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115.5 Issuance of Payments

The Kansas City Financial Center of the Department of the Treasury prepares and 

issues payments for the RRB.

The monthly payment issue file for recurring annuity payments is electronically 

transmitted to the Kansas City Financial Center (KFC) usually on the 4th to last working 

day in the month prior to the month of issue. KFC prints the checks and prepares EFT 

payments. KFC makes the checks available to the U.S. Postal Service in time for 

delivery on the 1st business day of the month. They transmit the EFT payments to the 

Federal Reserve Bank for distribution to the financial institutions for posting to accounts 

on the first business day of the month.

Accrual payments are separate checks/EFT releases. This includes initial awards and 

accrual payments released after an adjustment or reinstatement award. Accrual 

payments made by check are generally received within 2 weeks of the date payments 

are processed (the voucher date). Accrual payments made by EFT are generally 

received within 2 days of the date payments are processed (the voucher date).

A. Retirement Benefits - An employee annuitant receiving both a regular annuity 

and a supplemental annuity receives one recurring payment covering both 

benefits.

An employee annuitant whose SS benefit is paid by the RRB receives one 

recurring payment covering the regular retirement annuity, supplemental annuity 

(if he or she is entitled to one), and Social Security Act benefit.

A spouse annuitant whose SS benefit is paid by the RRB receives one recurring 

payment covering the spouse annuity and SS benefit.

Checks representing combined benefits have a legend printed under the check 

amount ("RR COMB BEN") with additional legends printed at the bottom of the 

check identifying the type and amount of each benefit included in the check.

If either the RR or the SS benefit has been suspended, a separate payment will 

be issued for the benefit that continues to be paid. If payment is by check, the 

legend under the check amount will indicate which benefit is being paid. When 

the suspended benefit is reinstated, the accrual payment will be separate as 

usual, and the first monthly payment released on a regular recurring basis will be 

for combined RR/SS benefits.

A one-payment-only to an annuitant in suspended or terminated status may be 

made using paper check or EFT. An EFT routing number is maintained on the 

record unless a death termination has been processed.

B. Survivor Payments - Each survivor annuitant receives a separate 

check/payment.
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A survivor annuitant whose SS benefit is paid by the RRB receives one recurring 

payment covering the survivor annuity and the SS benefit.

If payment is by check, a legend is printed under the check amount ("RR COMB 

BEN") with additional legends printed at the bottom of the check identifying the 

type and amount of each benefit included in the check.

If either the RR or the SS benefit has been suspended, a separate payment will 

be issued for the benefit that continues to be paid. The legend on the check 

under the check amount will indicate which benefit is being paid. When the 

suspended benefit is reinstated, the accrual payment will be separate as usual, 

and the first monthly payment released on a regular recurring basis will be for 

combined RR/SS benefits.

If either the RR or the SS benefit has been suspended, a separate payment will 

be issued for the benefit that continues to be paid.

If payment is by check, the legend under the check amount will indicate which 

benefit is being paid. When the suspended benefit is reinstated, the accrual 

payment will be separate as usual, and the first monthly payment released on a 

regular recurring basis will be for combined RR/SS benefits.

A one-payment-only to an annuitant in suspended or terminated status may be 

made using paper check or EFT. An EFT routing number is maintained on the 

record unless a death termination has been processed.

C. Separate Social Security Payments - Separate social security payments are 

issued when:

• Two SS benefits are paid by the RRB; and

• One of the two SS benefits is paid from the OASI (Old Age and Survivors 

Insurance) Trust Fund, and the other is paid from the DI (Disability Insurance) 

Trust Fund. These are the two separate trust funds from which SS benefits 

are paid; separate checks/EFT payments are necessary to charge the benefit 

against the correct trust fund for accounting purposes. Retirement and 

survivor benefits are paid from the OASI fund. Disability benefits, including 

family benefits based on a wage earner's disability, are paid from the DI fund.

If a railroad annuity is payable in this situation, the SS OASI benefit is combined 

with any RR annuity payable and issued in one payment. The SS DI benefit is 

paid in a separate payment.

When paying the SS disability benefit in a separate check, we use:

1. The following symbols and prefixes for the SS disability benefit: 

• Employee: WCA
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• Spouse: WCA

• Survivor: WCA or WCD

2. The next available payee code (i.e., one that has not been used already or 

has not been reserved for the spouse), and 

3. The RR employee’s claim number. 

When a person receiving an SS disability benefit attains age 65, SSA will convert 

that benefit to a retirement benefit and the RRB will begin to issue one payment 

covering payment of any RR annuity plus the SS benefits. 

115.10 Distribution Of Payments

Treasury’s Kansas City Financial Center issues all RRB payments. Payments are 

made by check and electronic funds transfer (EFT). Award letters are prepared and 

released by the RRB directly to the annuitant. The award letter is usually received 

within 2 weeks of the payment date.

Receipt of the check/EFT payment may be delayed if the award voucher rejects. If the 

award letter was processed on ALTA, it will not be released until the voucher is 

corrected. If, however, the award letter was produced by RASI or prepared manually, it 

may be released even if the payment is not. Any rejects are re-vouchered on a priority 

basis. If it is necessary to extend the accrual amount through another month, the 

examiner will send the annuitant a Form Letter RL-121d explaining that there will be a 

delay in the check/EFT payment release. A corrected award letter will be sent providing 

the revised accrual amount. In both instances, a copy will be sent to the servicing field 

office or be available for viewing on the imaging system.

115.15 Release of Large Accrual Paper Checks ($10,000 Or More)

Award accruals over $10,000 paid by a paper check, must be preceded by advance 

notice. We do not send advance notice in direct deposit/EFT, mechanical award, or 

residual lump sum payments situations even if the accrual is over $10,000. An Outlook 

Form e-G-115, Large Accrual Notice, is prepared by the claims examiner and sent to 

the servicing field office for annuitants residing in the United States, Canada and 

Mexico. Form e-G-115 is available under the “ACTIONS” tab of the Office of Programs 

public folder. The examiner uses RCM 10.3 Appendices B and C to identify Canadian 

provinces and Mexican states serviced by RRB field offices. 

The e-mail notice includes the examiner’s name and unit location, and identifying 

information on the recipient, i.e., name, address, claim number, social security number 

(if different), telephone number, representative payee (if applicable), the type of 

payment (recurring or OPO), and the reason for accrual. The gross accrual amount 

before tax withholding is shown.
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Advance notification allows the field office to assist the beneficiary in making 

arrangements to negotiate or deposit the check. The advance notice is released by the 

examiner when sending the case to authorization. If authorization results in a 

substantial change to the accrual amount, a modified e-G-115 Large Accrual Notice 

should be sent.

DO NOT notify the annuitant until the award appears on DATAQ or PREH. The net 

accrual will be available on DATAQ. 

If, in your judgment, the release of a large accrual check (not necessarily $10,000 or 

more) will cause a hardship to an annuitant, you can request in advance that 

arrangements be made for mailing the check to the field office for personal delivery.

115.20 Payment by Direct Deposit (Electronic Funds Transfer)

The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) now requires all Federal benefit and nontax 

payments to be made electronically. This requirement applies to both Railroad 

Retirement Act (RRA) and Railroad Unemployment and Sickness Insurance Act (RUIA) 

benefit payments. Applicants who apply for benefits on or after May 1, 2011 will need to 

choose an electronic payment option to receive their benefit payments. 

Annuitants/claimants currently receiving their benefit payments via paper check will 

need to switch to electronic payments by March 1, 2013. Annuitants/claimants who are 

already receiving their benefit payments electronically are not affected.

Exceptions: Treasury will allow benefit payments to be paid via paper check to 

individuals who meet one of the following exemptions:

• age 90 or older (born before May 1, 1921), 

• had a Direct Express® card that was suspended or cancelled,

• have a mental impairment (non-representative payee situations), or 

• live in a remote area of the country that lacks the infrastructure to support electronic 

financial transactions.

The individual must provide notarized documentation attesting that he or she meets one 

of the exemption criterions. Treasury is responsible for obtaining the notarized 

documentation from the individual and for making the waiver determination. The 

advantages of Direct Deposit should be explained to any applicant or beneficiary who is 

thinking about claiming a waiver from mandatory EFT. Those advantages include:

• Direct Deposit payments are sent electronically to the beneficiary’s checking or 

savings account at a bank, savings and loan, credit union or other financial 

institution. Direct Deposit payments cannot be delayed or lost in the mail, misplaced 

or stolen.
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• For nonrecurring payments, Direct Deposit payments are generally available to a 

beneficiary on the first or second business day following the day the RRB approves 

a payment. This is 2 to 5 days sooner than payment by check. (NOTE: Treasury 

regulations require that financial institutions make benefit payments available for 

withdrawal by the beneficiary no later than the opening of business on the payment 

date. The payment date is the date on which the financial institution’s Federal 

Reserve account is credited by the Federal Reserve Bank for the amount of the 

payment.) 

• Direct Deposit is a safe, convenient and reliable way to receive benefit payments.

• Direct Deposit saves the Railroad Retirement Trust Fund money, money that can be 

used to pay future benefit payments.

• Beneficiaries have a permanent record of their benefit payments through their bank 

records. 

The beneficiary must be reminded of the importance of keeping the RRB informed 

about changes in his or her mailing address. Although payments will not be sent to the 

home address, important correspondence such as tax statements and the RRA rate 

notices will be mailed to the home.

115.20.1 Treasury Department "Tools"

The Financial Management Service of the Department of the Treasury provides these 

references and services to assist in the Direct Deposit program:

Financial Organization Master 

File (FOMF)

The Treasury Department's list of financial 

institutions receiving government automated 

payments. An on-line version is available on 

RRAPID.

Canadian Financial Institutions 

Branch Directory 

The list of financial institutions and their bank 

codes, branch codes, and addresses. To view the 

on-line web version click on the link Canadian 

Financial Directory.

IBAN Decoder Tool A website tool that is used to decode the 

International Bank Account Number (IBAN), 

secure bank code, branch code, and account 

number. 

Http://www.xe.com/idt/

The Green Book The Treasury Department's manual on Direct 

Deposit. Financial Institutions receive the Green 
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Book and periodic updates from Treasury. The 

Green Book is available on-line at

www.fms.treas.gov.

Marketing Materials The Treasury Department assists the RRB by 

designing, publishing and issuing check stuffers, 

brochures and posters.

Notification of Change (NOC) NOC is an automated method used by financial 

institutions to notify Federal agencies through the 

Federal Reserve Bank of corrections or changes 

in account information.

115.20.2 Direct Deposit Terminology

This section lists terms frequently used in Direct Deposit procedure and Treasury 

publications.

Account Title The account title provides individual identification 

and may include the names of others that are also 

authorized to withdraw funds from the account. 

The RRB requires that the annuitant's name be 

included in the account title.

Note: For International Direct Deposit (IDD), if 

other individuals are authorized to withdraw funds 

from the account, each individual must read the 

special notice contained on Form OF 1199-I and 

sign Section E of the form. 

Account Type The letter code C or S preceding or following the 

Depositor Account Number (DAN). C = checking; 

S = savings.

Automated Clearing House 

(ACH)

A central distribution and settlement point that 

performs inter-bank clearing of paperless entries 

for participating financial institutions to exchange 

funds electronically.

Check Digit The ninth number of the routing transit number 

(RTN) which is actually a result of a mathematical 

formula applied to the RTN. It is used to verify the 

accuracy of the RTN.

Depositor Account Number 

(DAN)

Account identification assigned by the financial 

institution. The DAN may be up to 17 characters 

in length and consist of numbers and/or letters.
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Note: Some foreign financial institutions have 

depositor account numbers that exceed 17 

characters. . 

Direct Deposit (DD) A Federal government payment program for 

individuals, firms and other entities, which 

authorize the deposit of payments automatically 

into a checking or savings account. Payments are 

sent by Automated Clearing House (ACH), 

thereby eliminating the need to print and mail 

checks.

Direct Deposit Analyst The RRB agency representative responsible for 

resolving Direct Deposit questions, discrepancies, 

and processing of all International Direct Deposit 

enrollment requests. This individual also 

maintains records of financial institution addresses 

and RTN. The telephone: (312) 751-4704, Email 

address: TCIS-CSU Group. 

Electronic Funds Transfer 

(EFT)

A system using electronic means to transfer 

payment data and funds from an originator (RRB) 

to a recipient's account at a receiving financial 

institution.

Federal Reserve Bank (FRB) Serves as the nation's central bank. Its functions 

include: processing EFT payments, (including 

ACH) for the Federal government, handling 

Federal government deposits and checks, and 

supervising and regulating Federally chartered 

financial institutions.

Financial Institution (FI) Acceptable financial institutions for Direct Deposit 

purposes are: banks, savings and loans, and 

credit unions.

International Direct Deposit 

(IDD)

A Federal government payment program for 

individuals living outside the United States, which 

authorizes the deposit of payments automatically 

into a checking or savings account with a financial 

institution outside the US. Payments are sent by 

ACH, thereby eliminating the need to print and 

mail checks.

ITS.GOV International Treasury Services which enables 

federal agencies to issue foreign currency 
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payments using the Automated Clearing House 

(ACH) network. The supporting web based 

application is used for processing IDD enrollments 

and maintaining bank address information for 

foreign benefit recipients.

Magnetic Ink Character 

Recognition (MICR) Coding

A special type font printed with magnetic ink on 

the bottom line of checks. The MICR-encoded line 

is used by the banking industry to sort and 

process checks. The RTN and DAN are found 

within the MICR coding.

Power-of-Attorney A legal instrument authorizing one individual to act 

as an agent for the other. An individual appointed 

as power-of-attorney may not sign the Form SF1199A or the Form OF 1199-I on behalf of 

another, since the Form SF-1199A and the Form 

OF 1199-I is a power-of-attorney itself. If advised 

that an annuitant has granted power-of-attorney to 

another individual, develop for a possible 

representative payee.

Representative Payee A person who receives payments on behalf of a 

person who has applied for and is entitled to 

Federal benefits payable by law. The account of 

an individual with a representative payee must 

reflect that the representative payee has a 

fiduciary and not a personal interest in the funds. 

It also must indicate that the annuitant has 

ownership of the funds.

Routing Transit Number 

(RTN)

An eight-digit identification number assigned to 

financial institutions by an agent of the American 

Bankers' Association. This number is the 

identification by which Direct Deposit/EFT 

payments are distributed to financial institutions.

The eight-digit identification number for all 

International Direct Deposit accounts is 02105306. 

This RTN is assigned to the International Treasury

Services by which Direct Deposit/EFT payments 

are distributed to financial institutions in foreign 

countries through the Federal Reserve Bank of

New York. 

SF-1199A Direct Deposit 

enrollment (sign-up form)

A form providing the necessary information to 

initiate Direct Deposit. Its use is optional.
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The RRB does not maintain a supply of Forms 

SF-1199A. They may be obtained from a financial 

institution.

OF 1199-I International Direct 

Deposit

A form providing the necessary information to 

process Direct Deposit for payments sent to 

beneficiaries living outside the United States. This 

is an Optional Form that can be downloaded from

the RRB.gov website. 

Trust Account A trust account is one that is set up between two 

individuals refer to section115.21.6.

115.20.3 Initiating Direct Deposit

An RRB annuitant may initiate domestic (a U.S. bank) Direct Deposit in one of several 

ways: 

• automated enrollment (ENR) at bank savings and loan, credit union or other financial 

institution where the annuitant wants payments deposited. (see section 115.24),

• simplified formless enrollment (annuitant does not need bank to verify routing or 

account numbers), 

• in-person visit to a field office,

• telephone call to a field office,

• completion of Form SF-1199A at a financial institution. 

An RRB annuitant who lives outside the United States may initiate International Direct 

Deposit by completing Form OF 1199-I. The form is available on the rrb.gov website. 

Completed forms are to be forwarded to the Direct Deposit Analyst in TCIU. 

If both the employee and spouse want to have payments sent by Direct Deposit, two 

enrollments, one for each annuitant, must be completed. Combined RR/SS benefit 

checks need only one enrollment to effect Direct Deposit.

