amount, for the months before the month full retirement age is attained, rises to $36,120 in 2008 from $34,440 in 2007.
For those under full retirement age, the earnings deduction is $1 in benefits for every $2 of earnings over the exempt amount. For those attaining full retirement age in 2008, the deduction is $1 for every $3 of earnings over the exempt amount in the months before the month full retirement age is attained.
When applicable, these earnings deductions are assessed on the tier I and vested dual benefit portions of railroad retirement employee and spouse annuities, and the tier I, tier II, and vested dual benefit portions of survivor benefits.
All earnings received for services rendered, plus any net earnings from self-employment, are considered when assessing deductions for earnings. Interest, dividends, certain rental income, or income from stocks, bonds, or other investments are not considered earnings for this purpose.
Retired employees and spouses, regardless of age, who work for their last pre-retirement nonrailroad employer are also subject to an additional earnings deduction, in their tier II and supplemental benefits, of $1 for every $2 in earnings up to a maximum reduction of 50 percent. This earnings restriction does not change from year to year and does not allow for an exempt amount.
A spouse benefit is subject to reduction not only for the spouse’s earnings, but also for the earnings of the employee, regardless of whether the earnings are from service for the last pre-retirement nonrailroad employer or other post-retirement employment.
Special work restrictions continue to be applicable to disability annuitants in 2008.
Regardless of age and/or earnings, no railroad retirement annuity is payable for any month in which an annuitant (retired employee, spouse or survivor) works for a railroad employer or railroad union.
TO: ALL NARVRE MEMBERS - USA -- November 01, 2007
Further information that can affect
Railroad Retirement Benefits.
Thomas J. Dwyer
National Legislative Director
National
Association of Retired & Veteran
Railway Employees, Inc. (NARVRE)
11304 Norway Street Northwest
Coon Rapids, Minnesota 55448
(763) 757-1501 Fax: (763) 767-5794
Email: TDwyertcu@aol.com
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For Publication November 2007
Reporting Events That Can Affect Railroad Retirement Benefits
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.
Events that can affect the payment of a railroad retirement annuity and result in overpayments if not promptly reported include:
· social security or certain other benefit awards, and changes in the amount of such benefit payments;
· post-retirement work and earnings;
· the death of an annuitant;
· changes in marital status;
· a child leaving the care of a spouse or widow(er);
· a student ceasing full-time attendance.
The following questions and answers describe how these events affect railroad retirement benefits and what should be done to prevent overpayments.
1. How can the award of social security benefits result in a railroad retirement annuity overpayment?
The tier I portion of a railroad retirement annuity is based on both the railroad retirement and social security credits acquired by an employee and reflects what social security would pay if railroad work were covered by social security. Tier I benefits are, therefore, reduced by the amount of any actual social security benefit paid on the basis of nonrailroad employment, in order to prevent a duplication of benefits based on the same earnings.
The tier I dual benefit reduction also applies to the annuity of an employee qualified for social security benefits on the earnings record of another person, such as a spouse. And, the tier I portion of a spouse or survivor annuity is reduced for any social security entitlement, even if the social security benefit is based on the spouse’s or survivor’s own earnings. These reductions follow principles of social security law which, in effect, limit payment to the higher of any two or more benefits payable to an individual at one time.
Since 1975, if a railroad retirement annuitant is also awarded a social security benefit, the Social Security Administration determines the amount due, but a combined monthly dual benefit payment should, in most cases, be issued by the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) after the railroad retirement annuity has been reduced for the social security benefit.
A person should notify the RRB when he or she files for social security benefits. If the Social Security Administration begins paying benefits directly to a railroad retirement annuitant without the RRB’s knowledge, an overpayment will occur. This frequently happens when a railroad employee’s spouse or widow(er) is awarded social security benefits not based on the employee’s earnings.
Also, annuitants who are receiving their social security benefits directly from the Social Security Administration must notify the RRB if their social security benefits are subsequently increased for any reason other than annual cost-of-living increases, such as a recomputation to reflect post-retirement earnings. As such recomputations are usually retroactive, they can result in substantial overpayments.
