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6.5.1 Introduction

This chapter discusses monitoring programs that help ensure that benefits are paid in 

the correct amounts and to the correct individuals. The types of monitoring programs 

and procedure sections that describe each program are:

Subject Begins With Section

Annual Earnings & LPE Monitoring Program 6.5.5

EDP Monitoring Program 6.5.47

Representative Payee Monitoring Program 6.5.70

Aged Monitoring Program 6.5.82

Foreign 6.5.85

SSA/CMS Death Match 6.5.100

Uncashed Check Investigation 6.5.101

6.5.5 Annual Earnings & Last Pre-Retirement Non-Railroad 

Employment (LPE) Monitoring Program

The vast majority of employee and spouse annuitants requiring work deductions have 

maximum withholding in place. Annual monitoring of these beneficiaries uses Forms 

RL-19L and RL-19L.1 questionnaires that are only to be returned by the beneficiary if 

his or her earnings are below a posted threshold amount. The threshold amount is the 

amount of annual earnings that requires maximum benefit withholding to remain in 

place for the current year. Individuals in this category whose earnings fall below the 

threshold amount may be due refunds of work deductions withheld.

A small number of annuitants whose withholding is less than the maximum are required 

to complete and return Form G-19L questionnaires.

Earnings questionnaires are released to beneficiaries who live within the U.S. and U.S. 

possessions who fall into one of the following categories:

A. Employee and spouse annuitants who meet conditions 1 or 2 as described 

below: 

1. Are under full retirement age and;
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• Based on reported earnings which exceed the applicable exempt 

amount, have temporary work deductions in place or were in place at 

the time the annual earnings monitoring program was run; and

• Are subject to work deductions under the 1974 RR Act; or

• Are being paid under the O/M and reported earnings exceed the 

annual earnings exempt amount. 

2. Are any age and indicate last pre-retirement employment earnings after 

the ABD.

B. Non-disabled survivor annuitants who:

1. Are under full retirement age, and

2. Have reported estimated earnings which exceed the applicable exempt 

amount.

NOTE: The RRB does not monitor annuitants, who live in foreign countries for earnings. 

6.5.6 Annual Earnings Monitoring Forms

Annual earnings and LPE monitoring forms are generally released during the month of 

April. 

• Annuitants having both tier 1 and tier 2 work deductions receive Form RL-19L.1. 

• Annuitants having only LPE work deductions in force receive Form RL-19L as a 

reminder to contact the RRB if a change occurs in LPE work patterns or if LPE 

earnings drop below an amount that would allow payment of additional benefits.

• Annuitants having LPE work deduction withholding that is less than 50% of their 

tier 2 receive Form G-19L for mandatory completion.

NOTE: RRB uses the SSA earnings information as the official report of earnings to 

validate and adjust annuity withholding amounts. See EDP Policing in RCM 6.5.47. 

6.5.7 Handling of Earnings Monitoring Forms

LPE monitoring forms are returned to the Program Evaluation and Management 

Services - Program Evaluation Section, Retirement/Survivor/Tax/Medicare (PEMS - 

PES RSTM). Upon receiving the forms, the information is entered into SPEED. Refer to

FOM 1 -15125 for detailed information on SPEED. Any forms received in the field 

offices are to be forwarded to PEMS for handling. 
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When earnings information is entered into SPEED, action is taken by SPEED or, if 

SPEED cannot yet complete action on the earnings report, a USTAR (Universal System 

Tracking and Reporting) referral will be made to the appropriate unit in the Retirement 

and Survivor Benefits Division (RSBD). USTAR is an on-line system used to assign 

and track work and provide information that is necessary in the payment of the claim. 

Refer to FOM1-1105 for detailed work deduction information and FOM1-15125.40 for 

actions taken on a completed SPEED report.

PEMS will forward earnings reports, and accompanying documentation, to the 

Unemployment and Programs Support Division - Tax, Clerical and Imaging Unit (UPSDTCIU) to be imaged. 

6.5.47 EDP Policing

The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) conducts a computer match with the Social 

Security Administration (SSA) to monitor compliance of the Railroad Retirement Act 

(RRA) earnings restrictions. The Electronic Data Processing (EDP) program captures 

earnings obtained through a computer match with SSA. EDP policing is performed 

annually, in May, on all retirement and survivor annuitants. Disability annuitants are 

also monitored to determine their continuing eligibility to receive benefits. Retired 

employee and spouse annuitants are assessed component work deductions, while 

disability and survivor annuities are liable for full annuity withholding.

6.5.47.1 SSA Validation Process

The RRB bases the computer match with SSA on a memorandum of understanding 

(MOU) that includes strict matching requirements to verify RRB records with those on 

the SSA database. If matching requirements are not met, the records are identified as 

“unverified” and the SSA program does not check for earnings.

Each request file sent to SSA results in two returned files: a validation file and an 

earnings file.

6.5.47.2 SSA Validation File

The SSN validation file is the initial output of the RRB request file being matched 

against SSA’s database, and verifies the social security numbers of the annuitants prior 

to running the job that provides the earnings information. The returned validation files 

are reviewed and analyzed and the records which are unverified or indicate the 

annuitants are deceased are loaded to the Universal System Tracking and Reporting 

application (USTAR) for RSBD handling. Refer to RCM 6.5.58 for handling instructions. 

Very few employee records are not validated. The spouse and survivor files generate

more non-validated records because of the much higher volume of inconsistent 

beneficiary names. Since there are no names on the PREH database associated with 

the IPI social security numbers and, therefore not on the request files sent to SSA, all 

IPIs are returned as not validated.
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6.5.47.3 SSA Earnings and Employer Information File

The second file received from SSA contains the actual earnings information for the 

annuitants whose social security numbers have been verified. For these validated 

cases, SSA initiates a request to generate the earnings and employer information file 

through their VAEARN program. This program automatically takes the validated output 

and queries the earnings file.

Returned earnings files are analyzed and categorized in Policy and Systems and the 

results are loaded to USTAR.

6.5.48 Categories of Annuitants Selected for EDP Policing

The EDP program was originally established to identify potential Tier 1 work deductions. 

Elements were later added and the program revised, which resulted in the improvement 

of RRB detection of LPE employment. Employee and spouse annuitants meeting 

specific criteria are now selected in the EDP program to identify potential LPE (Tier 2

and/or Supplemental annuity) work deductions.

Type of Annuity Age as of Policing Year

RETIREMENT

Employee 60+ *

Spouse 60+ *

IPI 15-22**

SURVIVOR

Survivor children 0-22

All other survivor annuitants Any age

DISABILITY

Disabled employee Any age

Disabled IPI Any age**

Disabled survivor annuitants Any age

Disabled widows Any age
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* Employees/Spouses over full retirement age are selected for EDP policing only if their 

ABD is within 3 years of the policing year for purposes of identifying potential LPE 

earnings. See RCM 6.5.56 for additional criteria.

**SSA does not provide earnings data for individuals where certain RRB identifying 

information does not match their records. Currently RRB does not house the names of 

IPIs on the files transmitted to SSA; therefore, earnings information for IPIs is not 

obtained through the EDP program.

**An evaluation of all “unverified” IPI cases out of the 2004 run for 2003 earnings

revealed that no IPI under age 15 had earnings that exceeded the statutory 

limit. Based on the results of this review, we revised our policy and IPIs under age 15 

are excluded from the monitoring process, effective with EDP policing of 2003 earnings. 

6.5.49 SSA Earnings Report Types

SSA earnings files contain detailed information on each earnings report linked to an 

individual. The report information includes a code which describes the type of earnings. 

The following chart lists the report type codes and the type of earnings reported.

Code Represents

A Current W-2 FICA

“Current” means that the W-2 or W-2C was reported and processed in 

the year it was due

EXAMPLE: A W-2 or W-2C for tax year 2019 reported and processed in 

2020, would be current. 

C Current W-2P (Pension)

D Current Non-FICA W-2 

E Current Corrected W-2 FICA (W-2C)

F Current Corrected Non-FICA W-2 

G Current Corrected W-2P (Pension)

H Informational detail signifying that either no earnings were found in 

scouting, or there was a change in the railroad segment earnings

I Delinquent W-2 FICA

L Delinquent corrected W-2 FICA (W-2C)
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Code Represents

“Delinquent” means that the W-2 or W-2C was processed in a year 

subsequent to the year when it was due.

EXAMPLES:

• A W-2 or W-2C for tax year 2019 submitted for processing after 

2020 is delinquent.