Note: When an SS disability benefit is paid by the RRB in a second check, the 

annuitant will have to complete two Direct Deposit enrollments. 

A. Direct Deposit of Initial Payment - The APPLE system allows field office 

personnel to input the Direct Deposit information during the application process. 

The APPLE entry is simultaneously transmitted to the Initial Direct Deposit 

Application (IDDA) system. The information will remain on IDDA until a payment 

record is established or 270 days from the date the data was entered. See 

FOM-I-110.73 andFOM-1-1572.35. 
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Note: Field office personnel must refer all International Direct Deposit requests to 

the Direct Deposit Analyst who will enter the information on the ITS.gov 

application and on IDDA. If the beneficiary does not have a social security 

number, the Direct Deposit Analyst will process the enrollment once the annuity 

is in recurring payment status. 

B. Treasury Department Guidelines on Direct Deposit - Guidelines for the Direct 

Deposit program are outlined in the Treasury Department's Green Book. 

Important information supplementing information in the Green Book and this 

section will be provided to field offices by the Payment Analysis and Systems 

section of Policy and Systems. Field offices should disregard other “Direct 

Deposit” materials, e.g. promotional materials received from financial institutions, 

currency exchanges, etc. 

If you receive procedural questions about Direct Deposit of RRB benefits from a 

financial institution that you cannot answer, refer the financial institution to the 

Direct Deposit Analyst (by telephone to 312-751-4704). If the financial institution 

needs general information about the Direct Deposit program or a copy of the 

Green Book, direct them to https://fiscal.treasury.gov/reference-guidance/greenbook. 

115.20.4 Financial Institutions

Direct Deposit enrollment is permitted at most traditional financial service organizations. 

Listed below are acceptable and unacceptable types of financial institutions. Do not

attempt to enroll a beneficiary for Direct Deposit at any of the financial institutions 

shown as unacceptable.

A. Acceptable Financial Institutions:

• Banks

• Savings and Loans

• Credit Unions

B. Unacceptable Financial Institutions:

• Credit Card Companies

• Finance Companies

• Mutual Funds

• Brokerage Houses

• Insurance Companies
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• Other non-traditional financial service organizations

115.20.5 Types of Accounts

Determine what type of account the annuitant has before processing the enrollment.

A. Acceptable Accounts - Funds may be deposited by EFT into these types of 

accounts: 

• Checking

• Savings

• Transaction account (Now/Share Draft), but must be entered as a 

checking or savings account

B. Unacceptable Accounts - Direct Deposit cannot be processed for the following 

types of accounts:

• Commercial Accounts 

• Credit Card Accounts

• Loan Accounts

• Accounts from which funds cannot be withdrawn

115.20.6 Sources of Bank Data

Bank data is found on a variety of documents. Some, however, do not provide 

complete and accurate information.

Acceptable Documents Unacceptable Documents (Do Not 

Use)

Bank statement Deposit tickets

Check IRS forms

Passbook Starter checks

Information received directly from the 

financial institution or annuitant

115.20.7 Where to Find Direct Deposit Information

The easiest way to secure accurate Direct Deposit information is by telephoning the 

financial institution. When provided with sufficient customer identification, the financial 

institution is usually able to confirm the account number and routing transit number. 
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If information is needed from a financial institution outside the US, telephone the 

financial institution or request assistance from the U.S. Embassy or the Consulate in the 

foreign country. Contact the Direct Deposit Analyst in TCIU if your office does not have 

the ability to make international calls. 

Other sources for payment information include: 

A. TYPE OF ACCOUNT AND DEPOSITOR ACCOUNT NUMBER

• Voided check

• Passbook

• Bank statement

• Telephone the annuitant

B. NAME AND ADDRESS OF FINANCIAL INSITUTION

• On-line Financial Organization Master File (FOMF,

• Canadian Financial Directory

• Envelope/Correspondence from financial institution

• Local telephone directory

• Telephone the Direct Deposit Analyst

• Telephone financial institution,

• Telephone the annuitant

C. ROUTING TRANSIT NUMBER AND CHECK DIGIT

• Voided check

• Telephone the Direct Deposit Analyst

• Telephone financial institution

• Telephone the annuitant

HELPFUL HINT: If the annuitant desires Direct Deposit into a savings account, 

ask if he or she also has a checking account at the same financial institution. 

The savings account passbook will not show the RTN; a check will. Always verify 

the routing transit number using the FOMF or by calling the financial institution.
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D. ACCOUNT TITLE

• Voided check 

• Passbook

• Bank statements

• Telephone financial institution

E. BANK CODE AND BRANCH CODE

• Voided check

• Documents from the foreign financial institution

115.20.8 Acceptable Account Titles

The account title must reflect the exact title of the account into which the payment is to 

be credited. It must include the name of the RRB annuitant either as the sole owner or 

one of the joint account holders.

Generally, if the following requirements are met in the account title, honor requests to 

forward annuity payments for credit to these accounts. If there is any doubt as to the 

acceptability of an account title, clarify it with the financial institution.

Payee Is Recipient of Benefits - Persons entitled to benefits in their own right may have 

their payments directed to either a single signature savings or checking account 

maintained in their own name or to a joint ownership savings or checking account. The 

title of the account must show that the recipient is co-owner of the funds in the account.

Note: If the IDD enrollee is not the sole owner of the account, the other account holders 

must read the special notice on the enrollment form and certify in section E of Form OF 

1199-I that they have read the notice. 

EXAMPLES:

Check payable to: John Doe. Savings or checking account title may be: 

• John Doe; 

• Mr. and Mrs. John Doe; 

• John or Mary Doe; or, 

• variations of the above

Check payable to widow: Mary Doe. Savings or checking account title may be:
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• Mary Doe, or; 

• Mrs. John Doe

Note: If the IDD enrollee is not the sole owner of the account, the other account holders 

must read the special notice on Form OF 1199-I and certify in section E of the form that 

they have read the notice. 

115.20.9 Account Title in Representative Payee Direct Deposit Cases

A. Representative Payee is Other than Parent or Spouse - If the representative 

payee is a person other than a parent or spouse, payments may be directed to a 

savings or checking account which is titled to show clearly that the representative 

payee has only a fiduciary and not a personal interest in the funds. In addition, 

the account title must not allow the annuitant direct access to the funds. Instruct 

representative payees using Direct Deposit, that annuitants should not have 

access to the account. Examine the bank documents carefully to determine 

compliance with account title guidelines. If there is any question about the 

validity of the account title, telephone the financial institution for confirmation.

EXAMPLES:

Check payable to: Ann Smith for John Doe.

Checking or savings account titles may be:

• John Doe by Ann Smith, Representative Payee

• Ann Smith for John Doe.

Note: The representative payee must be shown as a trustee or guardian of the 

account. The representative payee cannot authorize us to send payments to an 

account to which he or she has no access.

Under RRB regulations (20 CFR 266.11(d)), a representative payee is prohibited 

from commingling his/her personal funds with the annuitant’s funds. However, a 

representative payee may consolidate and maintain an annuitant’s funds in an 

account with other annuitants, as long as the representative payee maintains a 

separate, accurate, and complete accounting of each annuitant’s funds. Field 

offices are responsible for ensuring that the representative payee sets up the 

collective account according to the following guidelines:

• The collective account must be properly titled to show the beneficiaries as the 

owners of the account. 

• Any interest earned on the account belongs to the beneficiaries and must be 

credited to them on a prorated basis, based on their share of funds in the 

account.
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• The account title must show that the funds belong to the beneficiaries and not 

the representative payee. Examples of acceptable collective titles are: (1) 

Northshore Nursing Home, representative payee for Railroad Retirement 

Beneficiaries, or (2) Franklin Home, representative payee for Social Security 

and Railroad Retirement Beneficiaries.

• The account must be separate from the representative payee’s personal 

account or institution’s operating account.

• There must be clear and current records showing the amount of each 

individual beneficiary’s share in the account and that proper procedures are 

followed for documenting credits and debits for the individual beneficiaries.

• The accounts and supporting records must be made available to the RRB, 

upon request.

Additionally, field office records of representative payees are to be flagged to 

show when funds are being deposited into a collective account. Field offices are 

responsible for reviewing the account and related records to ensure continued 

compliance with the guidelines.

B. Representative Payee is the Parent or Spouse - If the representative payee is the 

parent or spouse of the person(s) for whom payment is made, payments may be 

directed to a checking or savings account jointly owned by the representative 

payee and the annuitant.

EXAMPLES:

• Acceptable checking or savings account titles include:

• Sally Doe by Mary Doe, Representative Payee;

• Mary Doe for Jimmy Doe; 

• Patty Doe by Mary Doe, Trustee

• Mary Doe and Sally Doe, or

• Mary Doe or Jimmy Doe.

A representative payee who is the parent or spouse of the beneficiary may also 

request Direct Deposit into his or her own checking account if the following 

conditions are met:

• The payee is the spouse, parent, or stepparent of the beneficiary. 

• The payee and the beneficiary live in the same household. 
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• The payee requests direct deposit to his or her personal checking account 

and, 

• The field office has verified with the payee that benefits will be used for the 

beneficiary’s current expenses and will not be accumulated in the account.

The title of the checking account does not need to indicate the beneficiary’s 

ownership of the funds. (This exception does not apply to direct deposit to a 

savings account.) 

Example: A widow files for survivor’s benefits for her three children upon the 

death of their father. She requests direct deposit of the children’s benefits to her 

checking account, stating that the children live with her and that all benefits will 

be used for the children and no money will be accumulated in the account.

115.20.10 Depositor Account Number (DAN)

The DAN may be all numerals, all letters, or a combination of both. Dashes (-) may be 

used as part of the number (i.e., 1234-5678), but other symbols such as slashes (/) or 

asterisks (*), and spaces are not acceptable. If a symbol other than a dash is used, 

contact the financial institution.

• Editing Account Numbers – Some financial institutions do not have depositor 

account numbers, but instead use names. If the depositor’s name is used as the 

account number, insert dashes between the first name (or initial), middle initial and 

last name. If there is a period after an initial, edit it out. If the name, including 

dashes, exceeds 17 characters and is not for an International Direct Deposit, contact 

the financial institution and attempt to resolve the problem.

• Domestic account number exceed 17 characters - A numerical domestic account 

number, including dashes, cannot exceed 17 characters. If the account number, 

including spaces, exceeds 17 characters, edit out the spaces. If after editing out the 

spaces (do not edit out dashes), the number still exceeds 17, contact the financial 

institution.

• International depositor’s account numbers can exceed 17 characters. However, 

even if an International depositor’s account number is less than 17 characters, it will 

not be displayed on FAST-COA-DD. All International depositors’ account number 

are entered and maintained in ITS.gov. DATAQ will only display the payee’s 

identification number in the account number field. This is a 14 character string 

consisting of the RRB 9-digit claim number; follow by the beneficiary symbol, prefix 

and payee code. The ACCOUNT TYPE/NO on DATAQ must adhere to a specific 

format. It is advisable that you contact the Direct Deposit Analyst, if you require 

assistance.
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115.20.11 Account Type

The account type may be either checking (C) or savings (S). Canadian financial 

institutions will return a payment if the type of account is not correct, so always secure 

the correct account type for Canadian enrollments.

115.20.12 Understanding Bank Documents

The RTN, check digit, account number and type of account are found in different 

formats on various bank documents. 

Note: Checks from a credit union accounts, savings account passbooks, and bank 

statements do not always reflect the correct RTN. Refer to section 115.20.7 for 

references on locating the RTN. 

Note: It is not necessary to secure the RTN for IDD because all IDD enrollments will be 

processed with an RTN of 02105306 and check digit 5. 

115.21 Processing Direct Deposit Enrollment Requests

Enrollment in the Direct Deposit program will be processed based upon a written 

request, a verbal (telephone or in-person) request, receipt of a Form SF-1199A or 

receipt of a Form OF 1199-I. 

A separate request and corresponding enrollment is required for each payee.

For documentation purposes, a copy of the direct deposit forms (Form SF-1199A, Form 

OF 1199-I, or Form G-94F), the written request from the annuitant, or the email request 

from the U.S. Embassy must be sent to the imaging system. If the request was 

received verbally, an entry must be made on the Contact Log. 

A letter verifying enrollment, Form RL-79E, is automatically issued for each Direct 

Deposit enrollment or modification processed on FAST. There are three versions of the 

Form RL-79E for each of the direct deposit programs: Domestic Direct Deposit, Direct 

Express, and International Direct Deposit. A copy of the direct deposit confirmation 

notice will be available in the imaging system.

115.21.1 Written Requests

An annuitant can submit a written request to initiate Direct Deposit enrollment. The 

written request must be signed by each payee desiring Direct Deposit. The request 

should include this information:

Domestic Direct Deposit International Direct Deposit

Account title Account holder
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Routing Transit Number and check 

digit **

Bank Code***

Depositor Account Number ** Branch Code***

Account type (checking/savings) Depositor Account Number

Account type (checking/savings)

Currency type  

Account Title or Ownership 

(individual/joint)

**  Refer to section 115.20.6 for an explanation of acceptable sources of bank data.

***The bank code and branch code are required for processing all Canadian 

International Direct Deposit enrollments. Other countries may provide a bank code that 

includes the branch code or, provide an IBAN that includes the bank code, branch code,

and depositor account number. 

****With the exception of Canadian claims, all International Direct Deposit enrollments 

are processed in the country’s local currency. Canadians are the only group of 

individuals that can have a U.S. dollar account, a Canadian dollar account, or both. In 

which case, the account number they provide must match the type of currency or the 

payment will be returned by the bank. 

115.21.2 Verbal Requests 

Annuitants can telephone or visit a field office to enroll for domestic and International 

Direct Deposit. As appropriate, the contact representative will ask the enrollee a series 

of questions meant to verify that the caller is the RRB annuitant. 

A. Suggested questions include: 

• What is your full name?

• What is your RRB claim number?

• What is your address?

• What is your date of birth?

• What is your Medicare Beneficiary Identification number?

Document the questions asked on Contact Log.
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(The answers to the above questions must match the information available on 

our records).

B. The payee should also be able to provide most, if not all, of the information listed 

below:

• Account title,

• Name and location of financial institution,

• Routing Transit Number and check digit (the RTN is not needed for IDD 

requests),

• Account number,

• Account type (savings or checking)

• Currency type (required for Canadian IDD requests)

• Bank Code and Branch Code for all Canadian IDD enrollment requests

• IBAN or International Bank. 

(Refer to section 115.20.7 for additional sources of this information.)

When making a change to a beneficiary’s address or adding/changing direct deposit;

document the contact log showing we confirmed the identity of the caller (see FOM1 

130.50 for instructions on confirming identity of callers), and state the additional piece of 

information that was obtained. Also, if there is an alert in the contact log indicating the 

customer made a special request, such as to require a password before allowing a 

change, make a note in the contact log indicating we have honored that request. For 

example:

• MA called to request change of Direct Deposit. Confirmed identity, MA provided 

employee’s last railroad employer and current Direct Deposit account number. 

• EE called to request Change of Address. Confirmed identity, EE gave date last 

worked and provided the correct password as indicated in the Contact Log alert.

 

115.21.3 Requests for Deposit of Payments in Banks Outside the U.S.

Not all foreign countries are participants of the International Treasury Services (ITS) 

program. Some countries are not eligible because they do not have adequate system 

security or because their financial systems are not equipped for routing electronic 

payments. Other countries are restricted from receiving payments. (See Eligible 

Countries for a list of countries that meet the system requirements and are active 

participants in the International Direct Deposit program). 
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In addition to the country’s eligibility requirement, the payment recipient must reside in a 

foreign country. Payment recipients, who do not have a foreign mailing address in our 

systems, cannot be enrolled in IDD. Investigate all conflicting mailing addresses. 