While social security benefit information is provided to the RRB as a result of routine information exchanges between the RRB and the Social Security Administration, it will generally not be provided in time to avoid such a benefit overpayment.
2. What other types of benefit payments, besides social security benefits, require dual benefit reductions in a railroad retirement annuity?
For employees first eligible for a railroad retirement annuity and a Federal, State or local government pension after 1985, there may be a reduction in tier I for receipt of a public pension based, in part or in whole, on employment not covered by social security or railroad retirement after 1956. This also applies to certain other payments not covered by social security, such as payments from a non-profit organization or from a foreign government or a foreign employer. However, it does not include military service pensions, payments by the Department of Veterans Affairs, or certain benefits payable by a foreign government as a result of a totalization agreement between that government and the United States.
The tier I portion of a spouse or widow(er)’s annuity may also be reduced for receipt of any Federal, State or local pension separately payable to the spouse or widow(er) based on her or his own earnings. The reduction generally does not apply if the employment on which the public pension is based was covered under the Social Security Act throughout the last 60 months of public employment. (This 60-month requirement is being phased in over a 5-year period ending March 1, 2009, and there are some exceptions.) In addition, most military service pensions and payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs will not cause a reduction.
If an employee is receiving a disability annuity, tier I benefits for the employee and spouse may, under certain circumstances, be reduced for receipt of workers’ compensation or public disability benefits.
If annuitants become entitled to any of the above payments, they should promptly notify the RRB. If there is any question as to whether a payment requires a reduction in an annuity, an RRB field office should be contacted.
3. Can earnings cause railroad retirement overpayments?
Unreported post-retirement work and earnings in nonrailroad employment are a major cause of overpayments in railroad retirement annuities. Like social security benefits, railroad retirement tier I benefits and vested dual benefits paid to employees and spouses, plus tier I, tier II, and vested dual benefits paid to survivors, are subject to earnings deductions if post-retirement earnings exceed certain exempt amounts, which increase annually.
These earnings deductions do not apply to those who have attained full social security retirement age. Full retirement age for employees and spouses ranges from age 65 for those born before 1938 to age 67 for those born in 1960 or later. Full retirement age for survivor annuitants ranges from age 65 for those born before 1940 to age 67 for those born in 1962 or later.
For those under full retirement age throughout 2007, the exempt earnings amount is $12,960. For those under full retirement age throughout 2008, the exempt earnings amount will be $13,560. For beneficiaries attaining full retirement age in 2007, the exempt earnings amount is $34,440 for the months before the month full retirement age is attained. For beneficiaries attaining full retirement age in 2008, the exempt earnings amount will be $36,120 for the months before the month full retirement age is attained.
For those under full retirement age throughout a calendar year, the earnings deduction is $1 in benefits for every $2 of earnings over the exempt amount. For those attaining full retirement age during a calendar year, the deduction is $1 for every $3 of earnings over the exempt amount in the months before the month full retirement age is attained.
Annuitants who work after retirement and expect that their earnings for a year will be more than the annual exempt amount must promptly notify the nearest RRB field office and furnish an estimate of their expected earnings. This way their annuities can be adjusted to take the excess earnings into consideration and prevent an overpayment. Annuitants whose original estimate changes significantly during the year, either upwards or downwards, should also notify the RRB.
Retired employees and spouses, regardless of age, who work for their last pre-retirement nonrailroad employer are also subject to an earnings deduction in their tier II and supplemental benefits of $1 for every $2 in earnings up to a maximum reduction of 50 percent. This earnings restriction does not change from year to year and does not allow for an exempt amount. Retired employees and spouses should therefore promptly notify the RRB if they return to employment for their last pre-retirement nonrailroad employer, or if the amount of their earnings from such employment changes.