• A W-2 or W-2C for tax year 2018 submitted January 15, 2020, is 

delinquent.

M Pre-Annual Reporting Quarterly reinstated from Suspense

N Pre-Annual Reporting Self-Employment reinstated from Suspense

O Tape “SE”

P Annual Wage Determination transactions processed through the 

"annual" system are based on a Form SSA 7010-U5, Notice of 

Determination of FICA Wages or ITEM CORRECTION (ICOR) 

transaction.

Q Quarterly Wage Determination Adjustment

Wage determination transactions processed through the “quarterly” 

system are based on a Form SSA 7010-U5, Notice of Determination of 

FICA Wages or ITEM CORRECTION (ICOR) transaction.

R Unreported Tips Quarterly

“Unreported tips” transactions are based on tip reports filed by an 

employee through IRS or based on an IRS audit of an employee's tax 

return.

S External Adjustment Quarterly

“External” means the transaction resulted from an adjustment filed by an 

employer through IRS or from an IRS audit

T Unreported Tips Annual

U IRS Tape Adjustment

W Quarterly Current

X Quarterly Delinquent

NOTE: “Quarterly” transactions are based on quarterly reports of 

earnings submitted by private employers on Form 941A prior to 1978 
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Code Represents

and from quarterly reports of earnings submitted by State and local 

employers prior to 1981. “Current” means the report was submitted 

timely. “Delinquent” means the report was submitted after the due date.

Y Internal Wage Adjustment

This is a non-determination wage adjustment processed through the 

“quarterly” wage system based either on an OEO paper transaction or 

ITEM CORRECTION (ICOR) transaction.

Z Internal Adjustment Annual

This may be either a non-determination wage adjustment processed 

through the “annual” wage system or an SE adjustment (either 

determination or non-determination). SE adjustments have an EET field 

of I or C. 

1 Posting Adjustment

“Posting adjustment” offset details are created by exact duplicates or W2Cs processing to offset a previously posted detail.

Earnings reported to SSA are further broken down by the type of employment. Files 

received from SSA in the EDP program do not include this employment type code. For 

purposes of applying work deductions to railroad retirement annuities, the employment 

type is not needed when the earnings report represents FICA earnings.

Many of the earnings report types, particularly for railroad employees, represent nonFICA earnings. For these cases, the employment type code must be secured in order 

to determine if the earnings should be considered for work deduction purposes. Cases 

where the total of the FICA earnings do not exceed the yearly exempt amount plus the 

appropriate tolerance amount, are removed from the earnings files that are loaded to 

USTAR. These files are downloaded from the mainframe program and Excel 

spreadsheet listings are provided to RBD-RPS/SBD-SPS for manual handling. The 

employment type code can be secured by querying DEQY from the SSA database. 

Refer to RCM 19.2.15 for detailed instructions for accessing a DEQY query.

6.5.50 Universal STAR Referrals (USTAR)

6.5.50.1 Retirement Referrals

Retirement EDP files are matched against the Retirement Online Calculation (ROC) and 

SPEED databases to identify earnings cases that may have already been handled. 

Cases not handled are loaded to USTAR.
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The employee and spouse earnings records are loaded to USTAR under category RBD ED. 

Examiners are to review the actual monthly payment data to validate the accuracy of 

work deductions applied during the policing year. 

6.5.50.2 Survivor Referrals

EDP monitoring of survivor annuitants is performed to assess permanent work 

deductions for the reporting year, and to estimate temporary work deductions required 

for the current and subsequent years. The estimated work deduction withholding is 

calculated using the annuitant’s earnings estimate or projected earnings, based on the 

previous year’s EDP data. EDP earnings reports for Survivor annuitants are loaded to 

USTAR as category SPS L. Some cases on USTAR may include earnings from the two 

prior years. 

SPEED processes monthly reinstatements after temporary work deductions have been 

applied based on the yearly earnings amount entered in SPEED. Referrals are 

generated to USTAR by SPEED if the system is unable to process a reinstatement. 

These referrals are loaded to USTAR as category SPS-S1. 

6.5.50.3 Disability Referrals

EDP disability referrals are made to assist in determining the continuing eligibility of 

retirement and survivor disability annuitants to benefits. The determination is based on 

whether the employment is reconcilable with the beneficiary’s disability. In addition, the 

disability annuity of an employee is not payable for any month in which the annuitant 

earns more than the earnings limit amount, after deducting disability related expenses. 

Earnings limit amounts can be found in DCM 10.5.4 E2. 

The annual earnings test does not apply to a disabled widow(er) under age 60. 

However, any work performed before age 60 must be considered in determining 

whether the widow(er) has recovered from the disability. The work and earnings may 

demonstrate that the widow(er) is able to perform regular and gainful employment and

therefore, is no longer disabled for purposes of receiving a DWIA and/or early Medicare 

coverage. Refer to DCM 10.4 for more information on substantial gainful employment.

A widow(er) age 60 and over, who was receiving a DWIA prior to age 60, will continue 

to receive an annuity after age 60. But, the DWIA will be converted to an age annuity. 

Regular survivor earnings restrictions will apply beginning with the month the widow(er) 

attains age 60 and ending with the month before attainment of full retirement age 

(effective January 1, 1983 or later).

Disability earnings reports are loaded to USTAR in the same basic format as earnings 

reports for retirement cases. However, a link is provided to the employer name and 

address information obtained from SSA. This information is used in conducting 

investigations on the employment. Disability earnings cases are loaded with the

following USTAR categories: 
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• EO - occupational disability (2a4) with earnings greater than the yearly exempt 

amount

• ET - total and permanent disability (2a5) with earnings greater than the yearly 

exempt amount

• ES - survivor disability with earnings greater than the substantial gainful 

employment amount

• EB – ABD year equals earnings year

6.5.51 Handling of Referrals

Retirement, Survivor, and Disability units (RBD, SBD, and DBD) determine the handling 

of earnings monitoring cases that have been loaded to USTAR. The following are

guidelines for examiners to assist in handling EDP referrals.

6.5.51.1 Survivor Cases

Some portion of the earnings amounts reported by SSA and found on USTAR may 

include deferred compensation, which may or may not be considered earnings for work 

deduction purposes. To determine the correct amount of earnings that should be used 

to assess work deductions, it must first be determined if there is any portion of the 

earnings which may be attributable to deferred compensation and if so, how much. For 

detailed information on deferred compensation, refer to FOM1-1110.10. 

Earnings files received from SSA do not provide enough details to determine the type of 

earnings reported. If the type of earnings shown on USTAR is other than “A”, (regular 

FICA earnings) a DEQY must be requested. Refer to RCM 6.5.49 for the different 

earnings and employment types.

Examiners should enter the claim number and earnings amount for the annuitant with 

excess earnings into the SPEED database. Review the SPEED procedure in 

FOM1-15125 for any questions regarding processing.

6.5.51.2 Retirement Cases

Temporary Work Deductions (TWDs) in force in the earnings year

Step Action

1 Determine if annuitant attains FRA in the earnings year. If yes, only the 

earnings before FRA are used for WD purposes. Review Imaging and 

USTAR to determine if a final monthly earnings report was submitted and 

final work deductions were assessed. If yes, notate remarks in USTAR 

and close the referral. If no, trace on final monthly earnings report and 

process final work deductions upon receipt.
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If annuitant is less than FRA, go to step two.

2 Determine if the appropriate TWD(s) for the earnings year were applied 

based on the EDP earnings shown on STAR.

If TWD(s) = PWD(s) notate the remarks section of USTAR.

If TWD(s) are not equal to PWD, determine if adjustment is necessary and 

process accordingly.

NOTE: All earnings through the current calendar year must be considered. 

It may be necessary to secure a DEQY.

3 Determine if the appropriate TWD(s) is in effect for the current year. If 

TWD(s) are appropriate, close USTAR. If not, process an award to adjust 

TWD(s) accordingly.

Temporary Work Deductions (TWD’s) were not in force in the earnings year

Step Action

1 Determine if annuitant attains FRA in the earnings year. If yes, only the 

earnings before FRA are used for WD purposes. Review Imaging and 

USTAR to determine if a final monthly earnings report was submitted and 

final work deductions were assessed. If yes, notate remarks in USTAR 

and close the referral. If no, trace on final monthly earnings report and 

process final work deductions upon receipt.

If annuitant is less than FRA, go to step two.