Process a change of address before sending the enrollment request to the Direct 

Deposit Analyst. If the payment recipient resides in a domestic address, release a 

modified Form RL-199 to explain that we cannot process the request for IDD because 

we have a U.S. address listed for them. However, if they have an account at a bank in 

the U.S., they will need to complete form SF-1199A to request Direct Deposit through

the domestic bank. 

IDD enrollment requests are processed by the Direct Deposit Analyst. The Direct 

Deposit Analyst will accept IDD requests by telephone, fax, or email. Send emails to: 

TCIS-CSU Group. However, the preferred method of enrollment is by securing a 

completed form OF 1199-I, International Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form, with signatures 

from the bank official and the payment recipient. Payment recipients requesting 

enrollments for a checking account should be encouraged to submit a voided check

along with Form OF 1199-I. 

Form OF 1199-I can be downloaded from the rrb.gov website and can be mailed or 

faxed to the Direct Deposit Analyst at:

US Railroad Retirement Board

Direct Deposit Analyst 

844 N. Rush Street

Chicago IL 60611 

Telephone: (312) 751-4704

Fax: (312) 751-7157

115.21.4 The Request Made by Annuitant when Payments Are in Force to 

Representative Payee

If a request is received by a beneficiary and payments are being made to a 

representative payee:

• Advise the requestor that the enrollment cannot be processed at this time and 

state the reason;

• Investigate to determine if the representative payee is no longer needed;

• If the annuitant will now be paid directly, process the domestic Direct Deposit 

request after the representative payee has been deleted; or if the request is 

for IDD, send the enrollment request to the Direct Deposit Analyst. 

• If payments should continue to be made to the representative payee, the new 

enrollment request should be destroyed.
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If the request was received in headquarters and there is a representative payee on 

record, the request will be referred to the field office for investigation. Headquarters will 

advise the financial institution of the reason the Direct Deposit request was not 

processed and the field office to which it was directed.

115.21.5 Processing Direct Deposit Request Made By a Representative When We 

Are Paying the Annuitant

At times, the enrollment request will be made by a representative when we are paying 

the annuitant directly. These situations should be handled as follows:

• Advise the financial institution (if Form SF-1199A was completed) or the 

requestor that the enrollment will not be processed at this time and state the 

reason;

• Investigate to determine if a representative payee is needed;

• If the individual who made the request is selected as representative payee, 

process the domestic enrollment; 

• If the request is for IDD and the individual who made the request is selected 

as representative payee, send the enrollment request to the Direct Deposit 

Analyst. 

• If the payments should continue to be paid directly to the annuitant, the 

request submitted by the representative should be destroyed.

• If the request is received in headquarters and there is no representative 

payee on record, the request will be referred to the field office for 

investigation. Headquarters will advise the financial institution of the reason 

the Direct Deposit request was not processed and the field office to which it 

was directed.

NOTE: A request for enrollment (verbal, written, by Form SF-1199A or Form OF 1199-

I) from an individual holding power-of-attorney for an RRB annuitant cannot be 

processed unless that individual has also been appointed representative payee by the 

RRB.

115.21.6 Trust Accounts

EFT can be established for a Trust account if benefit payments made to a 

representative payee are not needed for the annuitant’s current maintenance, 

reasonably foreseeable needs, support of legal dependents, or to pay creditors 

[creditors as defined in 20 CFR 266.10(d)]. The funds are to be invested in accordance 

with the rules applicable to investment of trust estates by trustees. Any investment 

must show clearly that the representative payee holds the property in trust for the 

annuitant.
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115.21.7 Guardian/Conservator

If the account title indicates that there is a guardian or conservator involved, begin 

development for a representative payee.

115.21.8 Direct Express Card Enrollment Requests

The Direct Express® Debit MasterCard®--issued by Comerica Bank as the Treasury 

Department’s financial agent – is a prepaid debit card and electronic payment option for 

federal benefits. The card is a Treasury-recommended, safe, convenient alternative to 

paper checks that does not require a bank account to sign up. Benefit payments are 

directly deposited to the card for use to make purchases, pay bills or get cash. 

If an individual chooses the Direct Express® Debit MasterCard® and calls the toll free 

number (1-800-333-1795), the enrollment process will be initiated with Comerica Bank. 

Information about the enrollment will automatically be sent to the RRB via the 

Automated Enrollment (ENR) process (see section 115.24). The ENR serves as 

confirmation that that Direct Express® account has been established and the annuitant 

has activated the card. The Direct Deposit Analysts in the Unemployment and Programs 

Support Division are responsible for processing all ENR enrollments.

RRB employees in the field office and most headquarters employees do not process 

Direct Express enrollments. This is because the annuitant is not provided the actual 

account number assigned to the Direct Express® account. The annuitant is only

provided the card number, which is not the actual account number. The DDS will 

process a change of address/direct deposit transaction to add the Direct Express®

account information to the RRB record, based on the ENR. 

Additional action may be required in Direct Express® card cases if:

• The annuitant states they have enrolled in Direct Express®, have activated the 

card, but no payments are being posted

• A payment posted to a Direct Express® Debit MasterCard® account needs to be 

returned to the RRB

• A change in representative payee has occurred (also see section 115.22.1) 

For these situations, and all other inquiries concerning Direct Express®, forward the 

inquiry to the Direct Deposit Analysts via the TCIS-CSU Group Mailbox. 

115.22 Changes In Annuitant Pay Status

115.22.1 Automatic Cancellation

These situations will cause automatic cancellation of Direct Deposit:

• Appointment or change of representative payee
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NOTE 1: If the annuitant was enrolled in IDD or there is an IDD enrollment

request, notify the Direct Deposit Analyst of the change or appointment of 

representative payee. IDD enrollments are processed through ITS.gov by the 

Direct Deposit Analyst and any change in the Direct Deposit information on 

our internal systems will require an update in the ITS.gov application. 

NOTE 2: If the annuitant was enrolled in a Direct Express® Debit 

MasterCard® account, notify the Direct Deposit Analyst of the change of 

appointment of representative payee, Direct Express® enrollments are 

received via ENR and processed by Direct Deposit Analysts and any change 

in the Direct Deposit information may require a new enrollment and account 

number update on our internal systems. In addition, funds previously issued 

to the card may need to be returned requiring manual investigation and 

handling.

• Erroneous report of death – (This situation will cause the annuity to be 

terminated. See section 145.20 for additional required actions). If the 

payment recipient was enrolled in IDD prior to the erroneous death 

termination, send an email via TCIS-CSU Group to the Direct Deposit Analyst 

so that the Direct Deposit information can be re-entered in ITS.gov. 

• Invalid account number (In this situation, the payment is returned to the RRB 

as a code 92 and could cause the annuity to be suspended. (See section 

115.25.8 if a payment is returned for this reason)

• Closed account (In this situation, the payment is returned to the RRB as a 

code 91 and could cause the annuity to be suspended. (See section 

115.25.8 if a payment is returned for this reason)

115.22.2 Annuitant Initiated Cancellation

The Financial Management Service does not require that agencies obtain a signed 

certification from individuals who invoke a hardship waiver from mandatory Direct 

Deposit. Because there is no regulatory requirement to obtain a signed statement, 

cancellation of Direct Deposit may be initiated by a telephone, in-person or signed

written request. If, despite a contact representative’s efforts to discourage such a 

change, a beneficiary determines that continued participation in the Direct Deposit 

program would impose a hardship, the contact representative should document the 

change and process the necessary FAST transaction to cancel Direct Deposit. If the 

request is verbal, the contact representative should carefully verify the identity of the 

caller (see FOM-1-130.50) and confirm that the correct address is shown on our 

records. Document the cancellation request on the Contact Log. 

Secure this information from the payee:

• Name,
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• Address,

• RRB Claim Number,

• Date of Birth,

• Name of Bank/Account Number.

Once the request for cancellation of Direct Deposit is received, input the cancellation 

using FAST-COA. If both an employee and spouse wish to cancel Direct Deposit, each 

annuitant must request cancellation. Two FAST-COA transactions must also be 

created.

A letter confirming cancellation, Form RL-79C, is issued for each cancellation 

processed on FAST with a code C or D. 

Always remind the annuitant of the need to keep the RRB informed of address changes.

115.22.3 Financial Institution Initiated Cancellation

The financial institution may cancel Direct Deposit enrollment with a 30-day written 

notice to the recipient. The notice should remind the recipient to make other 

arrangements for handling of the payments.

The annuitant should notify the RRB immediately if the enrollment is cancelled by the 

financial institution. DO NOT accept cancellation requests directly from the financial 

institution.

115.22.4 Representative Payee is Appointed or Changed

When a representative payee is appointed or changed, the Direct Deposit enrollment 

request completed by the annuitant or the former payee is no longer valid. The FASTRepresentative Payee change will delete Direct Deposit when the records are changed 

to show the new payee's name and address. The new payee must complete a separate 

enrollment if he wants Direct Deposit to continue. Process the new Direct Deposit 

enrollment only after the new representative payee data shows on DATA-Q.

Note: If the new payee’s enrollment request is for IDD, image the enrollment request 

form, and send an email to: TCIS-CSU Group after the new representative payee data 

shows on DATA-Q. All IDD enrollments are processed through ITS.gov by the Direct 

Deposit Analyst. 

115.22.5 Reinstatements and New Entitlements

When an individual previously entitled to one type of annuity, subsequently qualifies for 

a different type of annuity, the adjudication units do not know if Direct Deposit payments 

should continue to the same account, under the same name. The field office must 
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secure information regarding the continuation of Direct Deposit payments, when 

information is being developed for entitlement to a different annuity type.

Examples of change in annuity type include: when a spouse annuitant and employee 

divorce; and a widow(er) remarries. If the spouse or widow(er)'s annuity was under 

Direct Deposit, obtain a statement from the divorced spouse or remarried widow(er) 

which indicates whether Direct Deposit will continue. Record what changes, if any, will 

be made (name, depositor account number, etc.)

If the annuity is in pay status or suspended, enter the new Direct Deposit data on FASTCOA. (Send all IDD enrollments to the TCIS-CSU Group so the enrollment can be 

entered in ITS.gov and FAST-COA.)

If the record is terminated, the record must be deleted before Direct Deposit can be 

reestablished. Request that Headquarters personnel process a code 62 termination. 

The request should be referred to the appropriate adjudication unit via electronic mail. 

Following reinstatement, Direct Deposit can be added to the payment record.

When there is no change in the financial institution, the account number or the 

annuitant's name, the annuity is paid using the existing Direct Deposit data. The 

annuitant does not have to take any action after requesting continuation of Direct 

Deposit. (Note: Refer all IDD enrollments to the Direct Deposit Analyst even if there is 

no change in the bank information.) 

115.22.6 Direct Deposit Processed for Wrong Annuitant

Anyone entering Direct Deposit information should check the name, claim number, 

payee code, and mailing address for all annuitants, to make sure the enrollment is 

processed for the correct annuitant. However, there are cases in which Direct Deposit 

is processed for the wrong annuitant, usually when there is a divorced spouse or a 

remarried widow(er) on the rolls. This error causes one annuitant's payment to be 

deposited into another annuitant's account.

Special procedure should be followed when you become aware of this kind of problem. 

Process a transaction to enroll the correct annuitant for Direct Deposit and delete the 

Direct Deposit that was erroneously initiated. If the overpaid annuitant agrees to make 

immediate restitution, i.e. requesting their financial institution to return the misdirected 

payment, that is acceptable to the RRB. If the payment is returned code 92, process a 

change code 2 to have the payment mechanically reissued and the annuity 

reinstated. If the payment is returned code 06, refer the case to RSBD to manually 

reissue the payment and reinstate the annuity. If the payment is not received within five 

business days, notify RSBD to initiate recovery action against the annuitant paid in 

error.

 
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(Note: All IDD enrollments processed for the wrong annuitant must be sent to the Direct 

Deposit Analyst for prompt handling.)

115.22.7 Erroneous Report of Death

Annuities are sometimes terminated when the RRB receives an erroneous report of 

death. The annuity is reinstated immediately when the retirement or survivor customer 

service representative is informed of the erroneous termination. If the financial 

institution erroneously returns a payment coded for death, they will notify the annuitant 

and the RRB of the error. The financial institution may send a copy of the Form

SF 1199A to the RRB to reinstate Direct Deposit. (Also see section 145.20) 

NOTE: Upon receipt of a report of death, Direct Deposit data is deleted from the 

Checkwriting Master, but will still appear on the DATA-Q screen for reclamation 

purposes. In the situation of an erroneous report of death, reinstatement of the annuity 

will delete the Direct Deposit information from DATA-Q. The Direct Deposit information 

must be re-entered on IDDA. Otherwise, the reinstatement payment will be made by 

check. However, if the annuitant is receiving a combined railroad retirement/social 

security benefit, the first benefit to be reinstated will be sent via Direct Deposit. The 

other benefit will be made by check.

An erroneous report of death received for an IDD enrollment must be sent to the Direct 

Deposit Analyst. The Direct Deposit Analyst will enter the International Direct Deposit 

information on IDDA and on the ITS.gov application. Since most foreign payment 

recipients do not have a social security number, the Direct Deposit Analyst will pend the 

claim until an award has been reinstated. Due to the processing time, it is possible for 

the reinstatement payment to be made by check and other payments to be sent via 

direct deposit. 

115.22.8 Death of Annuitant and Outstanding Payments

When an annuitant who has enrolled in Direct Deposit dies, the financial institution is 

required to immediately return payments to the RRB that are received after death as 

instructed in the Green Book. The financial institution releases a notice to the 

annuitant's last known address advising family members to contact the financial 

institution and the RRB if the date of death is incorrect.

When notice of death is received, the Automated Receivable, Reclamation, and Credit 

(ARRC) system will initiate reclamation action through the Department of the Treasury 

(Treasury). Treasury will send the reclamation notice, FS Form 133, to the financial 

institution requesting the return of the outstanding payments. If there are not enough 

funds in the annuitant's account to cover the outstanding payments, the financial 

institution is required to provide the names and addresses of the persons who withdrew 

monies from the account after the annuitant's death on the FS Form 133 and return it to 

Treasury. Treasury will forward a copy of the FS Form 133 to the RRB who then 

requests the outstanding amounts from the withdrawers. If the RRB is unsuccessful at 

collecting the outstanding total from the withdrawers, the financial institution is liable for 
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the entire outstanding amount if they knew of the annuitant's death at the time of the 

deposit. If they did not know of the death, they are liable for the amount sent within 45 

days of the date of death, not to exceed the outstanding total. Regulations covering the 

liability of financial institutions are found in the Green Book. 

Note: Reclamation of IDD payments are handled manually by the Bureau of Fiscal 

Operations-Debt Recovery Division (BFO-DRD). BFO-DRD enters reclamation 

requests for IDD payments through ITS.gov. Unlike domestic financial institutions, 

foreign financial institutions operate on an honor system (best effort attempt) and 

Treasury has no authority to debit a foreign bank. If after 90 days the not-due payments 

have not been returned, the reclamation is closed and an alternative method of 

recovery, or decision to write the debt off, must be initiated by BFO-DRD. 

Occasionally, refunds are made in excess of the amount released after the annuitant's 

death and/or a financial institution will erroneously return a payment received before the 

annuitant's death.

Refunds made in excess of the amount received after the annuitant's death, are 

considered over-reimbursements. The RRB will return the over-reimbursement as 

follows:

• If the financial institution returned the payments and the family refunded the 

amount of the payments later, the RRB will return the over-reimbursement to 

the family.

• If the financial institution returned the payments and Treasury debited the 

financial institution for the amount due, the RRB will return the overreimbursement to the financial institution.

• If a financial institution erroneously returns a payment received before the 

annuitant's death, the payment is considered an annuity due but unpaid at 

death, even if the payment was returned/reclaimed based on a wrong date of 

death report. Annuities due but unpaid at death are paid as explained in 

FOM-1-615; they cannot be repaid to the financial institution.

Exception: In the event the FI returns a payment from its own funds, i.e. the 

annuitant’s account was not debited for the amount of the payment, RRB will 

settle with the FI. The FI must furnish a written statement that the annuitant’s 

account was not debited.

