RRB announces change in service hours for field offices

Effective at noon on June 1, 2016, U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) field offices around the country will be closed to the public on Wednesday afternoons. Field office representatives will not be available to assist walk-in customers or to answer the phones during Wednesday afternoons only.
All RRB offices will remain open from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays, and during their usual hours of 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the remaining weekdays, except for Federal holidays.
The change is necessary due to reduced staffing levels, coupled with increased workloads in several key areas, and will allow the staff in the RRB’ s nationwide network of 53 field offices to focus on processing applications for benefits, conducting necessary verifications for pending applications or claims, resolving complex cases and reducing backlogged workloads.
RRB customers will continue to have the opportunity to conduct most business through the agency website (www.rrb.gov) 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or by calling the RRB ‘s nationwide toll-free telephone number, 1-877-772-5772, and speaking with a field office representative during regular business hours.
Current railroad employees can use the www.rrb.gov website to apply for and claim unemployment benefits, file a claim for sickness benefits, check the status of their unemployment or sickness claim, view their statement of account under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, view their service and compensation history, or get an annuity estimate.
Annuitants currently receiving benefits can request a letter verifying the amount of their annuity, a duplicate tax statement, a replacement Medicare card or a copy of their service and compensation history. All services are accessible through the “Benefit Online Services” section of www.rrb.gov or by calling the RRB’s toll-free number at 1-877-772-5772.

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An independent Federal agency headquartered in Chicago, the RRB pays more than $12 billion a year in benefits under the Federal Railroad Retirement and Unemployment Insurance Acts covering the nation’s railroad workers and their families.