2 Check for SSA/VDB entitlement.

If Tier 1 is reduced for social the entire earnings year and there is no VDB, 

WD does not apply. Notate the remarks section of USTAR and close out 

the referral. Otherwise, go to step 3.

3 Release standard EDP email to the Field Office to secure information on 

the annuitants work status.

4 Upon receipt of earnings information from the Field, adjust the annuity 

according to standard procedure. See FOM1-1105.
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6.5.52 Development Of Excess Earnings For Years Other Than The 

Calendar Year Being Policed

Check SPEED and/or USTAR for years previous and subsequent to the calendar year 

being policed to determine if there are additional years for which an overpayment exists. 

Develop for excess earnings in those years and take action to recover any 

overpayments for those additional years.

6.5.53 Discrepant Earnings Report

Refer to FOM1-1115.20.4. 

6.5.54 Substantial Earnings Reported For Disabled Or Incompetent 

Annuitant Who Has Representative Payee

Handle any case in which little or no earnings are reported for an annuitant with a 

representative payee but substantial wages or SEI from SSA are shown on the referral, 

as follows: 

• In a disability case, DBD will make a determination about the beneficiary’s recovery 

from disability and request field determination as to whether or not a new payee is 

needed.

• In a non-disability case, examiner should request field determination as to whether a 

new payee is needed.

6.5.55 Referrals For Disability Cases

For any disabled employee under full retirement age, refer the case to the Disability 

Benefits Division (DBD) to reconcile work/earnings before taking adjudicative action. 

Refer to DCM 8.2 for earnings monitoring procedure of disability annuities.

6.5.56 Potential LPE Earnings

Another function of the EDP monitoring process includes analyzing the earnings files to 

identify cases where it appears an employee, spouse or disabled employee may be 

working in last person employment (LPE).

Criteria for potential LPE earnings for Employees or Spouses: 

• The date last worked (DLW) for the non-railroad employer is within 5 years prior to 

the annuity beginning date (ABD); and

• The ABD is in the earnings year or in the 2 years prior to the earnings year. For 

example, for the 2007 earnings year, the ABD should be between 1/1/2005 and 

12/31/2007; and
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• Total annual earnings must be greater than $200 if the annuitant is less than full 

retirement age (FRA)/$300 if the annuitant is FRA or older; and

• Total annual earnings must be less than the exempt amount applicable to the 

earnings year.

Criteria for potential LPE earnings for Disabled Employees: 

• The date last worked (DLW) for the non-railroad employer is within 5 years prior to 

the annuity beginning date (ABD); and

• The ABD is in the earnings year or in the 2 years prior to the earnings year. For 

example, for the 2007 earnings year, the ABD should be between 1/1/2005 and 

12/31/2007; and

• Total annual earnings must be greater than $200; and

• Total annual earnings must be less than $5,000.

The employee and spouse referrals are loaded to USTAR as RBD-LP and the disability 

referrals are loaded as RBD-LD. 

6.5.57 Unverified Case Processing

SSN Verification Process - The State Verification and Exchange System (SVES) used 

by the Social Security Administration (SSA) verifies social security numbers (SSNs) 

prior to providing earnings information of railroad retirement beneficiaries. SSA utilizes 

the NUMIDENT, MBR, and SSR databases to determine identity, permitting verification

against any of the three to mean positive verification.

Following is an explanation of the SVES SSN Verification Process:

Step 1: The SSN submitted by the RRB is first matched against the NUMIDENT. The 

record is considered matched if:

a) The SSN matches, and

b) The surname matches exactly, or the surname submitted by the RRB has either 

one missing letter, one extra letter, or one transposition of letters; and

c) The first and middle initial (if provided) match; and

d) The year of birth on the request is within 1 year prior or 1 year after the year on 

SSA’s records.

Step 2: If the criteria in Step 1 are not met, SVES tries all combinations of the numbers 

in the SSN. If any of these combinations match the NUMIDENT SVES checks the 

surname (per the criteria in Step 1b and the year of birth, +/- 1 year.
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Step 3: If the criteria in Steps 1 or 2 are not met, SVES drops the surname and if the 

following are an exact match, SVES will return a verified SSN:

a) The first initial must be an exact match, and

b) The middle initial must be an exact match, and

c) There must be an exact match on the month and year of birth.

NOTE: The SSN will be returned as unverified if there is no middle initial on the input, 

the NUMIDENT, or both the NUMIDENT and the input, and the month and year of birth 

is not an exact match.

SVES looks for an exact match on the SSN, but does not try the 99 combinations as in 

Step 2. This feature helps to match female records since it does not require a match on 

the current surname; i.e., avoids problems with maiden surname and various married 

surnames. This feature also allows more matches for males and females who have 

been adopted.

If the record fails all attempts at NUMIDENT verification, the same actions as in Steps 1 

and 2 are attempted against the MBR and SSR.

After attempting to match the RRB’s SSN against SSAs records per steps 1 through 3, 

SVES assigns a Verification Code. The following section lists the SSN verification 

codes, the data element definitions for the codes and the appropriate action needed.

6.5.58 Handling Of Unverified Cases

Records that are not verified from the EDP runs require manual review and must be 

reconciled. The records are loaded to Universal STAR for handling by RBD Retirement 

and SBD Survivor units. Retirement and Survivor cases are loaded under category 

codes RBD-US and SPS-US, respectively.

The following actions should be taken by RSBD when handling cases involving 

unverified social security numbers:

VERIFICATION 

CODE

DEFINITION ACTION

X SSN is verified, 

NUMIDENT 

indicates individual is 

deceased.

Verify that RRB has terminated the benefits 

of the annuitant by checking APPLE that a 

FNOD has been entered and, if so, that the 

effective date matches the SSA DOD 

shown on USTAR. If the annuitant is in 

current pay status, contact the appropriate 
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field office to investigate the annuitant’s 

death.

1 SSN is an invalid 

number or not in file.

1. Check the following systems to search 

for a correct SSN:

• PREH - to determine if the invalid 

SSN belongs to another RRA 

annuitant. See if the person with the 

invalid number might be receiving 

benefits under one of the other 

accounts.

• APPLE - to check whether one of the 

applications on record may have the 

correct SSN.

• IMAGING - for correspondence, form 

letters, applications, medical 

evidence, award forms, or other 

documentation that might have a 

correct SSN.

• SSA MBR - on other family 

members’ SSNs obtained from 

PREH. If they are receiving benefits 

on any other account number, the 

BOAN will be shown.

2. Request the claim folder, if one was 

established, to see if there is a different 

SSN in file than what is on the database.

If the correct SSN cannot be 

determined, send an assignment to the 

field office to contact the annuitant to 

request the correct SSN.

3. Once the SSN has been reconciled, 

obtain a NUMIDENT from the SSA 

database on this number, and, correct 
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the SSN on RRB records as 

appropriate.

• Complete a PREH record correction 

to correct the annuitant’s SSN in 

PREH.

• Complete a PC G-607 transaction 

(RCM 9.4) to correct the 

Checkwriting Master (DATAQ) and 

tax accounting system.

• Send an e-mail to the Medicare 

Section via the Medicare Group 

Mailbox to complete a MEDCOR 

transaction to correct the Medicare 

records.

3 Surname matched, 

but DOB did not 

match NUMIDENT. 

The DOB on the 

NUMIDENT will be 

displayed in the SSN 

Data field.

The SSA DOB will be displayed in USTAR, 

if it was provided by SSA. The difference in 

the dates may be due to transposing of 

numbers and can be easily resolved by 

reviewing the proof of age on RRB systems 

or in the file. If the difference cannot be 

resolved:

• Compare the probative values 

(RCM 4.2.60) of the proof(s) on 

record. RRB records cannot be 

changed based on SSA records 

alone. Follow instructions in 

RCM 4.2.70 for reconciling RRB date 

of birth with SSA. 

• Verify the DOB by notifying the 

appropriate field office and 

requesting a corrected proof.

• Once the proof is received, review 

RCM 4.2.67 regarding the finality of 

the DOB previously established

before making any changes to RRB 

records.

• If the DOB needs to be corrected:
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1. Enter the new proof on APPLE if 

it had not been entered by the 

field office. 

2. Correct PREH record by doing a 

PREH record correction.

3. Complete a PC G-607 (RCM 9.4) 

to correct the Checkwriting 

Master (DATAQ) and tax 

accounting system.