115.22.9 Financial Institution Takeover/Liquidation

When one financial institution is taken over by another financial institution, no special 

action is necessary on the part of Direct Deposit participants. Changes that are made 

are done in such a way that provides for the continuity in payments.
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An arrangement is usually made with a neighboring financial institution to be the bank of 

receivership that accepts EFT payments made in the interim. These payments are 

provided to the annuitant in the form of cashier's checks.

However, Treasury does not require the appointment of a bank of receivership. When a 

financial institution closes, and does not refer its Direct Deposit payments to another 

financial institution, the payments are returned to the RRB. The returned payment 

deletes Direct Deposit information from DATA-Q and may cause the annuity to be 

suspended. See section 115.25.8. 

When a financial institution is liquidated, all of its assets are usually frozen and no 

further deposits are accepted. The Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation 

arranges to provide cashier's checks for the balance in a depositor's account. Agencies 

issuing Direct Deposit payments are provided with a list of their affected beneficiaries so 

that Direct Deposit can be deleted as soon as possible. No more than one month's 

payment would have to be handled in this manner.

Treasury regularly notifies the RRB of changes in the financial community and provides 

the names and claim numbers of affected RRB annuitants. Corrections to the 

annuitants' records are generally handled by the Direct Deposit Analyst and the 

Retirement and Survivor Customer Service Group representatives. 

115.22.10 Processing Payment Record Changes

Some payment record changes may be made at the field office on FAST-COA, while 

other changes are made by the financial institution through Treasury's automated 

notification of change (NOC) system. Foreign financial institutions cannot make 

changes through the automated NOC system. Record changes for IDD payments must 

be made by the Direct Deposit Analyst. 

A. Changing Financial Institutions - It is not necessary to cancel Direct Deposit at 

the current financial institution for the annuitant to change to a different financial 

institution. A new Direct Deposit enrollment will delete the previous enrollment. 

Be sure to advise the annuitant of the effective date of the new enrollment; the 

old account should not be closed out until the benefits begin to be credited to the 

new account. Closing the account could result in the payments being returned to 

the RRB and could cause the annuity to be suspended. The returned payments 

will have a return reason code 91. See section 115.25.8 if payments are 

returned for this reason.

Note: Send IDD financial institution changes to the Direct Deposit Analyst who 

will investigate with Policy & Systems-PAS. 

B. Changing Home Address - A FAST-COA transaction with a change code 2, 4, or 

5 will change the mailing address only; it will not affect Direct Deposit status. Use 

the FAST-COA system whenever possible to change the mailing address of an 

annuitant. Direct Deposit can be deleted using the FAST system.
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When you discuss Direct Deposit with an annuitant, impress upon him the 

necessity of keeping us informed of the home address. We must have an 

accurate and current home address for all of our Direct Deposit annuitants to 

ensure that mass adjustment notices, tax statements, and other informational 

material are delivered and received by the intended payment recipient. 

It often comes to our attention when material is returned as undeliverable that we 

do not have a current address. When this occurs, use Form Letter RL-697F to 

request from the financial institution the most current address on record for the 

annuitant. The name and address for the financial institution’s routing number 

displayed on DATA-Q can be found on the Financial Organization Master File 

(FOMF). FOMF can be accessed by selecting 31 from the RRAPID MAIN MENU. 

In some cases, a field assignment may be sent for you to investigate whether an 

annuitant is still alive and competent.

Form Letter RL-697F cites the U.S. Code which requires financial institutions to 

disclose this information to the RRB. The Form Letter RL-697F instructs the 

financial institution to respond to the letter even if the address on their records is 

the same as the one we have on our records.

Do not release Form Letter RL-697F to routing number 021053065. This routing 

number is used for International Direct Deposit and does not go to the payment 

recipient’s foreign financial institution. 

NOTE: The importance of keeping the RRB informed of the most current 

address cannot be overemphasized. The annuities of such persons can be 

suspended if mail delivered to the home address on record is returned as 

undeliverable. The handling of undeliverable mail is explained in FOM-I-139. 

Note: After you process a change of address for a foreign mailing recipient, send 

an email to the Direct Deposit Analyst so that the address in ITS.gov can be 

updated. Any inconsistencies in our records and ITS.gov will generate a referral 

that will handled by the Direct Deposit Analyst. 

C. Who Processes Changes - When an annuitant requests a change in the payment 

record, refer to this chart for proper processing.

RRB processing means field office or Headquarters initiated changes. NOC 

(Notification of Change) are mechanical changes created by the domestic 

financial institution and sent to the RRB through the Federal Reserve Bank. 

Foreign financial institutions will not be able to create mechanical changes that 

are submitted through the Federal Reserve Bank. Any notice of IDD change 

must be sent to the Direct Deposit Analyst for proper handling. 

Processed By 
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Changed 

information

RRB NOC What happens

Annuitant's name X Direct Deposit information remains the 

same.

Refer an IDD name change to the Direct 

Deposit Analyst.

Annuitant's address X Direct Deposit information remains the 

same.

Refer an IDD address change to the 

Direct Deposit Analyst.

Representative 

Payee

X Direct Deposit is deleted.

Refer an IDD representative payee 

change to the Direct Deposit Analyst.

Account Title 

X 

X A new enrollment is required.

Refer an IDD representative payee 

change to the Direct Deposit Analyst.

Financial Institution 

X

X A new enrollment is required.

Refer an IDD representative payee 

change to the Direct Deposit Analyst.

Routing Transit 

Number

X These changes are processed 

automatically. 

Depositor Account 

Number

X

X Changes will be shown as changes of 

Direct Deposit information on DATA-Q

Refer an IDD depositor account number 

change to the Direct Deposit Analyst.

Account Type

X

X Changes will be shown as changes of 

Direct Deposit information on DATA-Q.

Refer an IDD account type change to the 

Direct Deposit Analyst.
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115.22.11 Answering Direct Deposit Inquiries

A. When There is Missing Information

In the event that missing or discrepant Direct Deposit information cannot be 

resolved by telephone, form letter RL-199 is used to return incomplete or 

incorrect requests for enrollment to the financial institution. Include your office's 

address and phone number in the spaces provided.

It is not necessary to control for the return of the enrollment request.

B. When an Annuitant Claims Non-Receipt

If you receive a claim of non-receipt for a Direct Deposit payment, refer to section 

115.30, Reporting Non-Receipt in Direct Deposit cases.

115.23 Processing Direct Deposit Forms

Enrollment using the Form SF-1199A at a domestic financial institution or Form OF 

1199-I at a foreign financial institution may be the preferred choice for some annuitants. 

The Direct Deposit sign-up form, Form SF-1199A, or Form OF 1199-I, is used to 

authorize the Direct Deposit of payments into an annuitant's checking or savings 

account at a bank, savings and loan or credit union. The enrollment is processed by the 

Direct Deposit Analyst. 

115.23.1 Review of the Enrollment Forms for Acceptability

The Form SF-1199A and Form OF 1199-I must be reviewed carefully before 

processing. Unacceptable forms will involve contact with the financial institution, the 

annuitant or the U.S. Embassy. When possible, resolve errors or omissions by phone. 

If you must return any of the forms to the financial institution or the annuitant, use Form 

Letter RL-199. In some cases, representative payee development may be in order prior 

to processing the Direct Deposit enrollment forms. 

A. Form SF-1199A – Domestic Direct Deposit Enrollment Request Form

Section 1 Section 1 is completed by the payee.

Item A Name of Payee (last, first, middle initial). The name of the 

annuitant or representative payee must be shown in this block.

Address. The payee's mailing address must be entered. If the ZIP 

code is missing, it can be entered from the National ZIP Code 

Directory or the RRB ZIP Code Master.

Telephone Number. This item does not have to be completed.
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Item B Name of Person Entitled to Payment. The name of the annuitant 

should be entered here.

Item C Claim or Payroll ID Number. The beneficiary symbol, prefix, claim 

number and payee code must appear in this block. 

• Beneficiary symbol or prefix missing - Check DATA-Q.

• Claim number missing or impossible number - Check 

EDMA.

• Payee Code Missing - This item must be checked carefully. 

If the prefix is "A" enter "1" in the suffix space. All other 

prefixes must be checked against DATA-Q to verify the 

payee's name and payee code on the SF-1199A with the 

name and payee code on the master record. If an incorrect 

payee code is entered payment could be sent to the wrong 

person.

Item D Type of Depositor Account. If neither box is checked, contact the 

financial institution.

Item E Depositor Account Number. Check this item carefully. The entry 

may be all numerals, all letters, or a combination of both. Dashes 

(-) may be used as part of the number (i.e., 1234-5678), but other 

symbols such as slashes (/) or asterisks (*) are not acceptable. If 

a symbol other than a dash is used, contact the financial 

institution. 

Account number is annuitant's name. Some financial institutions 

do not have depositor account numbers, but instead use names. If 

the depositor's name is used as his account number, insert 

dashes between the first name (or initial), middle initial and last 

name. If there is a period after an initial, edit it out. If the name, 

including dashes, exceeds 17 characters, contact the financial 

institution and attempt to resolve the problem.

If a financial institution indicates that it does not use account 

numbers by showing "NAME" in the account number blank, enter 

the payee's name in the spaces as described above.

Account number exceeds 17 characters. A numerical account 

number, including dashes, cannot exceed 17 characters. If the 

account number, including spaces, exceeds 17 characters, edit 

out the spaces. If after editing out the spaces (do not edit out 
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dashes), the number still exceeds 17, contact the financial 

institution.

Item F Type of Payment. If this item has not been completed and the 

payee is an RRB annuitant, do not return the form solely for the 

completion of this item.

Item G This Box for Allotment of Payment Only. This item does not apply 

to RRB annuitants and may be disregarded.

Payment/Joint Payee Certification. This space must be completed 

by the payee in his own handwriting.

If the employee signs by a mark (X), two persons must witness the 

signature. A person holding power-of-attorney for the annuitant 

can witness the signature, but cannot sign for the annuitant. If the 

signature is missing or unacceptable, the Form SF-1199A must be 

returned to the financial institution.

Joint Account Holder's Certification. This item does not need to 

be completed.

Section 2 Section 2 can be completed by either the financial institution or the 

annuitant. Although this section should show the name and 

address of the RRB, it does not have to be completed. Do not 

return the SF-1199A solely because this item is incorrect or 

incomplete.

Section 3 Section 3 is completed by the financial institution. It should be 

reviewed to ensure that all items have been completed.

Name and Address of Financial Institution. If the name and 

address of the financial institution is missing, enter them from the 

return address shown on the envelope in which the form was 

received. If the envelope has been discarded and the form must 

be returned, the name and address of the financial institution can 

be taken from the Financial Organization Master File (FOMF). If 

the routing number is also missing, it may be obtained as 

explained in section 115.20.7. 

Routing Number and Check Digit. Each box must have a number 

in it. If any box is not filled, refer to section 115.20.7. 

Depositor Account Title. For annuitants enrolling who are also the 

payee, refer to section 115.20.8. 

If a representative payee is involved, refer to section 115.20.9 for 

additional information.
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B. Form OF 1199-I – International Direct Deposit Enrollment Request Form

Section A Person to Receive Payment

Name of Payee (last, first, middle initial) - The name of the 

annuitant or representative payee must be shown in this block.

Name of Person Entitled to Payment - The name of the annuitant 

should be entered here, if different from the name of payee.

Address - The payee's mailing address must be entered. 

Note: If the address does not match what is on DATAQ, it must be 

reconciled before submitting an enrollment request for processing. 

To qualify for IDD the payment recipient must live in a foreign 

country. 

Telephone Number – The telephone number of the payment 

recipient is optional. 

RRB Claim Number or Bene SSN - The beneficiary symbol, prefix, 

claim number and payee code must appear in this block.

Note: Verify the RRB claim number or beneficiary social security 

number to ensure the individual is a railroad retirement 

beneficiary. 

Section B Type of Payment (check only one)

Payment recipients are instructed to check one payment type. If 

the payment type is other than ‘RAILROAD RETIREMENT’ and 

we cannot verify the individual’s claim number, social security 

number, or name through our systems, prepare a RL-199 to return 

the enrollment request back to the individual. 

Section C Bank Information (This section should be completed by a bank 

official.)

Name of Bank: The name of the financial institution where the 

account has been established. 

Bank Phone Number: The telephone number provided in this 

line may not conform to our standard telephone number. In most 

cases, it may be necessary to contact the servicing American

Embassy or Consulate for assistance rather than call the financial 

institution directly. 
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Bank Address and Country: The financial institution must reside in 

a foreign country. If the financial institution provides a domestic 

address, the request will be considered and processed as a 

domestic direct deposit set up through a correspondent bank. 

Bank Code: The bank code is referred by countries by different 

names. 

Branch Code: A series of numbers that is used to identify banks 

around the world.

Account Number or IBAN: International Bank Account Number is 

an international standard for identifying bank accounts across 

national borders.

Account Title: Individual or joint account. If a joint account, 

Section E must be signed by the other person on the account.

Type of Account: The type of account savings or checking.

Type of Currency: Canada is the only foreign country that 

provides account holders the option to set up a U.S dollar account 

and/or a Canadian dollar account. While most Canadian payment 

recipients have only one Canadian account, others will open up a 

US dollar account and a Canadian dollar account. It is important 

that the account number provided matches the currency type or 

the payment will be returned. 

Bank Official’s Certification: The signature of the financial 

institution official who completed the form.

Section D Certification: (The payment recipient must sign and date this 

section.)

Section E For Joint Account Holders: If this is a joint account, all account 

holders must read the back of the form and sign and date this 

section.

115.23.2 Direct Deposit Form is Acceptable

If all sections of the SF-1199A are completed correctly, input the Direct Deposit 

information on FAST. Refer to FOM-I-1570.26 for entry instructions.

If all sections of the OF-1199-I are completed correctly, send the form to the Direct 

Deposit Analyst in TCIS.
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115.23.3 Direct Deposit Form is Not Acceptable

If review of the Direct Deposit enrollment forms indicates that an omission or error has 

been made that cannot be resolved as explained in section 115.20.7, it will be 

necessary to contact the financial institution, the annuitant, or the Direct Deposit Analyst 

in TCIU. 

You may use the telephone to resolve minor matters, although some financial 

institutions will accept only written requests for information. Use Form Letter RL-199 

when returning the Direct Deposit enrollment form to the financial institution. Refer to 

section 115.22.11 for guidelines on corresponding with financial institutions. 

115.24 Automated Enrollments (ENR)

Beginning September 20, 1996, railroad retirement beneficiaries and other recipients of 

Federal benefit payments (including railroad unemployment and sickness benefits) 

could enroll for Direct Deposit at their financial institution. The automated enrollment 

process (ENR) was developed by the Social Security Administration, the National 

Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA) and the Department of Treasury with 

input from the RRB. ENR simplifies and improves the Direct Deposit enrollment 

process. 

ENR involves the financial institution electronically transmitting Direct Deposit 

enrollment information to the Federal agency through the Federal Reserve Bank (FRB)

using the Automated Clearing House (ACH) network. 

115.24.1 RRB Processing of the ENR File

The RRB receives an ENR file from the FRB daily. This daily file contains the 

beneficiary’s first and last name, social security number (SSN), representative payee 

code, bank routing number, check digit, account number, account type and a 

transaction code. An automated program “FAENR01” takes in the file and attempts to 

mechanically process the Direct Deposit enrollments. Enrollments that match on all 

identifying information are processed mechanically through a batch Change of Address 

(COA) process within the DAISY job stream. Annuitants who enroll using ENR will 

receive an RL-79E letter confirming that the RRB has processed their enrollment. If the 

program cannot match the enrollment information to an annuitant on our records, the 

enrollment is returned to FRB. A Universal STAR (USTAR) referral is created for 

enrollments that match based on SSN or claim number, but do not match on the other 

identifying information. Additional information about the ENR process is available in the 

Treasury’s Green Book. 