A spouse benefit is subject to reductions not only for the spouse’s earnings, but also for the earnings of the employee, regardless of whether the earnings are from service for the last pre-retirement nonrailroad employer or any other post-retirement employment. (Effective August 17, 2007, an annuity paid to a divorced spouse may continue despite the employee’s work activity.)
4. How do post-retirement earnings affect disability annuities?
Special restrictions limiting earnings to $700 per month in 2007 and $730 per month in 2008, exclusive of disability-related work expenses, apply to disabled railroad retirement employee annuitants.
In addition, any work performed by a disabled annuitant may be considered an indication of an individual’s recovery from disability, regardless of the amount of earnings. Therefore, any earnings by a disability annuitant must be reported promptly to avoid potential overpayments.
These disability work restrictions apply until the disabled employee annuitant attains full retirement age. This transition is effective no earlier than full retirement age even if the annuitant had 30 years of service. Also, a disabled employee annuitant who works for his or her last pre-retirement nonrailroad employer would be subject to the additional earnings deduction that applies in these cases.
5. What effect does railroad work have on an annuity?
No railroad retirement annuity is payable for any month in which an employee, spouse or survivor annuitant performs compensated service for a railroad or railroad union. This includes local lodge compensation totaling $25 or more for any calendar month, and work by a local lodge or division secretary collecting insurance premiums, regardless of the amount of salary.
6. What should be done when a railroad retirement annuitant dies?
The RRB should be notified immediately upon the death of any retirement or survivor annuitant. Payment of a railroad retirement annuity stops upon an annuitant’s death and the annuity is not payable for any day in the month of death. This is true regardless of how late in the month death occurs and there is no provision for prorating such a payment. Any payments received after the annuitant’s death must be returned. The sooner the RRB is notified, the less chance there is of payments continuing and an overpayment accruing. The RRB would also determine whether any survivor benefits due are payable by the RRB or the Social Security Administration.
7. What are some other events that can affect payments to auxiliary beneficiaries, such as spouses and widow(er)s?
A spouse or divorced spouse must immediately notify the RRB if the railroad employee upon whose service the annuity is based dies. A spouse must notify the RRB if her or his marriage ends in divorce or annulment and a widow(er) or divorced spouse must notify the RRB if she or he remarries.
Also, benefits paid to spouses, widow(er)s and surviving divorced spouses that are based on the beneficiary caring for an unmarried child of the employee are normally terminated by the RRB when the child attains age 18 (16 for a surviving divorced spouse) or if a disabled child over age 18 (16 for a surviving divorced spouse) recovers from the disability. Therefore, the RRB must be notified if the child leaves the beneficiary’s care or marries.
Benefits are also payable to an unmarried child age 18 in full-time attendance at an elementary or secondary school or in approved home schooling until the student attains age 19 or the end of the school term in progress when the student attains age 19. (In most cases where a student attains age 19 during the school term, benefits are limited to the two months following the month age 19 is attained.) These benefits will be terminated earlier if the student marries, graduates, or ceases full-time attendance. Therefore, the RRB must be notified promptly to prevent an overpayment.
8. Can an annuitant contest a decision that he or she has been overpaid?
Annuitants who believe a decision regarding a benefit overpayment is incorrect may ask for reconsideration and/or waiver of the overpayment. If not satisfied with the initial review, the annuitant may appeal to the RRB’s Bureau of Hearings and Appeals. Further appeals can be carried to the three-member Board itself, and beyond the Board to Federal courts.
Annuitants are told about these appeal rights any time a decision is made regarding a benefit overpayment.
9. How can an annuitant find out if an event might affect his or her railroad retirement benefit payments?
Annuitants should contact the nearest field office of the RRB for information. In any situation, the best rule is "If in doubt, report."
Annuitants can find the address and phone number of the RRB office serving their area by calling the automated toll-free RRB Help Line at 1-800-808-0772. They can also get this information from the agency’s Web site at www.rrb.gov. Most RRB offices are open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.
TO: ALL NARVRE MEMBERS - USA -- November 01, 2007
Information from the Railroad
Retirement Board for 2008 on an increase in medicare Part B.