4. An incorrect DOB can also effect 

Medicare entitlement. Send an email to the Medicare Section via 

the Medicare Group Mailbox, 

providing the correct DOB. That 

unit will determine whether action 

should be taken to correct 

Medicare records.

5 Name does not 

match, e.g. Pam

Smith on RRB 

records/Pam Jones

on SSA records. 

DOB was checked.

When the name does not match consider 

taking the following action(s):

• Secure a NUMIDENT from the SSA 

database. Compare the RRB 

annuitant’s name with the name on 

the SSA database. The name may 

have been misspelled, a middle 

name may have been used instead 

of a first name, there may be multiple 

names on the records, or the 

annuitant married and neglected to 

notify both agencies of a name 

change.

• Review RRB documents (e.g. 

application, proofs, etc., to reconcile 

the difference).

• Compare the probative value of the 

proof(s) on record at RRB and SSA. 

Consider the proof with the higher 

weight to be accurate; however, RRB 

records cannot be changed based on 

SSA records. Unless it is apparent 
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that the difference is due to a 

misspelling and can be resolved by 

reviewing file documentation, 

investigate the discrepancy by 

requesting that the field office 

contact the beneficiary to inquire 

whether the spouse or survivor 

annuitant married, remarried, or 

divorced. If the annuitant chooses to 

go by a different name, inform him or 

her of the problems that may occur 

with agencies having conflicting 

information. No further action can be 

taken unless the annuitant requests 

the name on record be changed.

• If it is determined that RRB’s records 

show an incorrect name and the 

correct name is proven, take the 

following actions:

1. Enter any corrected proofs 

received on APPLE if not already 

entered by the field office. 

2. If the employee’s name needs to 

be changed perform a record 

correction on PREH (the 3000 

record). If any other beneficiary’s 

name needs to be changed, 

complete Form G-59 (RCM 9.4).

3. Complete Form PC G-607

(RCM 9.4) to correct the 

Checkwriting Master (DATAQ) and 

the tax accounting system

4. Send an e-mail to the Medicare 

Group Mailbox, who will determine 

if action is needed to correct the 

Medicare records.

Blank Records failing initial 

edit checks and not 

making it as far as 

the verification 

process.

The majority of cases that fail initial edit 

checks and do not make it as far as the 

verification process involve railroad 

beneficiaries whose names are not listed in 

the PREH database. Check PREH to see if 
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the applicant’s name is on the Family Group 

Menu screen. If the name is missing no 

action is needed to correct the record. If it 

does not involve a missing name, request a 

NUMIDENT on the SSN and compare the 

SSN, DOB, and NAME with the same 

information on RRB records. Take 

appropriate action as indicated above if 

there is a discrepancy.

After reviewing and reconciling the unverified record, request a DEQY to secure 

earnings for the earnings year or earlier, beginning with the annuitant’s ABD/OBD year. 

Retirement examiners should always consider LPE earnings as well as excess earnings 

over the exempt amounts.

6.5.70 Representative Payee Monitoring

The Board is responsible not only for selecting a representative payee but also for 

monitoring the payee to determine if the annuitant's rights are being protected.

Upon selection by the Board, the representative payee assumes a continuing 

responsibility to keep informed of the annuitant's current and future needs, to spend 

benefits in a reasonable and prudent manner and to periodically account for the use of 

railroad retirement benefits. The payee also agrees to inform the Board of any changes 

in the annuitant's status, including any custody changes.

6.5.71 Program Prior To 1973

Questionnaires G-99, G-99a (white) and G-99a (yellow) were released to court 

appointed payees every three years and Board selected payees every two years. 

Returned questionnaires were handled by the disability rating section.

6.5.72 1973 Program

The field sampled 500 court appointed and 500 Board appointed representative payees. 

Contact representatives completed form T-99 recommending retention or replacement 

of the representative payee. The T-99's were forwarded to the regional offices for 

review and reviewed forms were then sent to Methods and Procedures.

6.5.73 1975 Program

Methods and Procedures provided the field offices with identification labels, control 

cards, and list of all Board and court appointed representative payees in their territory 

with claim number digits ending in 00 through 32.
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Contact representatives completed form G-99a recommending retention or replacement 

of the representative payee and forwarded the G-99a to the regional office for review.

6.5.74 1976 Program

Beginning in 1976, full responsibility for representative payee monitoring was 

transferred to the field. The field offices created representative payee files and 

monitored all cases not selected during the 1975 program.

6.5.75 1977 Through 1980 Programs

The field selected and monitored representative payees throughout these years, 

monitoring one third of the Board and court appointed payees each year.

6.5.76 1981 Through 1984 Programs

Representative payee monitoring was suspended for these years pending the results of 

a study conducted by the Social Security Administration (SSA) of its monitoring program 

and a court decision concerning SSA's program.

Field offices requested representative payee accounting during these years only when 

complaints were received.

6.5.77 1985 Program

During the 1985 monitoring program 25,540 Representative Payee Reports, form G99a, were released from headquarters to all representative payees in current pay 

status.

Completed forms were returned to field offices for review. In suspect cases, the field 

office personnel conducted personal interviews with annuitants, representative payees 

and custodians (if any) in order to obtain more detailed information for completion of the 

Representative Payee Evaluation Report, form G-99c.

Headquarters reviewed a random sample of 1500 G-99a's both to evaluate the 

representative payee's performance and to determine if any single category of payee 

demonstrated "defects" involving waste, fraud or abuse.

The sample indicated that the field's representative payee selections showed good 

judgment and no particular group of payees warranted special future monitoring.

6.5.78 1987 Program

The 1987 program initiated the first year of a triennial monitoring program for all Board 

selected and court appointed representative payees.
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Each year one third of these representative payees would be selected according to the 

last two digits of the claim number.

In 1987, 5,898 board and court appointed representative payees for account numbers 

ending with digits 01-33 were selected. Only 1.5% of the representative payees were 

changed as a result of the monitoring.

In 1988 6,058 board and court appointed representative payees for account numbers 

ending with digits 34-66 were selected for monitoring.

In 1989 6,077 board and court appointed representative payees for account numbers 

ending with digits 67-00 were selected for monitoring.

In 1990, the cycle will begin again with digits 01-33.

6.5.79 Parental Custody Verification

During Social Security's 1981 study of their representative payee monitoring program, 

they identified parent for child(ren) representative payees as a category of payees with 

a high incidence of waste, fraud and abuse.

This monitoring program does not require a full accounting of benefits - only verification 

that the child remains in the parents custody.

We will conduct a monitoring of all parent for child(ren) representative payees once 

every three years, beginning in 1989.

Beginning in 2017, parental custody monitoring is conducted annually.

6.5.80 Form G-99d

The Parental Custody Verification Report, form G-99d, asks if the child lives with the 

parent. If the answer is "YES", the parent signs and returns the form. If the answer is 

"NO", additional questions of where the child lives, how often the parent visits, and who 

is responsible for making decisions concerning the child, are asked.

Custody is assumed if the child lives with the parent. Custody can be deemed if the 

child lives elsewhere AND the parent retains responsibility for making decisions 

concerning the child.

The most common reason for the child to live elsewhere is when the child is 

institutionalized in a school or hospital.

6.5.81 1989 Program

In October 1989, approximately 6,000 Forms G-99d will be released from headquarters 

and returned to the appropriate field office for review. Field offices will be provided with 
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control lists of annuitants in their territory. Field personnel will review returned reports, 

conduct any necessary investigations, trace outstanding forms and prepare reports.

6.5.82 Aged Monitoring – Nonagenarian/Centenarian

6.5.82.1 Background

On March 19, 2015, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Social Security 

Administration (SSA) issued a report entitled, "Numberholders Age 112 or Older Who 

Did Not Have a Death Entry on NUMIDENT". The report stated that at least 6.5 million 

active SSA numbers belong to people at least 112 years old, but only 35 living 

individuals worldwide have reached age 112.

Based on the report Palmetto reached out to the RRB with the idea of creating a report 

that identifies living RRB Medicare beneficiaries 100 years of age or over, and who 

have not filed a Part B claim with Palmetto in more than 18 months. The report from 

Palmetto could also identify RRB Medicare beneficiaries who do not have a date of 

death on the RRB's Medicare Information Received, Edited, Transmitted and Logged 

(MIRTEL) flat file, but do have a date of death on the Common Working File (CWF). 

CWF is owned and maintained by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services 

(CMS). 