115.24.2 ENR Referrals

The Automated ENR process produces USTAR referrals for enrollment records that 

require manual handling. These referrals are handled by staff in the Unemployment 

and Programs Support Division’s (UPSD). The identifying information from the ENR file 
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is copied to the ‘Source Remarks’ section of the USTAR referral along with a referral 

reason. Below is a sample of the USTAR referral.

115.24.3 UPSD Handling of ENR Referrals

A description of the referrals and the actions to be taken by UPSD are as follows:

DUAL-BENEFICIARIES

This referral message is generated if a beneficiary is receiving payments under more 

than one claim number. UPSD will release and image an RL-79D letter to the 

beneficiary to determine whether the change should apply to both records. UPSD will 

close the referral using the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code and notate the remarks section

to indicate a letter was released. 

MULTIPLE-ACTVE-PAYMT 

This referral message is generated if a beneficiary is receiving multiple payments under 

the same claim number. UPSD will release and image an RL 79D letter to the 

beneficiary to determine whether the change should apply to both records. UPSD will 
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close the referral using the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code and notate the remarks section 

to indicate a letter was released. 

MULTIPLE-ACTVE-ADDRS 

This referral message is generated if PREH shows multiple active address records 

(3273 screen) for the beneficiary. UPSD will identify the correct record, process the 

enrollment, and close the referral with the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code. These cases 

should be rare and indicate an error in PREH information. Notify Policy and Systems by 

email if you encounter this referral.

REP-PAYEE-C-MISMATCH

This referral message is generated if there is a discrepancy with the representative 

payee code. UPSD will refer the case to the field office servicing the address on record 

and close the referral with the ’HANDLED’ disposition code. UPSD will also notate the 

remarks section that the case was referred to the field office for handling.

NAME-MISMATCH

This referral message is generated if the name on the enrollment does not match the 

name on our records. UPSD will release and image an RL-79D letter to the beneficiary 

to determine if the enrollment was requested. UPSD will close the referral with the 

‘HANDLED’ disposition code and notate in the remarks section that a letter was 

released.

SSN-N-EDM-UNKWN-PREH 

This referral message is generated if the social security number is in EDM but not 

PREH. These cases are possible UI\SI Direct Deposit enrollments. UPSD will check 

UPC for an active UI\SI record. If there is an active record, UPSD will process the 

enrollment and close the referral with the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code. If there is a

UI\SI record but it is not active, UPSD will release and image an RL-79D letter and 

close the referral with the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code. UPSD will notate in remarks 

section that a letter was released. If there is no UI\SI record, UPSD will not process the 

enrollment. UPSD will close the referral with the ‘NO ACTION NECESSARY’ 

disposition code and notate in the remarks section that we are not paying any benefits.

SUSPENDED-PAY-STAT 

This referral message is generated if an enrollment is received and the benefit is in 

suspense. UPSD will process the enrollment if the suspension code is 35, 36, 66, 67, 

69, 88, or 98 and close the referral with the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code. For all other 

suspension codes, UPSD will refer the Direct Deposit information to the servicing field 

office and close the referral with the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code, notating in the 

remarks section that the case was referred to the field office for handling. 

FAST-COA-TRAN-PEND 
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This referral message is generated if a FAST-COA transaction is pending. UPSD will 

refer the case to the servicing field office if the Direct Deposit information is different 

from the information pending on FAST. UPSD will close the referral with the 

‘HANDLED’ disposition code with a notation in the remarks section that the case was 

referred to the field office. If the incoming Direct Deposit information is the same as the 

information already pending in the FAST-COA transaction, UPSD will close the referral 

with the ‘NO ACTION NECESSARY’ disposition code with a notation in the remarks 

section that the enrollment information has already been received. If the pending 

transaction is a change of address only, UPSD will modify the pending transaction with 

a code ‘B’ to add the Direct Deposit information and close the referral with the 

‘HANDLED’ disposition code.

FAST-ST-TRAN-PEND 

This referral message is generated if a FAST Suspension\Termination (S\T) transaction 

is pending. UPSD will refer to the above instructions for handling suspended cases if 

the pending transaction is a suspension. If the pending transaction is a termination (see 

RCM 9.7.14 for a list of S\T codes), UPSD will not process the enrollment and close the 

referral with the ‘NO ACTION NECESSARY’ disposition code, notating in the remarks 

section that the record is terminated. 

FAST COA-AND-ST-TRAN-PEND

This referral message is generated if FAST-COA and S\T transactions are pending. If 

the pending S\T transaction is a termination, UPSD will not process the enrollment and 

close the referral with the ‘NO ACTION NECESSARY’ disposition code, notating in the 

remarks section that the record is terminated. 

If the pending S\T transaction is a suspension and the suspension code is 35, 36, 66, 

67, 69, 88, or 98 UPSD will follow the above instructions for handling FAST COA 

pending referrals. If the pending transaction is a suspension with any other suspension 

code, UPSD will refer the Direct Deposit information to the servicing field office and 

close the referral with the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code, notating in the remarks section 

that the case was referred to the field office for handling. 

CLAIM-NBR-WITHOUT-PC 

This referral message is generated if an enrollment is received with a claim number but 

no payee code. UPSD will determine the correct beneficiary record, process the

enrollment, and close the referral with the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code.

PREH-DATAQ-MISMATCH 

This referral message is generated if there is different information on PREH and 

DATAQ for the beneficiary, usually when multiple records are paid under both an “A” 

and “D” prefix. UPSD will determine the correct beneficiary record, process the 
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enrollment, and close the referral with the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code. These cases 

should be rare and indicate an error on PREH or DATAQ.

DUP-DATAQ-FOR-CLM-PC 

This referral message is generated if there are duplicate DATAQ records for the claim 

number and payee code. UPSD will determine which record the Direct Deposit should 

be entered, process the enrollment, and close the referral with the ‘HANDLED’ 

disposition code. These cases should be rare and indicate an error on DATAQ. Notify 

Policy and Systems by email if you encounter this referral.

FRAUD-WATCH

This referral message is generated when there have been previous fraudulent attempts 

to change the beneficiary’s Direct Deposit information. UPSD will release and image an

RL-79D letter to the beneficiary to verify the enrollment was authorized. UPSD will 

close the referral with the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code and notate in the remarks 

section that a letter was released. 

SSN NOT ON RECORD

This referral message is generated when an enrollment is received for a valid claim 

number but there is no SSN on our records for the beneficiary. The ENR program is 

unable to check for fraud alerts on these records. UPSD will check the Contact Log for 

any fraud alerts. If there are no fraud alerts, UPSD will process the enrollment and 

close the referral with the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code. If there is a fraud alert on the 

record, UPSD will release and image an RL 79D letter to the beneficiary and close the 

referral with the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code, notating in the remarks section that a 

letter was released.

IDD ENR

This referral message is generated when an International Direct Deposit enrollment is 

received. UPSD will determine if the enrollment has been entered on FAST; if yes, 

UPSD will close the referral with the ‘NO ACTION NECESSARY’ disposition code. If 

the enrollment has not been entered, UPSD will process a FAST-COA and close the 

referral with the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code.

BLOCKED RTN

This referral message is generated when an enrollment is received with a routing 

number that has been associated with multiple fraud cases. UPSD will release and 

image an RL-79D letter to the beneficiary to verify the enrollment was authorized. 

UPSD will close the referral with the ‘HANDLED’ disposition code and notate in the 

remarks section that a letter was released. 
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115.24.4 Field Office Handling of Direct Deposit Fraud Cases

A checkbox “D\D Fraud” has been added to the Contact Log to identify beneficiaries 

that have had fraudulent attempts to change their Direct Deposit (DD) information. The 

field offices will check this box when notified by the beneficiary that an unauthorized 

change was made to their account or, if the field office intercepts an attempt to change 

an annuitant’s Direct Deposit information. Once the checkbox has been checked, the 

ENR program will not process any enrollments for that SSN until the check has been 

removed. Refer to FOM1 1592 for instructions on accessing and updating the Contact 

Log.

If the unauthorized change to the DD information causes the annuitant’s payment to be 

misdirected, take the following actions:

• Immediately notify the Direct Deposit Analyst (DDA) in UPSD, via telephone at 

(312) 751-4704, regarding the details of the case. Always follow up the 

telephone request in writing, via email, to TCIS-CSU Group@rrb.gov. 

• Release Form Letter RL-77A (Reissuing EFT Payments Due to Fraud) to the 

annuitant for completion, in the event funds are not recovered from the erroneous 

account. The letter is available on RRAILS. Control for the return of the letter, 

and image when received.

115.24.5 UPSD Handling of Direct Deposit Fraud Cases

EFT payment recoveries are required when changes to Direct Deposit (DD) account 

information, based on confirmed/suspected fraud, result in non-receipt of funds by the 

annuitant. Through the Treasury Check Information System (TCIS), an automated R06 

recovery request can be sent to Treasury to start an investigation with the financial 

institution (FI), and expedite the return of any payments affected by the fraud. 

NOTE: R06 requests do not apply to payments issued to a closed account of an 

annuitant after they have opened a new one. In this situation, the FI is required to 

return the funds to Treasury. Upon receipt of the funds, Treasury will credit the 

agency. The payment will post to PAYBACK with a code 91 (account closed). 

Action to reissue the payment to the new account can then occur. If the payment is 

not returned, advise the annuitant to contact the FI to arrange receipt of the funds. 

The R06 program is accessible via the Dashboard option of the TCIS application for 

DDAs and designated HQ personnel. Users select the “Recovery Requests’ tab, enter 

the payee ID and date range of the affected payment and choose the appropriate R06 

stop code to recover the funds and/or the account holder information. Once the request 

is submitted, it is assigned to a Treasury specialist to expedite the return of the funds. 
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The R06 automated request eliminates manual letter preparation, faxing the requests, 

and delays in handling. This process does not guarantee the return of funds. Success 

largely depends on the timing of when the payment is released to the FI, and when the 

FI is notified. 

Based on the information provided by the field office, the DDA will review the case to 

determine if the payment was misdirected, or whether fraud actually occurred. Based on 

the investigation, the DDA will enter one of the following recovery stops in TCIS:

• ‘R - Recovery Request’ – The ‘R’ stop instructs Treasury to recover the payment 

from the account on record. Account holder information is automatically provided 

with this request type. 

 

• ‘O - Obtain Account Owner Information’ – The ‘O’ stop instructs Treasury to 

confirm and/or obtain account owner information. Recovery of the payment is not 

automatic but can be requested using a check box option, if the account holder 

information differs from that of the annuitant. 

Payment trace follow-up actions with the FI are handled by Treasury. DDAs will contact 

Treasury when a response to the initial inquiry is not received within three business 

days. If no response or status is received within 7 days, RRB will complete the 

process to make the annuitant whole.

Payment Disposition Actions

The chart below provides the handling actions for payments based on the disposition 

and results of the R06 process: 

Recovery Case Type Treasury Response Required Action 

Fraud 

(Confirmed/Suspected) 

Payment Returned 

(Fully/Partially) • DDAs will confirm 

receipt of Form Letter 

RL-77A.

• DDAs will check 

PAYBACK to confirm 

agency credit of the 

returned payment. 

• Payment fully returned 

and annuity 

suspended: 
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Code 98: DDAs will 

mechanically reinstate 

the record, and reissue 

the payment using 

FAST-COA. 

Code 06: DDAs will 

contact the customer 

service section of the 

Retirement/Survivor 

Benefits Division 

(RSBD) for expedited 

handling to reinstate 

the benefit and reissue 

the payment. 

• Payment partially 

returned: 

Partial payments will 

not be on PAYBACK. 

The financial institution 

will issue a check to 

Treasury. Treasury will 

transfer the funds to the 

RRB via the Intragovernmental Payment 

and Collection system 

(IPAC). The DDAs will 

obtain a copy of the 

IPAC credit from BFO, 

and image the 

documentation.

DDAs will contact the 

customer service 

section in the 

Retirement/Survivor 

Benefits Division 

(RSBD) for expedited 

handling to reinstate 

the record, if needed, 

and reissue the 

returned partial 

payment, and 

remaining balance, to 
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make the annuitant 

whole.

• DDAs will refer the 

case to the Office of 

Inspector General.

Fraud 

(Confirmed/Suspected) 

Payment Not Returned • DDAs will confirm 

receipt of Form RL-77A.

• DDAs will contact the 

customer service 

section in RSBD to 

expedite handling and 

reissue a replacement 

payment to make the 

annuitant whole.

• DDAs will refer the 

case to the Office of 

Inspector General.

Misdirected (Account 

holder is a RR annuitant)

Payment Returned (Posted 

on PAYBACK)

• If the payment is 

returned code 92, field 

offices will process a 

change code 2 to have 

the payment 

mechanically reissued 

and the annuity 

reinstated.

• If the payment is 

returned code 06,

DDAs will refer the 

case to RSBD to 

manually reissue the 

payment and reinstate 

the annuity.

Misdirected (Account 

holder is a RR annuitant)

Payment Not Returned Or 

Partially Returned • DDAs will contact the 

customer service 

section in RSBD to 

expedite handling and 

issue a replacement 

payment to make the 

annuitant whole. 
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• RSBD will initiate 

overpayment recovery 

action against the 

annuitant, whose

account was credited in 

error. See section 

115.22.6.

115.25 Return of Checks/Payments

115.25.1 Individual Checks

If an individual reports the receipt or possession of a Treasury issued check in the 

name of a deceased person, or a Treasury issued check in the name of a person who is 

not entitled for any reason to payment for the month covered by the check, and the 

check was issued within the last year, instruct the individual to make and retain a record 

of the check number, date, amount, and payee designation; and to return the check 

promptly to the Department of the Treasury, Philadelphia Financial Center, P.O. Box 

51319, Philadelphia, PA, 19115-6319, with a note giving the reason for its return. If the 

check is more than a year old, see section 115.50.15. 

If the check is brought to the field office, accept and forward the check to Treasury. If 

the individual requests a receipt, prepare Form G-27. See FOM-I-1720 for completion 

instructions. Enter on the face of the returned check, beneath the "pay to the order of" 

caption next to the Statue of Liberty emblem, information as follows and in the order

shown here:

1. Reason for return (use the minimum number of words, e.g., "Died", "Emp. Serv.", 

"Working", "Remarried", etc.)

2. Month and year of the event.

3. Field office identification number.

EXAMPLE: Died

12-90

409

In addition, invalidate the check by imprinting the legend: "Not Negotiable For Payment 

and Credit in Treasurer's Account" on the check. Place this legend above the MICR line 

and over the disbursing officer's signature, but do not obscure the name of the payee, 
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the amount of the check, the account number, or the coded area of the check. Treasury 

will cancel the payment and forward the credit to the RRB. The cancellation credit will 

appear on PAYBACK. If after a reasonable amount of time the cancellation credit does 

not appear on PAYBACK, notify the Bureau of Fiscal Operations-Debt Recovery 

Division to place a stop payment against the check. 

If the annuitant is deceased, process an APPLE First Notice of Death (FNOD) 

transaction to stop the beneficiary's payments and to document the return of the 

payment in the remarks section of the FNOD screen.

Complete a FAST-Suspension/Termination transaction to stop payments in cases 

involving non-death terminations. Refer to FOM-I-1565.25.2 for a list of 

termination/suspension codes that can be processed by field offices. Notify the 

appropriate unit in headquarters of the pending suspension/termination transaction. 

Headquarters must be notified because there may be additional actions to be taken on 

the case. Headquarters must also be notified when field personnel cannot process the 

suspension/termination transaction. 

Do not under any circumstances advise an individual to endorse a check issued in the 

name of a deceased person. Even in a representative payee case, the payee has no 

right to the proceeds of a check after the death of the beneficiary. 

Take the following action when it is too late to stop release of the next check or if there 

are outstanding non-negotiable check(s):

1. Instruct the informant to return any check(s) on hand and any checks that might 

be received in the future to Treasury. See the instructions in this section.

2. Document in the "Remarks" on the APPLE FNOD screen information or 

instructions that were given concerning any outstanding checks, e.g. "Widow 

states she returned 12-1-90 check", or "Son was advised to return 2-1-91 check".

