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Stop, Look & Listen: Railroad Retirement Benefits Q&A

Answers are provided by Robert S. Kaufman

Worker Becomes Disabled Just Before Retirement

(Posted June 13, 2003)

Question 269: How does the onset of disability affect me if I'm planning to retire anyway in six months?

Answer: You should file for a disability annuity with the RRB. Even though there's a 5-month waiting period until benefits begin, there are advantages to going on disability compared to regular retirement.

First, you probably will receive a higher benefit because there is no age reduction for disability and the Tier 1 caliculation is more favorable. Further, if your condition is severe enough, you may qualify for early Medicare two years after you start to receive disability benefits.

Important notice:

Answers are provided as general guidance on the subjects covered in the question and are not provided as legal advice to the questioner or to readers. Any legal issues should be reviewed by your legal counsel to apply the law to the particular facts of this and similar situations.

The law in this area changes frequently. Answers are believed to be correct as of the posting dates shown. The completeness or accuracy of a particular answer may be affected by changes in the law (statutes, regulations, rulings, court decisions, etc.) that occur after the date on which a particular Q&A is posted.