In March 2015, the RRB began the process of working with Palmetto to create a 

workable report. The RRB sent a centenarian file in April 2015 that was created from 

MIRTEL. The file contained data for all living RRB Medicare beneficiaries who were 100 

years of age or older as of March 31, 2015. Palmetto processed the file and sent a 

report of their findings to the RRB on April 22, 2015. The report found 184 beneficiaries 

who did not have Medicare utilization in the last 18 months and 164 beneficiaries who 

had a date of death on Palmetto’s record. 

In May 2016, the RRB asked Palmetto to change the age requirement of the report. The 

request was made as a result of a recommendation by the RRB’s OIG in their 

Management Information Report, “The Railroad Retirement Board’s Method for 

Recording and Reporting Overpayments Identified by Death Matches Can be 

Improved.” The OIG report suggested checking utilization records of beneficiaries age 

90 or over rather than 100 and over. Palmetto agreed to the change and on July 1, 

2016, the RRB sent a file to Palmetto that contained all living RRB Medicare 

beneficiaries who were 90 years of age or older. 

The intention of this report is not to discover Medicare fraud, but to use Palmetto's 

utilization records to find deceased beneficiaries who are still in pay status. This report 

is being used as an additional program integrity tool in the prevention of payments to 

deceased beneficiaries, and to ascertain whether the annuitant may be in need of a 

representative payee. 
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6.5.82.2 Overview

The RRB sends Palmetto a file of all active Medicare beneficiaries age 90 or higher. 

The file is sent quarterly. Palmetto checks for various types of Medicare utilization 

occurring in the last 18 months for each beneficiary, and will send the RRB a report of 

those beneficiaries who did not have Medicare utilization during that period, as well as 

any beneficiaries they have listed as deceased. These cases require further screening 

to determine whether our records have been terminated; as in the case of death, or if 

the beneficiary is still alive. 

6.5.82.3 Program Evaluation and Management Services (PEMS) Responsibilities

The Program Evaluation and Management Services (PEMS) is responsible for 

screening the records to determine whether additional investigative actions are 

required. Policy and Systems (P&S) will provide PEMS an Excel spreadsheet of the 

cases requiring screening. PEMS is also responsible for trace and follow up actions on 

cases identified through the screening process that have the ‘P’ indicator in the ‘Further 

Action Required’ field of the spreadsheet. 

A. Beneficiary Reported Deceased

If the Palmetto report indicates the beneficiary is deceased, check DATA-Q to 

determine the status of the annuity.

1. No Record on DATA-Q 

If there is no record on DATA-Q, check the GD Screen on MOLI to determine the 

record status. 

 If the record status code is 99 – Death, no additional screening action is 

required. Enter ‘No’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ field of the Excel 

spreadsheet. 

 If the record status code is 22 – No Annuity - Quarterly billing required, 

access USTAR to determine whether a recent CMS Death Match referral was 

received. 

If a CMS Death Match was received, enter ‘No’ in the ‘Further Action 

Required’ field of the Excel spreadsheet.

If no referral was received, check the SSA NUMIDENT for a date of death. If 

a date of death is present, and that date is the same as the date reported by 

Palmetto, prepare an APPLE FNOD to terminate the record. Enter ‘N’ in the 

‘Further Action Required’ field of the Excel spreadsheet.
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If there is a conflict between the dates of death, notify the field office to 

investigate and resolve the reported date of death. On the Excel 

spreadsheet, notate this action in the Comments section and enter ‘R’ in the 

‘Further Action Required’ field.

NOTE: To determine the servicing field office, access ZIPCO on the RRAPID 

Main Menu and enter the beneficiary’s zip code shown on the MOLI GD 

screen.

If the SSA NUMIDENT does not indicate a date of death, prepare and release 

an RL-75 to “The Family, or Friends of Family” of the reported deceased. 

Track the response according to existing CMS Death Match procedures.

NOTE: If a response is received confirming the death, or no response is 

received after the 60-day wait period, process an APPLE FNOD.

2. Record on DATA-Q – Annuity Terminated or Suspended/Pending Termination or 

Suspension

 If the annuity is terminated or a termination transaction is pending, enter ‘N’ in 

the ‘Further Action Required’ field of the Excel spreadsheet.

NOTE: If there is a conflict between the dates of death, notify the field office 

to investigate and resolve the reported date of death. On the Excel 

spreadsheet, notate this action in the Comments section and enter ‘R’ in the 

‘Further Action Required’ field. 

NOTE: To determine the servicing field office, access ZIPCO on the RRAPID 

Main Menu and enter the beneficiary’s zip code shown on DATA-Q or the 

MOLI GD screen.

 If the annuity is suspended or a suspension transaction is pending, check 

USTAR to determine if the suspension is the result of the SSA or CMS death 

match processes.

If yes, enter ‘N’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ field of the Excel spreadsheet. 

If no, check the Contact Log to determine whether the field office is currently 

taking action in the case. If yes, enter ‘N’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ field 

of the Excel spreadsheet. 

NOTE: If the field office action is unrelated to a death investigation, notify the 

field office of the reported death. Provide the field office with the date of 

death. On the Excel spreadsheet, notate this action in the Comments section 

and enter ‘R’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ field. 
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If the Contact Log does not indicate there is current action being taken, 

prepare and release an RL-75 to “The Family, or Friends of Family” of the 

reported deceased. Track the response according to existing CMS Death 

Match procedures. On the Excel spreadsheet, notate this action in the 

Comments section and enter ‘P’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ field.

 

3. Record on DATA-Q – Annuity in Current Pay Status

If the beneficiary is in current pay status, check the SSA NUMIDENT for a date of 

death. If a date of death is present, and that date is the same as the date 

reported by Palmetto, prepare an APPLE FNOD to terminate the record. If there 

is a conflict between the dates of death, notify the field office to investigate and 

resolve the reported date of death. On the Excel spreadsheet, notate this action 

in the Comments section and enter ‘R’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ field. 

If SSA NUMIDENT does not indicate a date of death, prepare and release an RL75 to “The Family, or Friends of Family” of the reported deceased. Track the 

response according to existing CMS Death Match procedures.

B. Beneficiary Reported Alive – No Claim Activity in the Last 18 Months

Check DATA-Q to determine the status of the annuity, and take the actions 

described below.

1. No Record on DATA-Q 

If there is no record on DATA-Q, check the GD Screen on MOLI to determine the 

record status. 

 If the record status code is 99 – Death, no additional screening action is 

required. Enter ‘No’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ field of the Excel 

spreadsheet. 

 If the record status code is 22 – No Annuity - Quarterly billing required, 

access USTAR to determine whether a recent CMS Death Match referral was 

received. 

If a CMS Death Match was received, enter ‘N’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ 

field of the Excel spreadsheet.

If no referral was received, notify the field office to investigate the 

whereabouts of the beneficiary, and enter ‘R’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ 

field of the Excel spreadsheet. 
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NOTE: To determine the servicing field office, access ZIPCO on the RRAPID 

Main Menu and enter the beneficiary’s zip code shown on the MOLI GD 

screen.

2. Record on DATA-Q – Annuity Terminated or Suspended/Pending Termination or 

Suspension

 If the annuity is terminated or a termination transaction is pending, enter ‘N’ in 

the ‘Further Action Required’ field of the Excel spreadsheet.

 If the annuity is suspended or a suspension transaction is pending, check 

USTAR to determine if the suspension is the result of the SSA or CMS death 

match processes. 

If yes, enter ‘N’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ field of the Excel spreadsheet. 

If no, notify the field office to investigate whereabouts of the beneficiary, and 

enter ‘R’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ field of the Excel spreadsheet. 

EXCEPTION: Do not request the field office to investigate if the 

suspension or pending suspension code is 76. Enter ‘N’ in the ‘Further 

Action Required’ field of the Excel spreadsheet.

NOTE: To determine the servicing field office, access ZIPCO on the RRAPID 

Main Menu and enter the beneficiary’s zip code shown on DATAQ or the 

MOLI GD screen.

3. Record on DATA-Q – Annuity in Current Pay Status

If DATA-Q shows the beneficiary is in current pay status, see if the beneficiary is 

covered under State Buy-In (SBI) or has a representative payee. For SBI status, 

a code 8 will be shown under SMIB INFORMATION under RR or SS. If the 

beneficiary is on SBI or has a representative payee, the beneficiary would be 

considered low risk because there are additional checks performed in these 

situations. Enter ‘N’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ field of the Excel 

spreadsheet.