115.25.2 Combined RR/SS Benefits

If a payee reports a disqualifying event that affects the RR benefit but not the SS 

benefit, or vice versa, inform the payee that the combined check may be negotiated, but 

the amount of the not-due benefit must be refunded by a check or money order made 

payable to the RRB. Instruct the payee to forward the refund either to headquarters or 

the field office. Make sure all refunds are identified with the claim number on the check.

Note: If an event occurs which terminates a beneficiary's entitlement to a railroad 

retirement annuity, responsibility for the payment of the social security benefit may have 

to be returned to SSA. If the beneficiary is not entitled to HIB/SMIB, RRB will pay the 

SS benefit for 3 months after RRB notifies SSA of the transfer of jurisdiction. If the 

beneficiary is entitled to HIB/SMIB, the SS benefit will be stopped as soon as possible.
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115.25.3 Misrouted Checks

When a payee reports that a check for another person was included with his or her 

check in the same envelope, take the following action:

A. Request the payee to return the misrouted check to the field office.

B. Telephone the supervisor in P&S-PAS immediately and furnish the names and 

addresses of the payees, RRB claim numbers, and the amount and date of each 

check. Summarize your telephone conversation and document contact 

information in the Contact Log. 

C. Process a non-receipt “C” stop request for each payee and notify them of the 

delay.

D. Shred the misrouted checks when they are received. There is no need to send 

Headquarters any documentation unless specifically requested.

115.25.4 Checks Returned As "Code 98" - Undeliverable Due to Incorrect Address

When a check is returned to the RRB as "undeliverable," the action causes benefits to 

be suspended, and a suspension code of "98" to be entered on the Checkwriting 

Master. This provides for the re-batching of the returned check, and mechanical 

reinstatement of recurring payments once a subsequent change of address or direct 

deposit enrollment is processed.

Note: Only a change code of 2, 3, 4, 5 or B will cause a mechanical reinstatement. 

Refer to FOM-I-1570.25.4 for more details on reinstating code 98 undeliverable 

suspensions.

Exception: Processing a change of address transaction to reissue a payment that was 

offset under the Treasury Offset Program (TOP) (see FOM-1-1245.35) and returned 

code 98 will not reissue the payment. Returned payments that have been offset by 

TOP require additional manual handling by Headquarters, as the payment amount will 

not match the amount shown in the Checkwriting Master file to initiate a suspension or 

termination transaction.

Example:

The debtor’s original benefit payment amount as shown in the Checkwriting Master 

file is $1350 (tier 1 benefits of $1150 and tier 2 benefits of $200). The TOP offset 

amount is $172.50. The amount of the payment sent to the debtor’s is $1177.50 

($1350.00 minus $172.50). The $1177.50 payment is returned as undeliverable

(code 98). Because the amount of the payment does not equal the rate shown in 

the Checkwriting Master file, the annuity did not suspend. The payment must be 

manually reissued. Verify the address and contact the retirement or survivor 

Customer Service Group to have the payment reissued.
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Note: When a benefit goes into a code 98 status for a period of 30 days but less 

than 60 days, a USTAR referral is generated and assigned to the servicing field 

office for investigation. Refer to section 115.25.9 for case handling instructions.

115.25.5 Uncashed Checks

A check may be cashed up to 1 year after it is issued. After 1 year, the check must be 

returned and a new check will be issued if the payment is still due the payee. Return all 

checks that are a year or older to UPSD-TCIU. Do not send these checks to Treasury

because it will only delay the reissuance of a new check.

If checks issued prior to death are located and reported after an annuitant's death, 

instruct the caller to return the checks and develop an application for annuities due but 

unpaid at death, if appropriate.

See section 115.50 for information about the investigation of uncashed checks and the 

return of checks that are at least a year old.

115.25.6 Duplicate Payment Received (Original and Replacement Checks)

At times, an annuitant reports non-receipt of payment, a replacement is issued and the 

original check is then received, causing duplicate payment for the month.

If the annuitant returns one of the checks to the field office, route the check to UPSDTCIU in a plain white envelope. Indicate why the check is being returned. This will 

reduce the chance of the annuity being erroneously suspended. If the annuitant is to 

return the check directly to headquarters, instruct the annuitant to send it to the attention 

of UPSD-TCIU. 

115.25.7 Damaged or Mutilated Checks

Process a non-receipt claim if an annuitant reports that a check has been damaged or 

mutilated, and cannot be cashed, or if the check was totally destroyed. If the check was 

damaged or mutilated, instruct the annuitant to return the check to the field office. Upon 

receipt of the check, shred it. Unless otherwise requested, it is not necessary to return 

the check to Headquarters. 

115.25.8 Returned EFT Payments: Code 91/92

Codes 91 and 92 can only be used when an EFT payment is returned to Treasury by a 

financial institution. Code 91 means that the account is closed, and code 92 means that 

there is no such account number. To ensure that the returned payment is reinstated, 

process a COA as described in FOM-I 1570.25.4 after the case defaults to code 

98status on DATAQ.

Note: When a benefit goes into a code 98 status for a period of 30 days but less 

than 60 days, a USTAR referral is generated and assigned to the servicing field 

office for investigation. Refer to section 115.25.9 for case handling instructions.
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1. DAISY Processing of Code 91 and 92 Payments. Prior to November 1993, 

payments returned as code 91 or 92 were automatically reissued to the home 

address. DAISY processing has been modified, however, to compare the payment 

date with the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) change date, and if necessary, the 

change of address date (COA), prior to reissuing payments. The following describes 

current DAISY processing. (Note: Date is defined as month/year; the day is not 

considered in this process by DAISY.) 

• If the payment date is earlier than the latest EFT change date, the payment 

will be released to the current financial institution account.

• If the payment date is the same or later than the EFT change date, DAISY will 

then compare the payment date to the latest COA date.

• If the payment date is earlier than the COA date, DAISY will delete the direct 

deposit information from the payment master file and DATA-Q, and reissue 

the payment to the home address.

• If the payment date is the same or later than the COA date, DAISY will delete 

the direct deposit account and routing information and generate a letter (RL87C) to the home address with a copy to the field office.

• Process the returned payment as a code 98 (refer to RCM 9.7.163

/FOM-I 1570.25.4), allowing reissuance by input of a change of address using 

change code 2, 4 or 5 or a new direct deposit enrollment with a change of 

address using change code B. No additional payments will be issued until a 

change of address is processed.

• Exception: Processing a change of address transaction to reissue a payment 

that was offset under TOP (see FOM1-1245.35) and returned code 98 will not 

reissue the payment. Returned payments that have been offset by TOP 

require additional manual handling by Headquarters, as the payment amount 

will not match the amount shown in Checkwriting Master file to initiate a 

suspension or termination transaction.

• Example: The debtor’s original benefit payment amount as shown in the 

Checkwriting Master file is $1350 (tier 1 benefits of $1150 and tier 2 benefits 

of $200). The TOP offset amount is $172.50. The amount of the payment 

sent to the debtor’s is $1177.50 ($1350.00 minus $172.50). The $1177.50 

payment is returned as undeliverable (code 98). Because the amount of the 

payment does not equal the rate shown in the Checkwriting Master file, the 

annuity did not suspend.

• The payment must be manually reissued. Verify the Direct Deposit 

information and contact the retirement or survivor Customer Service Group to 

have the payment reissued.
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• If the annuitant was enrolled in IDD and there is no change to the Direct 

Deposit entries in ITS.gov, you can re-enter the RTN and account

information; which can be found in PREH on the 3273 screen. The RTN for all 

IDD payments is 021053065. The bank account number for all IDD 

enrollments is a 14-character long payee’s identification number. This 

number must be typed exactly in the following format:

Employee annuitant – 123456789___A1 (three spaces between the claim 

number and prefix)

Spouse annuitant – 123456789__MA2 (two spaces between the claim 

number and beneficiary symbol)

Widow(er) annuitant - 123456789__WA1 (two spaces between the claim 

number and beneficiary symbol)

Survivor annuitant – 123456789_WCA2 (One space between the claim 

number and beneficiary symbol)

The best way to ensure the payee’s identification number is correctly typed is 

to copy the bank account number value from the 3273 screen and paste it on 

the first position of the account number field in the Direct Deposit Entry 

Screen. 

• If the annuitant was enrolled in IDD and the foreign bank account information 

has been changed, forward the reinstatement request to the Direct Deposit 

Analyst. 

2. Verification of the Annuitant's Address - Form RL-87C is released to the home 

address under the conditions described above. This form is designed primarily to 

secure verification of the annuitant's address. The notice has a detachable bottom 

portion which is returned by the annuitant to the field office. (See RL-87C) 

3. Actions by Field Office Upon Receipt of the RL-87C Letter. – If the detachable 

portion of the RL-87C is returned within 30 days with the correct address and is 

signed by the annuitant, the field office is to input the COA via FAST according to 

procedure in FOM-I-1572.25.4. If the annuitant telephones or writes the field office 

with new direct deposit (DD) information, the field office is to enter the data via 

FAST.

Note: To reinstate a code 98 suspension to a DD account, enter a change code "B" 

(Add Direct Deposit and Change Home Address) on the FAST-DIRECT DEPOSIT 

ENTRY SCREEN. A change code "A" (Add Direct Deposit Information Only) will not

activate the code 98 reinstatement process. 
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Forward all IDD reinstate code 98 suspension requests to the Direct Deposit 

Analyst. The Direct Deposit Analyst will process the FAST-COA and also correct 

direct deposit entries on ITS.gov. 

4. Actions by Headquarters Personnel if RL-87C is Mailed to Headquarters. - If the 

bottom portion of the RL-87C is inadvertently mailed to headquarters, the claims 

examiner will review the RL-87C for completeness and input the COA according to 

procedure in RCM 9.7.163. The claims examiner will document the Contact Log of 

actions taken. 

115.25.9 Benefit Suspended Code 98 Over 30 Days

When a benefit is in a code 98 status for a period of 30 days but less than 60 days, a 

USTAR referral is generated and assigned to the servicing field office for investigation. 

Field offices should use the Code 98 referrals to begin address or direct deposit 

verification early in the process, and before the case defaults to code 97 status after 90 

days. Relatively few of these cases must be investigated because the annuitant will 

usually have contacted either the field office or headquarters claiming non-receipt 

before the correct address is obtained and entered into our records. The time lapse 

between entry of this information and receipt of a replacement check is largely 

determined by when we receive and enter this information in relation to our 

reinstatement cut-off for that month. 

If the case has a Canadian address, it will be routed to the appropriate field office based 

on the first character of the postal code of the city/province. If the case has a Mexican 

address, it will be routed based on the state/territory. The Houston Field Office will 

receive the case by default if the Mexican state/territory is not clearly identifiable. The 

case can be reassigned, if needed. All other foreign cases and cases with incorrect zip

codes will be routed to the Chicago Field Office for handling or reassignment to the 

proper field office. If DATAQ indicates the case is in code 97 status a manual 

reinstatement will be required. Contact SBD or RBD, as appropriate. 

115.25.10 Description of Code 98 USTAR Referrals

The Code 98 USTAR referral is comprised of the three digit field office number and the 

category indicator of “C98” (i.e. 296C98). The referral contains an initial screen 

containing identifying information and a remarks screen with detailed case information. 

The initial screen of the referral contains the following information:

• Claim number and payee code

• Category Code (preceded by field office number)

• Date of the Code 98 Report file

The remarks screen of the referral contains the following case information:
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• Last change of address date

• RR and/or SS suspension/termination status date

• Current name and mailing address

• Processing date of the payment

• Last date of code 98 mechanical reinstatement before code 97 status occurs

115.25.11 Field Office Handling of Code 98 USTAR Referrals

A USTAR referral will be created each time the monthly file is generated and the case 

remains in code 98 status. The case should be investigated for a change of address or 

direct deposit verification. While the investigation is being conducted, the case should 

remain open on USTAR. Based on the investigation results the field office will take the 

following action: 

1. Change of address or direct deposit information is received

If an address or direct deposit change information is received, process the payment 

reinstatement using FAST-COA code “2”,”4”, “5" or “B”. Code 98 mechanical processing 

allows payment reissuance by input of a change of address using change code 2, 4 or 

5, or a new direct deposit enrollment using change code B. Close the USTAR referral 

using the disposition code, “Handled-HND”. For additional information on code 98 

mechanical processing, refer to FOM-1 1570.25.4.

2. Change of address or direct deposit information was previously received

If an address or direct deposit change was previously received and the payment has 

been reissued, no additional action is required. Close the USTAR referral using the 

disposition code, “NAN-No action necessary”. If the address or direct deposit was 

changed but the payment has not been reissued, contact RBD/SBD for manual award 

handling to reissue the payment. 

3. Change of address or direct deposit information not received 

If an address or direct deposit information has not been received, pend the case for 

additional development. Once the change information is received, process the payment 

reinstatement using FAST-COA code “2”,”4”, “5" or “B”. If the status of the case 

changes to code 97 before the information is received, send an email to SBD or RBD 

asking them to reinstate the benefits and, reissue the returned payment and any 

subsequent payments. If the information is not received and the case is in code 97 

status, notate your action in the remarks section of the USTAR referral and close it out

using the disposition code, “Handled-HND”. If applicable, notate the Contact Log with 

your investigative efforts.
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115.25.12 Code 98 USTAR Referrals - International Direct Deposit (IDD) and Direct 

Express cases

All code 98 USTAR referrals that involve International Direct Deposit (IDD) and require 

reinstatement should be forwarded to the Direct Deposit Analyst. Close out the USTAR 

referral using the disposition code, “Handled-HND”, and notate your actions in the 

Remarks section. The Direct Deposit Analyst will process the FAST-COA and also 

correct direct deposit entries on ITS.gov. If the case involves, Direct Express, the field 

office will verify the mailing address and process the payment reinstatement to the 

home address using FAST-COA code “2”. If the annuitant chooses to continue using 

Direct Express, a new enrollment will have to be processed.

115.25.13 Code 98 USTAR Referrals – Possible Representative Payee 

Development

If investigation of the code 98 USTAR referral results in possible rep-payee

development, suspend the benefit using FAST S/T. When suspending the benefit, use 

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

survivor annuitants. The effective date of the code 63, 64, or 65 suspension entered on 

FAST S/T must be prior to the effective date of the code 98/97 in order to process this 

change. If SS benefits are involved, then contact RBD or SBD to request suspension of 

these benefits. Notate your actions in the remarks section of the USTAR referral, and 

close it out using the disposition code, “Handled-HND”. If applicable, notate the Contact

Log with your investigative efforts.

Note: When closing cases on USTAR check for multiple referrals that exist for the 

same payment. Close all related referrals once the case has been completed.

115.25.14 Code 98 USTAR Referrals - Unable to Locate Annuitant

If you are unable to locate the annuitant, refer to FOM-1-139.40, FOM-1-139.45, and 

FOM-1-139.50 for additional actions to take. 

115.30 Handling Reports of Non-Receipt of RRA Direct Deposit 

Payments and Checks, and Destroyed, Lost, Stolen, or Misrouted 

Checks

Whenever the annuitant reports non-receipt of a Railroad Retirement Act (RRA) benefit 

check or Direct Deposit (DD) payment, check DATA-Q, FAST S/T, PREH, PACER, or 

the Treasury Check Information System (TCIS) to verify the payment status.

A. Benefits Suspended or Terminated - If a suspension or termination exists, ask 

the annuitant if he or she knows any reason why the payments may have been 

suspended or terminated. Check your files and/or the imaging system for a copy 

of a suspension or termination letter that may have been sent to the annuitant. If 

the annuity was suspended, advise the annuitant when to expect reinstatement. 
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If the annuity was erroneously suspended or terminated, notify the Retirement 

Benefits Division (RBD) or the Survivor Benefits Division (SBD), as appropriate.

B. Benefits In Force - If there is an indication that the check or DD payment was 

issued, access PAYBACK to determine whether or not the check or DD payment 

was returned.