Thomas J. Dwyer
National Legislative Director
National
Association of Retired & Veteran
Railway Employees, Inc. (NARVRE)
11304 Norway Street Northwest
Coon Rapids, Minnesota 55448
(763) 757-1501 Fax: (763) 767-5794
Email: TDwyertcu@aol.com
================================================================
RRB
News
No. 07-6
October 2007
For Immediate Release
Medicare Part B Premiums to Increase in 2008
The standard Medicare Part B monthly premium will be $96.40 in January 2008, an increase of $2.90 from the 2007 premium of $93.50.
Until 2007, all beneficiaries paid the same basic premium amount for Medicare Part B, which is set annually at a level that covers 25 percent of the estimated Part B program costs for the year. The Government had subsidized the remaining 75 percent for all beneficiaries. As part of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, this 75-percent subsidy began decreasing in 2007 for those making over certain annual threshold amounts.
The Part B monthly premiums for some beneficiaries will increase again in 2008, depending on a beneficiary’s or married couple’s modified adjusted gross income. The income-related Part B premiums for 2008 will be $122.20, $160.90, $199.70, or $238.40, depending on the extent to which an individual beneficiary’s income exceeds $82,000 (or a married couple’s income exceeds $164,000), with the highest premium rates only paid by beneficiaries whose incomes are over $205,000 (or $410,000 for a married couple). The income thresholds increase annually by indexing to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). The accompanying tables show the 2008 Part B premiums based on income. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services estimates that about 5 percent of Medicare beneficiaries with Part B will pay higher premiums in 2008 based on their incomes.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is responsible for all income-related monthly adjustment amount determinations. To make the determinations, SSA will use the most recent tax return information provided by the IRS. For 2008, in most cases that will be the beneficiary’s 2006 tax return information. If that information is not available, SSA will use information from the 2005 tax return.
Those railroad retirement and social security Medicare beneficiaries
affected by the 2008 Part B
income-related premiums will receive a notice from SSA by December 2007. The notice will
include an explanation of the circumstances where a beneficiary may request a new
determination. Persons who have any questions or would like to request a new determination
should contact SSA after receiving and reviewing their notice.
To view the accompanying tables along with the text of this release, click on or type the address shown below:
http://www.rrb.gov/pdf/opa/pr0706.pdf
TO: ALL NARVRE MEMBERS - USA -- October 30, 2007
The United States Senate passed this afternoon 70-22, S.294 the Amtrak Reauthorization bill. This bill authorizes $11.4 billion over six years for Amtrak and also sets performance along with service standards. This legislation also expands ability for future inter-city passenger rail routes. The bill also creates a state-federal capital program for further passenger rail development.
There was also an amendment that was offered by Senator Tom Coburn R-OK that would have eliminated food service on long distance trains. This amendment was handily defeated.
The bill now moves to the House of Representatives
for further consideration. The U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote Summary is shown below.