For all other current pay status cases, access the Contact Log and/or Imaging 

System to determine when contact was last made with the beneficiary.

 Contact Log – If the last in-person visit or telephone contact with the 

beneficiary was within the past 18 months, the beneficiary would be 

considered low risk. Enter ‘No’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ field of the 

Excel spreadsheet.

 Imaging – If there was communication, correspondence, or other documents 

from the beneficiary within the past 18 months, the beneficiary would be 
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considered low risk. Enter ‘No’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ field of the 

Excel spreadsheet.

If neither systems show contact with the beneficiary within the past 18 months, 

the beneficiary is considered high risk and needs further investigation. Enter 

‘Yes’ in the ‘Further Action Required’ field of the Excel spreadsheet. In the 

‘Comment’ field, enter the reason the case is being included in the high risk 

group. For example ‘No contact in last 18 months’.

6.5.82.4 Disposition of the Completed Excel Spreadsheet

Forward the completed spreadsheet to the Medicare Program Officer in P&S. P&S will 

take the appropriate actions to initiate the Nonagenarian/Centenarian policing run.

6.5.82.5 Policy and Systems (P&S) Responsibilities

P&S will sort the Excel spreadsheet into four categories; N, P, R, and Y, based on the 

indicator in the ‘Further Action Required’ field will of the spreadsheet,

• Category N – These cases are eliminated from the monitoring effort; either contact 

was made with the annuitant within the last 18 months, Medicare premiums are paid 

through State Buy-In, the annuitant has a representative payee, the annuitant is 

deceased, or the annuitant is terminated due to non-entitlement.

• Category P – These cases are eliminated from the monitoring effort; however, 

additional information is needed to resolve the cases. The case referrals will be 

posted on USTAR for trace and follow-up actions by PEMS. P&S will notify PEMS

when the referrals are posted.

The cases can be identified by a six-digit USTAR category code; i.e. the letters 

‘AGE’, followed by the letter P, followed by a numeric value of 2 or 4; which 

represents the quarter of the calendar year, followed by the single digit monitoring 

year. For example, a case assigned to PEMS will be coded as AGEP47.

• Category R – These cases are eliminated from the monitoring effort; however, 

additional information is needed to resolve the cases. The case referrals will be 

posted on USTAR for trace and follow-up actions by the field office. P&S will notify 

each field office when the referrals are posted. 

The cases can be identified by a six-digit USTAR category code; i.e. the field office 

number, followed by the letter R, followed by a numeric value of 2 or 4; which 

represents the quarter of the calendar year, followed by the single digit monitoring 

year. For example, a case assigned to the Atlanta field office in October 2017 will 

be coded as 101R47.
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• Category Y – These cases will be selected for monitoring. The case referrals will be 

posted on USTAR for trace and follow-up actions by the field office. P&S will notify 

each field office when the referrals are posted. 

The case referrals can be identified by a six-digit USTAR category code; i.e. the field 

office number, followed by the letter A, followed by a numeric value of 2 or 4; which 

represents the quarter of the calendar year, followed by the single digit monitoring 

year. For example, a case assigned to the Atlanta field office for the monitoring 

effort in October 2017 will be coded as 101A47. 

Field office managers are to assign cases within 10 business days after being 

loaded. P&S-PAS will notify the Bureau of Field Service (BFS) on the 11th working 

day, if cases have not been assigned. BFS will follow-up with the office manager. 

Field office representatives will have 90 days to complete their actions.

P&S will coordinate the printing and mailing of Forms G-19c. Forms G-19c will be 

released from headquarters, but the mailing and return envelopes will bear the address 

of the servicing field office.

6.5.82.6 Forms G-19c 

Form G-19c has been designed to identify annuitants whose death has not been 

reported to the RRB, who may require a representative payee, or may require a change 

of address. General questions are asked whose answers should be known to the 

annuitant, and easily verified against the FSIS, PREH, or DATA-Q systems.

6.5.82.7 Field Office Responsibilities 

Field office claims representatives are responsible for reviewing returned Forms G-19c. 

Upon the return of the completed G-19c monitoring form, review the form carefully to 

ensure that each question was responded to appropriately. Pay particular attention to 

item 1; which asks if the address is correct, and item 6; which asks for the annuitant’s 

signature. If the annuitant signed by Mark (“X”) or someone other than the annuitant 

signed the form, items 7 and 8 must be completed. A response to items 3 and 4 are 

desired, but not mandatory.

If the response to item 1 is ‘No’ and a new address was provided in item 2 (or 

somewhere on the form), process a change of address and close out the USTAR 

referral only if:

• Form G-19c appears to have been signed by the annuitant 

• RRB records have not been updated to reflect the new address or there is no 

pending change of address
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• There is no indication in item 7 that the annuitant is incapacitated or unable to 

handle his or her affairs, or the annuitant has a power-of-attorney

NOTE: Follow-up with the annuitant if a new address was not provided in item 2 (or 

somewhere on the form).

If the response to item 1 is ‘Yes’, review the signature in item 6. If the signature 

appears to be that of the annuitant, and there is no indication in item 7 the annuitant is 

incapacitated or unable to handle his or her affairs, or the annuitant has a power-ofattorney, close out the USTAR referral and send the G-19c to Imaging.

If item 7 indicates the annuitant is incapacitated, unable to manage his or her affairs, or 

appears to have an individual acting on his or her behalf in the capacity of power-ofattorney, develop for a representative payee according to the instructions in FOM-1-

1415.10.

6.5.82.8 Reporting Results for Nonagenarian/Centenarian Monitoring Cases 

Report the nonagenarian/centenarian monitoring results on USTAR. Use one of the 

disposition codes shown below to close the referral. In some cases, multiple codes may 

apply. Select the code the best describes the action taken in the case, and use the 

remarks section to describe any additional pertinent actions.

• NAN – No Action Necessary. Use the code when the responses were addressed 

appropriately; i.e. the annuitant’s address on record has been confirmed, the form 

was completed by the annuitant, and the annuitant does not appear to need a 

representative payee. Additionally, notate “Responses Deemed Appropriate” in the 

remarks section. 

• DEC – Deceased Handled. Use this code if the annuitant was determined to be 

deceased. Enter the date of death in the remarks section and process a first notice 

of death (FNOD) on APPLE to terminate the benefits. 

• RPD - Rep-Payee Development. Use this code if representative payee development 

was initiated and finalized. 

NOTE: The USTAR referral cannot be closed until all representative payee 

development action has been completed, and the representative payee has been 

added on the annuitant’s record. 

• HND – Handled COA. Use this code if the case requires a change of address. 

Update the address on record by completing the appropriate FAST-COA transaction

(see FOM-1-1570.5). 

• SUS - Benefit suspended. Use this code if the case requires a suspension due to 

exhaustion of efforts to secure the completed G-19c, and/or to locate the annuitant. 

Process the necessary suspension code on FAST-S/T (see section 6.5.82.8). 
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Provide related information in the remarks section and on the Contact Log, as 

appropriate.

NOTE: We do not have the authority to suspend annuitants’ social security (SS) 

benefit. If SS benefits are involved, contact RBD or SBD to request permission from 

SSA to suspend the benefit.

• UO - OIG referral: Use this code if the case requires referral to the Office of 

Inspector General for investigation. Enter any pertinent information in the USTAR 

remarks section. Enter an alert on the Contact Log; include the date referred and 

any special information related to the case. 

NOTE: Entering the ‘UO’ disposition code does not automatically refer cases to the 

OIG. Follow current field office procedures for referring cases to OIG.

6.5.82.9 Control and Tracing Monitoring Forms

Forms G-19c are to be returned in 15 days. Allow annuitants 30 days to return the 

form. If it is not received within 30 days, prepare and release a second G-19c. Form G19c is available on RRAILS. Notate this action in the USTAR remarks section. Pend 

for 15 days.

If the original or second Form G-19c is not returned within 15 days after the release of 

the second Form G-19c, attempt to contact the payee by telephone to schedule an 

interview to complete Form G-19c. Arrange the interview as soon as possible. If 

telephone contact is not successful or not possible, release Form Letter RL-53-F to 

arrange the interview. Pend for 15 days. If there is no response, suspend the annuity. 

Use code 63 for employee annuitants, code 64 for spouse annuitants, and code 65 for 

survivor annuitants. Do not close out the USTAR referral at this point. Pend the case 

for the seventh business day after the first of the month (the scheduled release for all 

recurring benefit payments) to see if the annuitant contacts an RRB office.