1. Check Cases

a. Check Appears On PAYBACK - If the check appears on PAYBACK and 

the return reason code is other than 98, contact RBD or SBD to arrange 

for the check to be reissued. If the return reason code is 98, process a 

change of address even if the address on record is correct. This will 

cause the check to be reissued. When the annuitant wants to also enroll 

in Direct Deposit, a code "B" change of address/enrollment must be used 

to reinstate benefits.

NOTE: Payments that were offset due to TOP and are returned code 98 

will not suspend the annuity nor will processing a change of address 

transaction reissue the payment. This is because the amount of the 

returned payment will not match the payment rate shown in the 

Checkwriting Master file. After verifying the address, contact the RBD or 

SBD to have the payment reissued. See FOM1-1245.35 for more 

information on TOP.

IMPORTANT: If a replacement check is returned code 98 and the 

annuitant is not entitled to the payment, contact RBD or SBD. Benefits 

must again be suspended with a miscellaneous code (to override the code 

98 suspension) and then reinstated. Do not process a change of 

address. Doing so will cause the replacement check to be reissued and 

the annuity to be overpaid.

b. Check Does Not Appear On PAYBACK - If the check does not appear on 

PAYBACK, follow the guidelines in section 115.30.1 and check the 

payment status on PACER to determine what non-receipt action is 

required for processing the claim.

NOTE: If the annuitant reports non-receipt of a payment before delivery of 

his or her mail on the seventh day of the month, explain to the annuitant 

that most payments which are not delivered on the expected delivery day 

are delayed in the mail and are usually delivered by the seventh day of the 

month. Instruct the annuitant to wait until he or she receives mail on the 

seventh of the month before again contacting the field office.

2. Direct Deposit Cases
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a. Payment Appears On PAYBACK - If the payment appears on PAYBACK 

and the return reason code is 91 or 92, the payment will be reissued after 

confirmation of the address. Process a change of address even if the 

address on record is correct. When the annuitant wants to also enroll in 

Direct Deposit, a code "B" change of address/enrollment must be used to 

reinstate benefits. For return reason codes other than 91 or 92, contact 

RBD or SBD to request that the payment be reissued.

NOTE: Payments that were offset due to TOP (See FOM1-1245.35) and 

are returned code 98 will not suspend the annuity nor will processing a 

change of address transaction reissue the payment. This is because the 

amount of the returned payment will not match the payment rate shown in 

the Checkwriting Master file. After verifying the Direct Deposit information, 

contact RBD or SBD to have the payment reissued.

b. Payment Does Not Appear On PAYBACK - If the payment does not 

appear on PAYBACK, follow the guidelines in section 115.30.1 and check 

the payment status on PACER or TCIS to determine what non-receipt 

action is required for processing the claim.

Note: If the status on PACER or TCIS indicates “EFT Payment 

Processed”, this means that the payment was received by the FI. Provide 

the annuitant with the trace number and advise the annuitant to confirm 

non-receipt with the financial institution. Most financial institutions do not 

send deposit receipts in Direct Deposit cases.

115.30.1 Guidelines for Questioning Individual Reporting Non-Receipt

Careful interviewing is necessary when an individual reports non-receipt of a payment. 

The questions asked may vary from case to case. However, they should be 

comprehensive enough to establish whether payments have been regularly received 

and whether the annuitant has any idea why the payment in question was not received. 

The responses to the questions will also determine what action, if any, needs to be 

taken. Questions may include:

• Has the annuitant been receiving payments regularly?

• Has the annuitant recently changed his or her address?

• Has he or she reported the change of address?

• Was the address as printed on the check received last month the current 

address? The annuitant may have moved some time before and never 

reported the change of address. The Postal Service, after forwarding 

payments for a while, may have stopped forwarding the annuitant’s mail.
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• Has the annuitant been overpaid? Could the RRB be recovering an 

overpayment?

• Was the payment offset due to TOP (see FOM1-1245.35)? 

• Has an event causing termination or adjustment occurred? For example, has 

a child stopped attending school? 

• Has he or she previously reported any event that would have caused the 

annuity to be reinstated or adjusted?

• Has the annuitant submitted a report to the RRB changing his or her estimate 

of earnings to a higher amount than previously reported?

• Has he or she recently received a notice from RRB that might explain why 

payment was delayed?

• It is possible that some family member may have deposited the payment for 

the annuitant? This aspect of the questioning should be handled tactfully, but 

is necessary since Treasury Department statistics show that in approximately 

60 percent of the cases in which a payment was negotiated, the payment was 

negotiated either by the intended payee or someone on his or her behalf.

• Does the annuitant believe the payment may have been illegally cashed? If 

so, explain that a replacement check will not be issued until the claim FS 

Form 133 is completed and returned to Treasury.

• If payment was made by check and it was lost or stolen, was it endorsed by 

the annuitant prior to being lost or stolen? If so, was it restrictively endorsed, 

i.e., for deposit only to Bank of America on account of John Doe C1234567? 

If not, explain to the annuitant that if the check has already been cashed, 

Treasury will not issue a replacement check. In addition, if Treasury issues a 

replacement check and the original check is later cashed, the individual is 

liable for the overpayment since the original check bears the genuine 

endorsement of the annuitant.

• If payment was made by Direct Deposit, did the annuitant recently cancel 

Direct Deposit, change accounts, or change financial institutions?

Note: If the following has occurred:

• our records show that a change was recently made to the Direct Deposit 

information; or,

• the annuitant received an RL-79 series letter advising a change; and,

• the annuitant did not authorize that change. 
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These events indicate fraud may have occurred and require special handling. 

Refer to section 115.24.4 for additional instructions.

• Did the annuitant recently elect to have payments made by Direct Deposit, i.e. 

a new enrollment? Check for new information pending on FAST-COA. If 

necessary, re-enroll the annuitant on FAST.

• After verifying that the payment was made by EFT, ask the annuitant if he or 

she contacted the financial institution. If not, refer the annuitant to the 

financial institution.

• If the annuitant contacted the financial institution, did the financial institution 

confirm that the payment was not received? Confirmation would include 

verifying that the payment was not posted before or after the payment date, or 

to another account and, checking their payment and bookkeeping records 

and their rejected and returned payment records.

Note: Unless processing of the payment file was delayed (in which case field 

offices would be notified of the problem), it is highly unlikely that the financial 

institution did not receive the EFT payment on or before the payment date. 

Therefore, it is important for the financial institution to confirm that the payment 

was not received. A replacement payment will not be issued until the status of 

the original payment is ascertained and returned to the RRB.

• Proof of confirmation would include field office contact with the financial 

institution verifying the actions taken by the financial institution, or completion 

by the financial institution of Treasury's Non-receipt Claim for Direct Deposit 

Payments form, according to the instructions in the Green Book.

115.30.2 Field Office Processing of Non-Receipt Reports

The field office is responsible for handling all routine non-receipt claims, i.e. the claim 

can be processed without additional information, instructions, or controls from 

headquarters. Process the non-receipt claim when the annuitant is alive and 

entitled to the payment and :

• The annuitant reports that a regular monthly Direct Deposit payment was not 

received on the payment date and the financial institution confirms nonreceipt; or

• The annuitant reports that a regular monthly benefit check was not received 

after his or her mail was delivered on the 7th day of the month; or

• The annuitant reports that a regular monthly benefit check was lost or stolen 

before being endorsed; or
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• The annuitant reports that a regular monthly benefit check was damaged, 

mutilated, or completely destroyed; and

• If a check, the check is less than one year old.

• Access FAST-PI ENTRY to process the claim. See FOM-1-1573 for FASTPIENTRY Instructions.

IMPORTANT: In situations where there has been a change in payee, do not 

process a non-receipt claim against a payment that was issued to a former payee. 

Contact UPSD-TCIU for assistance.

NOTE: If the annuitant or a representative for the annuitant reports non-receipt of a 

not-due payment, e.g. the payment was issued after death or loss of entitlement;

contact the Bureau of Fiscal Operations-Debt Recovery Division (BFO-DRD) via 

Outlook at “DRD-BFO-Debt Recovery Division” or by telephone at x4630. Be sure to 

indicate that the payee was not entitled to the payment. Also, include the correct payee 

identification information, including full name. Indicate the exact payment date (monthyear) and specify whether the claim is for a monthly or an accrual payment.

BFO-DRD will investigate the status of the payment and if necessary, initiate the 

appropriate reclamation action. Under no circumstances should you process a nonreceipt claim against the payment. This could cause a replacement check to be issued.

115.30.3 UPSD-TCIU Processing of Non-Receipt Reports

The Unemployment Programs Support Division-Tax Clerical Imaging Unit (UPSD-TCIU) 

will process the non-receipt claim or request when:

• The annuitant reports non-receipt of an accrual or adjustment payment;

• A mass loss situation has occurred;

• The annuitant reports that an endorsed check was lost or stolen;

• There is a change in representative payee and the payment in question was 

received by the previous representative payee;

• The annuitant is deceased and the family or a representative of the deceased 

annuitant reports that the annuitant did not receive one or more due 

payments before his or her death;

• The annuitant reports non-receipt of a check that is 12 months or older; or

• An FI reports that an endorsed check was lost or stolen after being cashed by 

the annuitant (Lost-in-Transit claims). 
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• The annuitant was enrolled in International Direct Deposit (IDD) and the 

foreign financial institution has not received one or more due payments. 

Contact UPSD-TCIU via e-mail at TCIS-CSU Group if non-receipt is reported for any of 

these situations. When reporting non-receipt claims via e-mail, be specific, include the 

correct payee identification information, including full name. Indicate the exact payment 

date (month-year), payment amount, and specify whether the claim is for a monthly or 

an accrual payment.

UPSD-TCIU will also process routine non-receipt requests that are received at 

headquarters.

115.30.4 FAST-PI Processing of Non-Receipt Claims

When a payment investigation transaction is entered into PIENTRY, a file is prepared 

and transmitted to Treasury's Financial Center. A letter is also sent to the annuitant 

acknowledging the non-receipt claim and notifying the annuitant that the matter has 

been referred to the Treasury. There will not be a field office copy of this letter. 

Treasury will process our file and return a second file, the Status Disposition file, to the 

RRB showing the action taken on each non-receipt claim. The Status Disposition file 

serves as an acknowledgement, and consists of a confirmation or reject message of 

each transaction. This initial acknowledgement usually is received in a few days, but 30 

days is allowed before tracing.

The Payment Investigation On-Line Status system (PISTATUS) is updated with the 

action taken on each claim. Both headquarters and field offices have access to this 

information on the PISTATUS screens.

A list of the initial confirmation and reject messages sent from Treasury is shown in 

FOM-I-1574.30.1. 

Once a non-receipt claim is submitted to Treasury, the matter is between the annuitant 

and Treasury. Encourage the annuitant to promptly follow any instructions received 

regarding the non-receipt claim. This includes promptly returning the replacement check 

if the original check is located.

115.30.5 Treasury Processing of Non-Receipt Claims

When Treasury receives and processes our file, they screen their records to determine 

if the payment in question was issued and if issued, search their records to determine if 

a previous action was taken on the payment. If Treasury has no record of the payment 

being issued (payment date and/or amount on the request does not match their records) 

or if their records show that a previous action was taken on the payment (payment was 

previously returned or a previous non-receipt request was processed), we will receive a 

reject message and no further action will be taken by Treasury on the claim.
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If their records show the payment was issued and no previous action was taken, 

Treasury will take action as described in A or B below.

A. Direct Deposit (DD) Cases - Treasury will prepare and release FS Form 150.2 or 

FS Form 150.1, Payment Trace Requests, to the financial institution (FI). The FS 

Form 150.2 is used to trace payments dated the current or previous month. The 

FS Form 150.1 is used to trace payments that were issued two months or more 

from the date of the trace request or as a follow-up notice to a previous trace 

request. Upon receipt of the FS Form 150.2/150.1, the FI must verify the status 

of the payment and credit the payment to the annuitant's account, if it was not 

previously credited or returned. The FI will also advise the annuitant regarding 

the status of the payment.

NOTE: If the payment was offset by TOP, Treasury will forward the non-receipt 

request to its debt collection center in Birmingham, AL (BDMOC). BDMOC will 

process the trace request against the DD payment it issued after having applied 

the offset and forward the request to the financial institution. 

If the payment cannot be credited to the account, the FI must return it to Treasury 

via the Automated Clearing House network and prepare a Notification of Change 

if corrections are needed for future payments. RRB will issue a replacement 

payment once the returned payment has been credited to the railroad account. 

B. Check Cases - In check cases, Treasury will complete the check description 

(check symbol and serial number) and forward the non-receipt request to the 

Treasury office in Philadelphia, PA for further processing. That office will check 

their records to determine if the check has been cashed. If the payment was 

offset by TOP, Treasury will forward the non-receipt request to BDMOC. 

BDMOC will process a non-receipt request against the check it issued after 

having applied the offset and forward the request to the Treasury office in 

Hyattsville, MD for further processing. 

1. Check Not Cashed - If the check has not been cashed, Treasury will issue 

a replacement check directly to the annuitant.

Note: This processing applies only to requests submitted using stop 

reason code "C" (NON RECEIPT-RFC WILL REISSUE). For all other 

non-receipt codes, Treasury will forward the credit to the RRB. Upon 

receipt of the credit, UPSD-TCIU will notify RBD or SBD to issue a 

replacement payment.

2. Check Cashed - If the check has been cashed, a replacement check will 

not be issued. The annuitant will receive a claim form (Form FMS-1133) 

and a photocopy of the check. The annuitant should examine the 

photocopy to determine if he cashed the check. No further action is 

necessary if the annuitant cashed the check.
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If the annuitant did not cash the check, he or she must complete the claim 

form and return it, along with the check photocopy, directly to Treasury at 

the address shown on the claim form. The claim form should not be sent 

to RRB; doing so will only delay processing the claim. Not returning the 

check photocopy also delays Treasury's handling.

Treasury will investigate the cashing of the check and make a 

determination as to whether or not forgery was involved. The matter will 

be handled between Treasury and the annuitant. The RRB is not involved 

in this process. If forgery is determined, Treasury will issue a replacement 

check directly to the annuitant. A replacement check will not be issued if 

Treasury determines the annuitant cashed and/or benefited from the 

check.

115.30.6 Trace and Follow-up Actions

If an annuitant contacts you regarding the status of the non-receipt claim, check the 

status message on the PISTATUS screen. A complete description of all PISTATUS 

messages is in FOM-I-1574.30.

• If the message reads “SENT TO TREASURY” and more than 30 days have 

elapsed since the RRB PROC DATE, notify Policy & Systems-Payment 

Analysis & Systems (P&S-PAS). P&S-PAS will investigate the matter.

• If the message reads “SF-1184 PROCESSED” and more than 45 days have 

elapsed since the RRB PROC DATE, notify P&S-PAS. P&S-PAS will 

investigate the matter.

• If the message reads “SF-1184 PROCESSED – PAYMENT WAS OFFSET”, 

this would indicate that the initial processing by BDMOC for a payment that 

was offset by TOP is complete. If more than 45 days have elapsed since the 

RRB PROC DATE, notify P&S-PAS. P&S-PAS will investigate the matter.

• If the message reads “OUTSTANDING COURTESY DISBURSEMENT 

ISSUED”, advise the annuitant that a replacement check has been released 

and to allow seven days for receipt of the payment. Add two business days to 

the RFC PROC DATE and use the result as the payment release date. If 

more than seven days have elapsed and the annuitant still claims non-receipt, 

notify UPSD-TCIU. UPSD-TCIU will process a non-receipt claim against the 

replacement check.

• If the message reads “COURTESY DISBURSEMENT ISSUED – PAYMENT 

WAS OFFSET”, advise the annuitant that a replacement check has been 

released and it was offset by TOP. The annuitant should allow seven days 

for receipt of the payments. Add two business days to the RFC PROC DATE 

and use the result as the payment release date or, access PACER or TCIS to 

get the exact payment date. If more than seven days have elapsed and the 
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annuitant still claims non-receipt, notify UPSD-TCIU. UPSD-TCIU will 

process a non-receipt claim against the replacement check.