Thomas J. Dwyer
National Legislative Director
National
Association of Retired & Veteran
Railway Employees, Inc. (NARVRE)
11304 Norway Street Northwest
Coon Rapids, Minnesota 55448
(763) 757-1501 Fax: (763) 767-5794
Email: TDwyertcu@aol.com
================================================================
U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 110th Congress - 1st Session
as compiled through Senate LIS by the Senate Bill Clerk under the direction of the Secretary of the SenateVote Summary
| Question: |
|||
| Vote Number: | 400 | Vote Date: | October 30, 2007, 04:29 PM |
| Required For Majority: | 1/2 | Vote Result: | Bill Passed |
| Measure Number: | S. 294 (Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007 ) | ||
| Measure Title: | A bill to reauthorize Amtrak, and for other purposes. | ||
| Vote Counts: | YEAs | 70 |
| NAYs | 22 | |
| Not Voting | 8 |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
Alphabetical by Senator Name
| Akaka (D-HI), Yea Alexander (R-TN), Yea Allard (R-CO), Nay Barrasso (R-WY), Nay Baucus (D-MT), Yea Bayh (D-IN), Yea Bennett (R-UT), Yea Biden (D-DE), Not Voting Bingaman (D-NM), Yea Bond (R-MO), Nay Boxer (D-CA), Yea Brown (D-OH), Yea Brownback (R-KS), Nay Bunning (R-KY), Nay Burr (R-NC), Nay Byrd (D-WV), Yea Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Cardin (D-MD), Yea Carper (D-DE), Yea Casey (D-PA), Yea Chambliss (R-GA), Nay Clinton (D-NY), Not Voting Coburn (R-OK), Nay Cochran (R-MS), Yea Coleman (R-MN), Yea Collins (R-ME), Yea Conrad (D-ND), Yea Corker (R-TN), Yea Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Craig (R-ID), Nay Crapo (R-ID), Yea DeMint (R-SC), Nay Dodd (D-CT), Not Voting Dole (R-NC), Yea |
Domenici (R-NM), Yea Dorgan (D-ND), Yea Durbin (D-IL), Yea Ensign (R-NV), Nay Enzi (R-WY), Nay Feingold (D-WI), Yea Feinstein (D-CA), Yea Graham (R-SC), Nay Grassley (R-IA), Yea Gregg (R-NH), Nay Hagel (R-NE), Yea Harkin (D-IA), Not Voting Hatch (R-UT), Yea Hutchison (R-TX), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Nay Inouye (D-HI), Yea Isakson (R-GA), Nay Johnson (D-SD), Yea Kennedy (D-MA), Yea Kerry (D-MA), Yea Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea Kohl (D-WI), Yea Kyl (R-AZ), Nay Landrieu (D-LA), Yea Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea Leahy (D-VT), Yea Levin (D-MI), Yea Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea Lincoln (D-AR), Yea Lott (R-MS), Yea Lugar (R-IN), Yea Martinez (R-FL), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Not Voting McCaskill (D-MO), Yea |
McConnell (R-KY), Nay Menendez (D-NJ), Yea Mikulski (D-MD), Yea Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Murray (D-WA), Yea Nelson (D-FL), Yea Nelson (D-NE), Yea Obama (D-IL), Not Voting Pryor (D-AR), Yea Reed (D-RI), Yea Reid (D-NV), Yea Roberts (R-KS), Yea Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea Salazar (D-CO), Yea Sanders (I-VT), Yea Schumer (D-NY), Yea Sessions (R-AL), Not Voting Shelby (R-AL), Yea Smith (R-OR), Yea Snowe (R-ME), Yea Specter (R-PA), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Yea Stevens (R-AK), Yea Sununu (R-NH), Nay Tester (D-MT), Yea Thune (R-SD), Nay Vitter (R-LA), Nay Voinovich (R-OH), Nay Warner (R-VA), Yea Webb (D-VA), Yea Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea Wyden (D-OR), Not Voting |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
Grouped By Vote Position
| YEAs ---70 | ||
| Akaka (D-HI) Alexander (R-TN) Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN) Bennett (R-UT) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Byrd (D-WV) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Carper (D-DE) Casey (D-PA) Cochran (R-MS) Coleman (R-MN) Collins (R-ME) Conrad (D-ND) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Crapo (R-ID) Dole (R-NC) Domenici (R-NM) Dorgan (D-ND) Durbin (D-IL) |