NOTE: We do not have the authority to suspend annuitants’ social security (SS) 

benefits. If SS benefits are involved, contact RBD or SBD to request permission from 

SSA to suspend the benefit.

If no contact has been made with the annuitant, investigate for possible death. 

• Check SSA’s NUMIDENT or MBR for a date of death. 

• Check for an online obituary (legacy.com, google.com, or local newspaper’s online 

listings). 

• Search for a death certificate from the local ‘Vital Records’ office. 

• If possible, visit the address on record. 

• If the annuitant resides in a foreign country contact the servicing US Embassy for 

assistance. A listing of Embassy contact information can be found at usembassy.gov. 
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If date of death cannot be proven after all methods to locate the annuitant have been 

exhausted, process a FAST-S/T transaction to change the suspension code to 76. Also see 

FOM-1-137.15 for additional information on suspension code 76. Close the USTAR referral 

using disposition code ‘SUS’. 

6.5.82.10 Undeliverable Forms G-19c

When the United States Postal Service (USPS) returns mail as undeliverable, a new 

address must be secured and verified. USPS will return undeliverable Forms G-19c to the 

servicing field office. Field offices are responsible for initiating the development/verification 

of a new address or date of death, verifying and processing changes of address. Follow the 

instructions outlined in FOM-1-139. See FOM-1-139.45 if benefits are paid via paper 

check. See FOM-1-139.50 if benefits are paid via Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds 

Transfer. Upon completion of the investigation, close out the USTAR referral using one 

of the disposition codes described above in section 6.5.82.8. 

6.5.85 Foreign Monitoring 

Periodically, SSA invites the RRB to submit a listing of beneficiaries living in a specific 

foreign country where they are performing an itinerant service trip. If the RRB has 

beneficiaries in pay status residing in that country, the RRB provides SSA with their 

names and addresses. The SSA representative visits the addresses on record to 

determine if the beneficiaries are alive and provides RRB with the result of their visits. 

There is no other monitoring of beneficiaries living in foreign countries.

6.5.86 Disability Monitoring Section 2(e) 4 Refunds 

At the end of the current calendar year, P&S - PAS requests a listing for employee 

disability cases in the following categories:

1. Cases which

• were in suspense in December of the preceding year, and

• the suspension code was "09", and

• the annuitant was under full retirement age in some months of the current 

calendar year.

2. Cases which were suspended with code "09" in the current calendar year.

3. Cases which were coded "09" for call-up on the first of the year following the 

current year.
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6.5.87 Release of Forms G-19L (Annual Earnings Monitoring 

Questionnaire)

Policy & Systems releases all Forms G-19L, and Program Evaluation and Management 

Services – Program Evaluation Section (PEMS-PES) receives and trace on the return of 

the forms. Refer to FOM-I-1115.35 for details regarding this program.

6.5.100 SSA/CMS Death Match 

6.5.100.1 Overview

The SSA/CMS Death Match process is a monthly computer match between the Social 

Security Administration’s Volume Death Master File (DMF), the Centers for Medicare 

and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Health Insurance Daily RRB Exceptions (HDRRBEX) 

and State Buy-In files (SBI), and the RRB’s active annuitant and beneficiary rolls. The 

primary purpose of this match is to identify cases where benefits and/or Medicare 

claims, are being paid after death. Per our data exchange agreements with SSA and 

CMS, we must independently verify the date of death (DOD) information before taking 

any adverse actions against the annuitant and/or beneficiary. The secondary purpose is 

the detection of fraud and abuse in the RRB’s benefit payment and Medicare programs. 

6.5.100.2 SSA/CMS System Processing

The HDRRBEX and SBI files are modified for integration with the SSA file. RRB 

receives the DMF (OLBG.NDI.RRB.VDMAS.R255.RYYMMDD) from SSA on or about 

the third business day of the month. The files do nothing for approximately two weeks.

Waiting to run the program for a couple weeks allows our cases to be suspended or 

terminated in already established manners. It also minimizes the chances of sending 

death notifications out to families that have already informed the RRB of the annuitant’s 

death.

A. Program Files

The Death Match system consists of various programs, and two small databases. 

• Program R26681 – CMS Sort. This program writes off records from the 

HDRRBEX and State Buy-In files processed during the month in the daily 

Medicare processing runs, that are tagged with referral codes 1231 (SBI 

CONVEYING DEATH - NOT UPDATED ON MOLI), 2901 (ANNUITY IN FORCE 

- DEATH MATCH SHOWS DOD) and 2902 (ACTIVE MOLI - DEATH MATCH 

SHOWS DOD), creating file P.BRC.#2681DD4.Y2K. 

• Program R26686 – CMS Compare. This program takes in file 

P.BRC.#2681DD4.Y2K; which is modified to include the beneficiary’s date of 

birth (DOB) and social security number (SSN) for comparison to the previous and 
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current months’ SSA DMFs. If a match is found, it is considered a duplicate 

notice of death and is dropped from moving further into the process. File 

P.BRC.R26686.DD2.CURR is generated.

• Program R26525 – Matching program. The matching program runs 

around the 18th of every month. This program takes in the CMS death 

match records, P.BRC.R26686.DD2.CURR, and is concatenated with 

the current month's SSA DMF, as input to the SSA Death Match 

process. The program reads the death match file and matches against 

the PREH database using the SSN, DOB and, in some cases, names. 

In 90% of the cases a match will not be found, since the SSA death 

match file also contains individuals who are not RRB annuitants. 

When a match is found, the program will determine which cases are 

still in current pay, suspended, or terminated status. The records are

linked to the date of death notification index referenced in program 

R26527. A flat file, P.RSP.R2525DD2.Y2K, is created and passed to 

program R26526. This program also creates a referral file for uploading 

to USTAR.

Annuitant in Current Pay Status

If the annuitant is in current pay status and there is no prior erroneous notification 

of death, the program will check for a previous notification of death from SSA or 

CMS. If no prior notice was received, the record proceeds to Program R26526

where a future suspension date (30 days later) is established. If a previous 

notice of death was received from SSA or CMS, the case will be suspended and 

removed from the letter creation process. The program also check to see if there 

was a prior erroneous report of death. If yes, the record is removed from further 

processing and will be reflected on the Erroneous Report of Death Report. See 

item B below. 

Annuitant Suspended

If the annuitant is in a suspended status, the system will search the date of 

notification index and create a termination referral. The record will terminate 60

days after death verification letter was released unless the date of death proves 

to be erroneous. If the annuitant was suspended outside of the death match 

process for a reason other than code 93 (representative payee died), a letter will 

be released. 

Annuitant Terminated

If the annuitant is terminated, the system will drop the case from the file. It will not 

proceed through the death match programs. These cases will be listed on the 

termination report. See item B below.

• Program R26526 – This program creates the RL-75 letters that are 

sent to the Family or Friends” of the alleged deceased annuitant. The 
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letters are released to the address of the annuitant. The program also 

creates and sends a letter file to Imaging. 

• Program R26527 – DEREC - Suspension/Tracking - This program is 

run each month just prior to the final DAISY run. The main purpose of 

this program is to search for records that indicate an RL-75 letter was 

sent over 30 days prior. When a record is found that is 30 days old 

with no response received indicating the annuitant is alive, the program 

refers to the PREH database to determine the status of the annuity. 

For cases where the annuitant is still in current pay status, a 

mechanical FAST suspension transaction is created to suspend the 

record. The case is then removed from the date of notification index 

and placed on the date of suspension index. The date of notification 

index is searched to identify records that have been in suspense for 

more than 60 days, and a FAST termination transaction is created. 

• DEDU001- On-Line Deletion Database - This program allows a user 

to access the SSA Death Match record through RRAPID by entering 

an annuitant’s RRB claim number. By choosing “17 DTHMATCH” on 

the RRAPID main menu, a user can prevent an annuitant from being 

erroneously terminated; i.e. an erroneous report of death situation. 

B. Program Reports 

• P.RSP.2527DD1 – Suspension Report

This report lists all the cases for which the program has created a FAST 

suspension. An estimate of outstanding payments for each case is provided. 

Totals of amounts “saved” by the suspension action and totals of the amounts 

outstanding, however, are the amounts of the current monthly annuity rates 

multiplied by the number of months between the dates of death and the 

suspensions. If the annuity rate had changed at some point during this period of 

time, the outstanding payment amount may not be completely accurate.

• P.RSP.2527DD2 – On-FAST Report referral listing

This report lists the cases for which the program tried to create a FAST 

suspension, but found that another action had already placed one on the FAST 

database.

• P.RSP.2527DD3 – Already Suspended Report

This report lists all the cases that PREH indicates are already suspended. These 

cases remain on the SSA Death Match database for further tracking purposes.
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• P.RSP.2527DD4 – 90 Day Suspension Report

This report lists all the death match cases that have been in suspension status 

for over 90 days.

• P.RSP.2527DD5 – Suspension Cases to be Purged in 30 Days

This report lists all the suspended death match cases that will be purged in 30 

days.

• P.RSP.2527DD6 – Purge Report

This report lists the suspended cases that have been purged from the death 

match database.

• P.RSP.2527DD7 – Notice of Erroneous Report of Death

This report lists all the death match cases that have been suspended, but are 

now back in current pay status.

• P.RSP.2527DD8–Termination Report

This report lists all the death match cases that were terminated by other systems 

within the initial, approximately 30-day period after a confirmation letter was 

released. All of these cases have been purged from the death match database.

• P.RSP.2527DD9 – 180 Day Suspension Report

This report lists the suspended death match cases that have been in suspense 

status for over 150 days.

• P.RSP.2527D10 – Bad FAST Action Report

This report lists the current pay cases that the suspension program failed to 

suspend.

• P.RSP.2527D11 – Cases Purged from Erroneous Notice of Death Index

After residing on the IX-ERRNOTIC for over 90 days the erroneous notice of 

death cases are purged from the database. This report lists these cases. 

• P.RSP.2527D12 – No Match Report

This is the report that lists the cases for which the suspension program failed to 

find a matched record on DATAQ. 

• P.RSP.2527D13 – Legal Process Cases
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Whenever a legal process case is discovered it will be listed on this report for 

manual handling and tracking. The record is then purged from the SSA Death 

Match database.

• P.RSP.2527D14 – Late Terminations Report

This report lists cases from the suspension/termination index which are now 

terminated, but cannot be purged because the beneficiary was entitled to a 

benefit on another claim number that is not terminated (Dual cases).

6.5.100.3 PEMS-PES Death Match Responsibilities

The Program Evaluation and Management Services – Program Evaluation Section 

(PEMS-PES) is responsible for:

1. Screening the USTAR referrals and taking appropriate actions. All referrals 

should be closed out timely with the appropriate disposition type on USTAR. 

2. Handling the responses to the RL-75 letters. This would include but not limited to 

erroneous death notifications, undeliverable mail, field office development 

actions, and enclosures of death certificates, correspondence, and checks.

NOTE: An individual entitled to, or receiving, railroad retirement benefits, is 

presumed to be competent until information to the contrary is received. If, during 

the investigation, you are informed that the annuitant is not deceased and needs 

a representative payee, DO NOT suspend or terminate benefits. Take the 

following actions:

• Remove the case from the automated death match system by using the online deletion program (#17-DTHMATCH on RRAPID main menu). 

• Contact the appropriate field office via E-mail, and request an investigation. 

Provide the field office with the name and telephone number of the informant.

3. Close out USTAR using the appropriate code, as well as annotating the Remarks 

section. No further action is necessary.

4. Preparing monthly receipt reports for the total number of cases received for the 

month.

5. Referring suspected fraud cases to the RRB’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). 

NOTE: Image any statements or evidence you obtained in the investigation, and 

forward to the OIG via email at hotline@oig.rrb.gov. If you are unsure of whether 

or not a case should be referred to the OIG, see your supervisor. 
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6.5.101 Uncashed Check Investigation 

See FOM 1-115.50. 

Appendices

Appendix A - Previous EDP Policing Program

I. Background - The previous EDP policing program was used for years before 

1978. It served the following functions:

• Identifying annuitants who may not be complying with earnings and 

employment restrictions i.e. annual earnings test, disability earnings 

restrictions, and last person service.

• Identifying annuitants who had acquired an insured status at SSA after 

their ABD.

• Identifying annuitants entitled to an AERO recomp.

The previous EDP policing program is no longer functional because SSA 

changed their reporting from a quarterly basis to a yearly basis. In addition, the 

last two functions are no longer needed because the Board now has other more 

reliable means of identifying these categories of annuitants.

NOTE: This program did not identify retirement annuitants subject to work 

deductions under the '74 Act.

II. Explanation of Referrals for Previous EDP Policing Program

A. Reason for referral - The following referral messages were produced for 

the previous EDP policing system:

1. Retirement

• EARNINGS REPORTED BY SSA INDICATES ADJUSTMENT 

NECESSARY FOR (year);

• ADJUSTMENT NECESSARY BECAUSE OF ELIGIBILITY FOR SS 

BENEFIT;

• INVESTIGATE, MAY HAVE SUFFICIENT QC FOR AN INSURED 

STATUS;

• CHECK FOR POSSIBLE LAST PERSON SERVICE.

2. Survivor 
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• EARNINGS REPORTED BY SSA INDICATE ADJUSTMENT 

NECESSARY FOR (year);

• ADJUSTMENT NECESSARY BECAUSE OF ELIGIBILITY FOR SS 

BENEFITS;

• INVESTIGATE, MAY HAVE SUFFICIENT QC FOR AN INSURED 

STATUS.

B. Interpreting the referral - Here is an explanation of other information 

printed on the referral:

1. Earnings Entries - Earnings entries for both retirement and survivor 

cases receive the same interpretation. A printout showing earnings 

as "950.00" means that the annuitant had earnings of $950.00 for 

that particular year. All money amounts represent creditable 

earnings except those followed by "CR." Money amounts followed 

by "CR" represent a negative earnings figure.

2. QC Pattern - QC patterns were printed out in all cases. The 

meaning of the symbols used in these patterns is outlined in 

Section III below.

• The First Four Positions - The first four positions in the pattern show 

whether earnings have been reported for, or allocated to, calendar 

quarters, with the entries in the first position pertaining to the first 

quarter the entries in the second position to the second quarter, etc.

• The Fifth and Sixth Positions - The entries in the fifth position show the 

QC credited on the basis of SEI, while those in the sixth position 

indicate the earnings reported for agricultural work. In some cases 

QC's will have been allocated for SEI and agricultural work; in other 

cases, the allocation will not have been made. If the allocation has not 

been made, refer to the instructions in "Insured Status" chapter.

• The Seventh Position - An "X" in the seventh position means that the 

total earnings printed out include a credit (CR or minus item), but the 

figure represents creditable earnings (a plus item). A "CR" in the 

seventh and eighth positions means that a credit item or items have 

resulted in a negative earnings figure.

3. Examples of QC Patterns - The following examples illustrate 

possible QC patterns:
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Example 1 - 1968 First Four Positions: 

QC PAT CNNNOOX

A wage QC has been 

reported for the first 

quarter of 1968; no 

wages have been 

reported for the other 

quarters.

Fifth Position: No SEI has been 

reported.

Sixth Position: No AG earnings have 

been reported.

Seventh Position: "X" in the seventh 

position means that 

the earnings total 

printed out includes a 

credit (CR or minus) 

item.

Example 2 - 1969 First Four Positions: 

QC PAT CNAAOB

A wage QC has been 

reported for the first 

quarter; no earnings 

have been reported 

for the second 

quarter. QC's have 

been allocated by 

SSA to the third and 

fourth quarters on the 

basis of AG earnings.

Fifth Position: No SEI has been 

reported.

Sixth Position: $200 to $299.99 to 

AG earnings; the last 

two quarters of year 

are QC.

Example 3 - 1970 First Four Positions: 

QC PAT SSSNCO

QC's have been 

allocated to three 

quarters of the year 

on the basis of SEI.
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Fifth Position: Three QC's have 

been credited on the 

basis of SEI.

Sixth Position: No AG earnings have 

been reported.

4. Employer Identification Numbers - Our policing file contained SSA 

employer identification numbers recorded by claims examiners on 

Form G-322. There are three possible printouts for the "POL EIN":

1. No number in a case in which an employer number has not 

yet been recorded in the policing file;

2. A number containing all "8's" in cases in which it has been 

determined that there is more than one LPS employer; or

3. An SSA employer identification number in cases in which 

there is one LPS employer.

NOTE: In those cases in which it is determined that there is no 

LPS employer, an identification number of all "9's" is recorded in 

the policing file; there should be no printouts for LPS with this 

number.