Feingold (D-WI) Feinstein (D-CA) Grassley (R-IA) Hagel (R-NE) Hatch (R-UT) Hutchison (R-TX) Inouye (D-HI) Johnson (D-SD) Kennedy (D-MA) Kerry (D-MA) Klobuchar (D-MN) Kohl (D-WI) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (ID-CT) Lincoln (D-AR) Lott (R-MS) Lugar (R-IN) Martinez (R-FL) McCaskill (D-MO) Menendez (D-NJ) Mikulski (D-MD) |
Murkowski (R-AK) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Nelson (D-NE) Pryor (D-AR) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Roberts (R-KS) Rockefeller (D-WV) Salazar (D-CO) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Shelby (R-AL) Smith (R-OR) Snowe (R-ME) Specter (R-PA) Stabenow (D-MI) Stevens (R-AK) Tester (D-MT) Warner (R-VA) Webb (D-VA) Whitehouse (D-RI) |
| NAYs ---22 | ||
| Allard (R-CO) Barrasso (R-WY) Bond (R-MO) Brownback (R-KS) Bunning (R-KY) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Coburn (R-OK) |
Craig (R-ID) DeMint (R-SC) Ensign (R-NV) Enzi (R-WY) Graham (R-SC) Gregg (R-NH) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) |
Kyl (R-AZ) McConnell (R-KY) Sununu (R-NH) Thune (R-SD) Vitter (R-LA) Voinovich (R-OH) |
| Not Voting - 8 | ||
| Biden (D-DE) Clinton (D-NY) Dodd (D-CT) |
Harkin (D-IA) McCain (R-AZ) Obama (D-IL) |
Sessions (R-AL) Wyden (D-OR) |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
Grouped by Home State
| Alabama: | Sessions (R-AL), Not Voting | Shelby (R-AL), Yea |
| Alaska: | Murkowski (R-AK), Yea | Stevens (R-AK), Yea |
| Arizona: | Kyl (R-AZ), Nay | McCain (R-AZ), Not Voting |
| Arkansas: | Lincoln (D-AR), Yea | Pryor (D-AR), Yea |
| California: | Boxer (D-CA), Yea | Feinstein (D-CA), Yea |
| Colorado: | Allard (R-CO), Nay | Salazar (D-CO), Yea |
| Connecticut: | Dodd (D-CT), Not Voting | Lieberman (ID-CT), Yea |
| Delaware: | Biden (D-DE), Not Voting | Carper (D-DE), Yea |
| Florida: | Martinez (R-FL), Yea | Nelson (D-FL), Yea |
| Georgia: | Chambliss (R-GA), Nay | Isakson (R-GA), Nay |
| Hawaii: | Akaka (D-HI), Yea | Inouye (D-HI), Yea |
| Idaho: | Craig (R-ID), Nay | Crapo (R-ID), Yea |
| Illinois: | Durbin (D-IL), Yea | Obama (D-IL), Not Voting |
| Indiana: | Bayh (D-IN), Yea | Lugar (R-IN), Yea |
| Iowa: | Grassley (R-IA), Yea | Harkin (D-IA), Not Voting |
| Kansas: | Brownback (R-KS), Nay | Roberts (R-KS), Yea |
| Kentucky: | Bunning (R-KY), Nay | McConnell (R-KY), Nay |
| Louisiana: | Landrieu (D-LA), Yea | Vitter (R-LA), Nay |
| Maine: | Collins (R-ME), Yea | Snowe (R-ME), Yea |
| Maryland: | Cardin (D-MD), Yea | Mikulski (D-MD), Yea |
| Massachusetts: | Kennedy (D-MA), Yea | Kerry (D-MA), Yea |
| Michigan: | Levin (D-MI), Yea | Stabenow (D-MI), Yea |
| Minnesota: | Coleman (R-MN), Yea | Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea |
| Mississippi: | Cochran (R-MS), Yea | Lott (R-MS), Yea |
| Missouri: | Bond (R-MO), Nay | McCaskill (D-MO), Yea |
| Montana: | Baucus (D-MT), Yea | Tester (D-MT), Yea |
| Nebraska: | Hagel (R-NE), Yea | Nelson (D-NE), Yea |
| Nevada: | Ensign (R-NV), Nay | Reid (D-NV), Yea |
| New Hampshire: | Gregg (R-NH), Nay | Sununu (R-NH), Nay |
| New Jersey: | Lautenberg (D-NJ), Yea | Menendez (D-NJ), Yea |
| New Mexico: | Bingaman (D-NM), Yea | Domenici (R-NM), Yea |
| New York: | Clinton (D-NY), Not Voting | Schumer (D-NY), Yea |
| North Carolina: | Burr (R-NC), Nay | Dole (R-NC), Yea |
| North Dakota: | Conrad (D-ND), Yea | Dorgan (D-ND), Yea |
| Ohio: | Brown (D-OH), Yea | Voinovich (R-OH), Nay |
| Oklahoma: | Coburn (R-OK), Nay | Inhofe (R-OK), Nay |
| Oregon: | Smith (R-OR), Yea | Wyden (D-OR), Not Voting |
| Pennsylvania: | Casey (D-PA), Yea | Specter (R-PA), Yea |
| Rhode Island: | Reed (D-RI), Yea | Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea |
| South Carolina: | DeMint (R-SC), Nay | Graham (R-SC), Nay |
| South Dakota: | Johnson (D-SD), Yea | Thune (R-SD), Nay |
| Tennessee: | Alexander (R-TN), Yea | Corker (R-TN), Yea |
| Texas: | Cornyn (R-TX), Yea | Hutchison (R-TX), Yea |
| Utah: | Bennett (R-UT), Yea | Hatch (R-UT), Yea |
| Vermont: | Leahy (D-VT), Yea | Sanders (I-VT), Yea |
| Virginia: | Warner (R-VA), Yea | Webb (D-VA), Yea |
| Washington: | Cantwell (D-WA), Yea | Murray (D-WA), Yea |
| West Virginia: | Byrd (D-WV), Yea | Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea |
| Wisconsin: | Feingold (D-WI), Yea | Kohl (D-WI), Yea |
| Wyoming: | Barrasso (R-WY), Nay | Enzi (R-WY), Nay |
| Vote Summary | By Senator Name | By Vote Position | By Home State |
TO: ALL NARVRE MEMBERS - USA -- October 26, 2007
Information from the Railroad
Retirement Board that needs to be shared with all your members as to Cost-of-Living
increases on January 1, 2008. Please roll over on all your email lists and
disseminate at your monthly meetings. Thank you.
Thomas J. Dwyer
National Legislative Director
National
Association of Retired & Veteran
Railway Employees, Inc. (NARVRE)
11304 Norway Street Northwest
Coon Rapids, Minnesota 55448
(763) 757-1501 Fax: (763) 767-5794
Email: TDwyertcu@aol.com
================================================================
RRB
News
No. 07-7
For Immediate Release
October 2007
Railroad Retirement Benefit Increases
Most railroad retirement annuities, like social security benefits, are scheduled to increase in January 2008 on the basis of the rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) during the 12 months preceding October 2007.
Cost-of-living increases are calculated in both the tier I and tier II benefits included in a railroad retirement annuity. Tier I benefits, like social security benefits, will increase by 2.3 percent, which is the percentage of the CPI rise. Tier II benefits will increase by 0.7 percent, which is 32.5 percent of the CPI rise. The vested dual benefit payments and supplemental annuities also paid by the Railroad Retirement Board are not adjusted for the CPI rise.
In January 2008, the average regular railroad retirement employee annuity will increase $35 a month to $1,959 and the average of combined benefits for an employee and spouse will increase $47 a month to $2,748. For those aged widow(er)s eligible for an increase, the average annuity will increase $21 a month to $1,039. However, widow(er)s whose annuities are being paid under the Railroad Retirement and Survivors’ Improvement Act of 2001 will not receive annual cost-of-living adjustments until their annuity amount is exceeded by the amount that would have been paid under prior law, counting all interim cost-of-living increases otherwise payable. Almost 30 percent of the widow(er)s on the Board’s rolls are being paid under the 2001 law.
If a railroad retirement or survivor annuitant also receives a social security or other government benefit, such as a public service pension or another railroad retirement annuity, the increased tier I benefit is reduced by the increased government benefit. However, tier II cost-of-living increases are not reduced by increases in other government benefits. If a widow(er) whose annuity is being paid under the 2001 law is also entitled to an increased government benefit, her or his railroad retirement survivor annuity may decrease. However, the total amount of the combined railroad retirement widow(er)’s annuity and other government benefits will not be less than the total payable before the cost-of-living increase and before increased Medicare premium deductions.
For most beneficiaries covered by Medicare, the standard Part B premium generally deducted from monthly benefits increases from $93.50 in 2007 to $96.40 in 2008.
In late December the Railroad Retirement Board will mail notices to all annuitants providing a breakdown of the annuity rates payable to them in January 2008.
TO: ALL NARVRE MEMBERS - USA -- October 17, 2007
The United States House of Representatives passed this afternoon HR 2095, the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007 including an amendment that was offered by Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-CA which prohibits rail safety inspections to be outsourced to Mexico. This amendment was adopted on a voice vote.
Thank you all for the many calls and emails that
were generated to your Members of Congress. Grassroots politics is still the most
effective way to have your voices heard. A job well done! The Roll Call vote is included
below. Thank you once again!
Thomas J. Dwyer
National Legislative Director
National
Association of Retired & Veteran
Railway Employees, Inc. (NARVRE)
11304 Norway Street Northwest
Coon Rapids, Minnesota 55448
(763) 757-1501 Fax: (763) 767-5794
Email: TDwyertcu@aol.com
================================================================
FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 980
(Democrats in roman; Republicans in italic; Independents underlined)
H R 2095 YEA-AND-NAY
QUESTION: On Passage
BILL TITLE: Federal Railroad Safety
Improvement Act
---- YEAS 377 ---
Abercrombie |
Gohmert |
Oberstar |
---- NAYS 38 ---
Barton (TX) |
Flake |
McHenry |
---- NOT VOTING 16 ---
Ackerman |
Jindal |
Serrano |
TO: ALL NARVRE MEMBERS - USA -- October 16, 2007
HR 2095, the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007 was scheduled for a floor vote in the House of Representatives last week but due to a death of a member the vote was postponed.
HR 2095 has been rescheduled for floor action on Wednesday, October 17, 2007 managed by Chairman James L. Oberstar, D-MN of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. NARVRE is in support of HR 2095. As pointed out in my previous email from last week this legislation addresses many safety issues by improving the quality of life, safety and security for all railroad workers regarding hours of service.
In addition, Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-CA will offer an amendment that relates to preventing rail safety inspection jobs on freight railroad cars to be outsourced to Mexico. This amendment would allow inspections to be done with some enforcement mechanisms in place under FRA rail safety rules. This amendment is being offered because the Union Pacific Railroad is seeking a waiver from the FRA to run trains from Mexico through Laredo, Texas and onto their designated inspection stations 1,000 miles into the interior of the United States, without first having to be inspected on the U.S. side of the border. The UP would have these inspections done by the Transportacion Ferroviaria Mexicana (TFM) Railroad on the Mexican side of the border in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. NARVRE SUPPORTS THE GRACE NAPOLITANO AMENDMENT. THE BOTTOM LINE HERE IS THAT MEXICAN RAILROAD WORKERS DO NOT PAY INTO RAILROAD RETIREMENT.
Please place your calls to your Member of the House of Representatives by tomorrow to support HR 2095 and the Napolitano Amendment. You can go to the NARVRE web site at www.narvre.com and click on contacting Congress to find your Representative. You also can call the Capitol switchboard at the NARVRE toll free numbers which are as follows:
1-877-668-3864 or 1-877-668-3866
Thank you once again for your support. CSPAN should
cover House floor debate on the bill tomorrow. Time is uncertain.
Thomas J. Dwyer
National Legislative Director
National
Association of Retired & Veteran
Railway Employees, Inc. (NARVRE)
11304 Norway Street Northwest
Coon Rapids, Minnesota 55448
(763) 757-1501 Fax: (763) 767-5794
Email: TDwyertcu@aol.com
================================================================
TO: ALL NARVRE MEMBERS - USA -- October 09, 2007
NARVRE supports HR 2095, the Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007. It is expected that HR 209