• If the message reads “REJECT – PAYMENT WAS FULLY OFFSET”, notify 

P&S-PAS to investigate. Because benefit payments must be greater than 

$750.00 (or $166.67 for IRS tax levies) to be eligible for offset, this message 

should not be received from Treasury

• If the message reads “PAID-PHOTOCOPY AND CLAIM TO FOLLOW, advise 

the annuitant that the check has been cashed and that Treasury mailed the 

FMS-3858 Claims Document Package (copy of the check, FMS-1133 Claim 

Form, and payee instructions) to him/her. Advise the annuitant to allow 10 

business days from the RFC PROC DATE for receipt of the FMS-3858.

If more than 10 business days have elapsed and the annuitant advises that he or she

has not received the claims package, contact Treasury at (855) 868-0151, to request a 

duplicate claims package. The claims package can be sent directly to the annuitant or 

you can request that it be sent to your office.

If the annuitant advises that he or she has already completed and returned the FMS1133 Claim Form and check photocopy to Treasury, but has not received any 

information regarding the status of the claim, and more than 45 days have elapsed 

since the claim form was mailed, contact Treasury at (855) 868-0151, or e-mail to: 

check.claims@fms.treas.gov .

Note: Treasury handles all claims according to the check’s symbol and serial number. 

You will need to provide this information, which can be found on PISTATUS in the CK 

NUMBER-SYM field, PACER, and/or TCIS. 

Contact UPSD-TCIU via e-mail at TCIS-CSUGroup@rrb.gov if you cannot locate a 

claim on the screens, or if you need additional information. Be sure to include the claim 

number, annuitant’s name, and a brief description of the problem.

115.30.7 PISTATUS USTAR Referral Notices

If Treasury is unable to process a non-receipt claim based on the information submitted, 

the RRB will receive a reject message from Treasury on the Status Disposition file. 

When this file is processed and updated to PISTATUS, a USTAR referral notice is 

produced and assigned to the field office or UPSD. The USTAR category code is “PSR 

– PISTATUS Rejects”. Reject referrals are loaded daily, after 6:00 pm (c). Managers 

are to assign cases within one business day of the download, allowing three business 

days for handling. The information must be reviewed and verified. Resubmit a 

corrected transaction, if necessary (see FOM 1573.30 for PIENTRY instructions). If 

assistance is needed in processing the claim, the field office should contact UPSD-TCIU

via email at TCIS-CSUGroup@rrb.gov. UPSD-TCIU will contact P&S-PAS, if they 

require assistance. Once completed, notate in the USTAR remarks section the action 

taken, and close out using the Disposition Code “Handled”. 
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NOTE: USTAR referrals are not created for rejected non-entitlement and status 

requests generated through the Bureau of Fiscal Operations’ Debt Recovery Division 

(BFO-DRD). A TSO file is created daily to list the referrals (P.BRC.#2304DD3.**). An 

automated email will be sent to the BFO-Debt Recovery group mailbox (BFODebtRecoveryCollectionsGroup@rrb.gov) when there is a record on the file. 

115.30.8 Mass Loss of Checks

An abnormally large number of inquiries or reports of non-receipt regarding regular 

monthly annuity checks received on or shortly after the normal receipt date from 

annuitants residing in a relatively concentrated geographical area indicates that a mass 

loss of checks may have occurred.

A mass-loss of checks usually occurs when a mailbag or mail tray containing the checks 

is lost, destroyed, or unaccountably disappears. In most instances involving lost mail, 

the loss is temporary and is resolved within a short time. A mass loss is declared when:

• We know the original checks will not be delivered; the checks have been damaged or 

lost in route, the mail truck or postal facility caught fire, or the mail was stolen from 

the carrier.

• We have exhausted all reasonable efforts to locate the checks. This is a judgment 

call made by P&S-PAS and Field Service based upon an evaluation of all of the 

information gathered from Treasury and the Post Office.

If it appears that a mass loss has occurred, immediately contact the Chief of P&S-PAS 

via the P&S Inquiry email address. Additionally, notify your regional office and UPSDTCIU. An email message is appropriate for notifying UPSD-TCIU. The chart below 

outlines the actions that will be helpful in resolving the situation.

Field Office Actions P&S-PAS Actions UPSD-TCIU 

Actions

Day 1 Gather zip codes and 

keep a list of 

annuitant names, 

claim numbers, and 

telephone numbers.

Contact the local post 

offices involved to 

determine if they 

received and 

delivered the checks.

Contact Treasury

and let them know 

we have a problem 

developing.

Secure confirmation 

of the check turn 

over to the Post 

Office.

Share turn over 

information with the 

affected field offices.
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Notify your network 

manager, P&S-PAS, 

and UPSD-TCIU of 

the situation.

Days 

2-7

Provide the zip code 

information to P&SPAS.

Continue to establish 

contact with the local 

post offices.

Contact the local SSA 

office to determine if 

they are experiencing 

similar problems.

Follow-up with 

annuitants to see if 

checks were received.

If there is any media 

involvement, notify 

the Office of Public 

Affairs.

Keep your network 

manager, P&S-PAS, 

and UPSD-TCIU 

posted about any 

advice received from 

the post offices or any 

changes in the 

situation.

Share the zip code 

information with 

Treasury and secure 

the details 

concerning the trays; 

e.g. what zip code 

ranges were 

contained in each 

tray, were there 

single or multiple 

trays, how were the 

trays labeled and 

sorted, etc. 

Share updated 

information from 

Treasury with the 

affected field offices.

After 

Day 7

Following mail 

delivery on the 7th

day, evaluate the 

situation: 

Is there a decrease in 

the volume of calls?

Declare a mass loss 

based on the results 

of the field office’s 

evaluation.

Determine if the field 

offices should assist 

UPSD-TCIU in 

inputting claims.

Input code “B” 

stops for 

individuals who 

reported nonreceipt or 

authorize field 

offices to input 

the claims.
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Has any individuals 

reported that checks 

were received?

Has the post office 

reported receiving the 

check?

Are there checks still 

missing? 

Provide UPSD-TCIU 

with the list of affected 

annuitants or, input 

“B” stops directly, if 

authorized by UPSDTCIU.

Notify the affected 

field offices on the 

mass loss decision.

Prepare situation 

report according to 

office procedure.

Monitor claims 

activity. Report, to 

Treasury’s Check 

Claims Branch, any 

patterns that appear 

to be forgery so that 

all claims are 

handled consistently.

Establish cut-off 

for processing “B” 

stops. After the 

cut-off date, all 

other reports of 

non-receipt are 

handled in 

accordance with 

the regular nonreceipt process.

Monitor claims 

activity. Report 

any patterns that 

appear to be 

forgery to P&SPAS.

115.35 Requests For Descriptions And Photocopies Of Checks

Securing check descriptions and photocopies of checks is a time-consuming and costly 

process and must be held to a minimum. Requests for check descriptions and 

photocopies are limited to those needed for administrative purposes, such as:

A. When the RRB is attempting to recover an RRB overpayment; e.g., a not-due 

check;

B. When the payee failed to disclose the receipt of RRB benefits to a State welfare 

agency from which he or she is (was) also receiving benefits; or

C. When an FI needs information to file a Lost-in-Transit or Holder-In-Due Course 

claim with its servicing Federal Reserve Bank.

If a request for a check description or check photocopy is received, access Treasury’s 

PACER system. Note: Treasury is unable to provide a check photocopy if the issue 

date of the check is more than six and one-half years from the current date.

115.35.1 Photocopy Requests for Checks Less Than 12 Months Old

If the payee is requesting a photocopy of a check because he or she believes the check 

was never received, i.e., the payee is not contesting an overpayment, process the 

request as a non-receipt claim using stop reason code C.

If the photocopy request is being made by a family member or the representative of a 

deceased payee, because they believe that the payee did not receive a check to which 
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he or she was entitled; i.e., they are not contesting an overpayment, notify UPSD-TCIU 

via e-mail at TCIS-CSUGroup@rrb.gov. UPSD-TCIU will process the request as a nonentitlement claim.

115.35.2 Lost-In-Transit/Holder-In-Due Course Claims 

Occasionally the RRB will be contacted by an FI concerning a check that was lost after 

it was cashed or deposited by the payee. In this situation, the FI is considered to be the 

second endorser and legally entitled to the proceeds of the check. The FI must file a 

claim through their servicing Federal Reserve Bank. When this occurs, access PACER 

to secure the exact check symbol and check number, and provide this information to the 

FI. Under no circumstances should the RRB process a non-receipt claim for the FI.

115.40 Stopping Release Or Requesting Suspension Of A Monthly 

Annuity

115.40.1 First Party Reports of Suspension or Termination Events 

When the annuitant or representative payee reports a suspension or termination event, 

if it can be processed on FAST (see FOM-I-1570.30.2), do so. If not, send an e-mail 

report to the Retirement Benefits Division (RBD) or Survivor Benefits Division (SBD) to 

stop the release of the monthly annuity payments. If the terminating event is death, 

complete a First Notice of Death (FNOD) transaction on APPLE. Normally you should 

not suspend or terminate a survivor beneficiary in a family group involving four or more 

payees. However, you should suspend or terminate any student beneficiary who loses 

entitlement regardless of the number of payees included in the family group. You 

should also suspend or terminate any survivor beneficiary belonging to a split family 

group who loses entitlement.

Be sure to furnish RBD or SBD with the following information in your report or telephone 

request:

• Correct RRB claim number ;

• Name of both payee and annuitant, if different;

• Complete mailing address, including Zip Code;

• Reason for suspension or termination.

115.40.2 Third Party Reports of Suspension or Termination Events 

When a third party provides information that could cause suspension or termination of 

an annuity, attempt to verify the information through the annuitant or a family member. 

If you are able to verify the information, handle in accordance with section 115.40.1. 
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NOTE: Third-party notifications should not be processed without first verifying the 

information. With some modifications, it may be helpful to use the guidelines for 

securing address information for undeliverable mail (see section 139.40). 

115.40.4 Death Notification Entry

Death Notification Entry (DNE) is an electronic process which transmits notification of 

the death of an annuitant to the financial institution (FI). DNE transactions are limited to 

annuities paid by Direct Deposit/Electronic Funds Transfer (DD/EFT).

DNEs are issued daily, without regard to monthly cut-offs. DNE transactions are created 

from APPLE First Notice of Death (FNOD) information and from FASTSuspension/Termination (FAST-S/T) transactions. Returned payments, death 

terminations from the PAM system, and annuities in suspense prior to the death 

termination do not create a DNE transaction.

Important Note: If an FNOD or FAST-S/T transaction is erroneous or contains a wrong 

date of death and the transaction is not deleted or modified before close of business on 

the day the transaction is entered, a DNE with the incorrect information will be released 

to the FI. When this occurs, immediately notify the FI. Provide the FI with the correct 

date of death, or inform the FI that the report of death was in error and is to be 

disregarded. The Retirement and Survivor Benefits Division (RSBD) Customer Service 

Unit must also be notified (see section 145.20).

A DNE transaction furnishes the FI with the following information:

• claim number

• name of the annuitant

• account number

• date of death

• annuitant's social security number

• the next recurring payment amount

Upon receipt of the DNE, FIs are encouraged to "flag" the deceased customer's account 

to prevent further acceptance of post-death payments. Federal payments received after 

the FI has been notified of a customer's death by DNE must be returned within 3 

business days of the payment date. Prompt return of the payment by the FI reduces 

and in some cases, eliminates the need to recover outstanding payments via the

reclamation process.
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115.41 Reclamation Of Outstanding Checks/Direct Deposit Payments

Reclamation is the primary method for recovering last check/direct deposit (DD) 

payment debts. The Automated Receivable, Reclamation, and Credit (ARRC)) system 

will mechanically establish outstanding last check/DD debts, post returned payment 

data, and initiate reclamation. A simultaneous request for a cash refund is not made, 

nor is the amount of the outstanding last check/DD payment withheld or recovered from 

benefits due the survivors. This includes both recurring and non-recurring benefits; i.e., 

initial survivor cases, spouse-to-widow conversion cases, spouse death cases, lump 

sum death benefits, and accrued annuities.

If the outstanding check has been cashed or the funds were withdrawn from the 

annuitant's account, the Department of the Treasury (Treasury) will recover the 

checks/DD payments from the financial institution (FI). The FI will in turn seek recovery 

from the person who cashed the check or withdrew the funds from the account. In some 

instances, the Railroad Retirement Board's Office of Inspector General may be involved.

Note: In check cases, the "person" who cashed the check could refer to a merchant, 

e.g. a local grocer, who cashed the check for an individual. In this instance, the FI will 

seek recovery from the merchant. The merchant in turn can seek recovery from the 

person who presented the check to be cashed.

Continue to advise family members/applicants to return original checks to the local RRB 

office or to Treasury. Advise them to request the FI to return not-due DD payments to 

Treasury, and not to withdraw the money themselves. This could create an overreimbursement at the RRB or an over-drawn situation in the annuitant's account. 

Exception 1: In check cases, Treasury cannot reclaim the proceeds of a check that was 

made payable to the representative payee for the annuitant. Therefore, it is okay to 

accept a cash refund in this situation.

Exception 2: If a check or money order is received via mail or in person, the claims 

representative should check PISTATUS to determine if reclamation has been initiated 

and if yes, check PACER to determine the status of the reclamation before accepting a 

cash refund. If reclamation has already been initiated, an over-reimbursement could 

occur. If in doubt, contact the reclamation debt recovery specialist at (312) 751-4812 or 

send an email to Zabrina.shelton@rrb.gov. The debt recovery specialist will advise if 

the reclamation process can be stopped or prevented from initiating after reviewing the 

case. Remit the check or money order to the RRA lockbox, Retirement and Survivor 

Debt Collections, PO Box 979018, Saint Louis, MO 63197-9000, for handling based on 

her determination. 

115.42 Over-reimbursement of Outstanding Checks

If a cash refund is received after reclamation has been initiated, an over-reimbursement 

will occur if Treasury is not instructed to terminate recovery action. If Treasury reclaims 

the funds from the FI that cashed the check, they are required to settle with the FI if the 
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recovery action was in error, either because the date of death was wrong or refund was 

made directly to the RRB. The RRB will not return the money to the individual who 

submitted the cash refund or to the FI. The Bureau of Fiscal Operations' Debt Recovery 

Division (DRD) will take the following actions:

A. Reclamation Credit Not Received - When a cash refund is received after 

reclamation of the check has been initiated but before credit for the check is 

received, DRD will notify Treasury to abandon their stop payment action. 

Treasury will terminate their recovery action against the FI. If the money was 

recovered, Treasury will issue a settlement check to the FI. RRB has no further 

action.

B. Reclamation Credit Received - When a cash refund and a reclamation credit 

have been received, DRD will notify Treasury to abandon their reclamation 

action. Treasury will reverse the credit from the RRB and issue a settlement 

check to the FI. RRB has no further action.

Note: This handling applies only to check cases and not to payments made by DD. 

Refer to section 115.22.8 if an over-reimbursement of DD payment has occurred.

115.45 Tolerance

Tolerance rules have been established to avoid issuing adjustment checks for negligible 

amounts. The rules described below apply to most adjustments; however, some 

mechanical adjustments apply different limits. Unless procedure issued on a specific 

adjustment advises otherwise, you can presume the rules stated below were applied. 

Overpayment tolerance rules are covered in Article 12, Overpayments (see section 

1205.26).

115.45.1 Recurring Monthly Annuity Rate Tolerance

The recurring rate tolerance is $1.00. Recurring annuity payments after a final award 

are not adjusted unless the monthly rate increases or decreases by more than $1.00.

115.45.2 Underpayment Tolerance

The tolerance amount for underpayments is $5.00. A recurring or one-payment-only 

award is not recertified unless the amount of the accrual payable is more than $5.00.

115.45.3 Exceptions to the Tolerance Rules

Tolerance does not apply in the following situations:

• An annuitant requests that his or her annuity be increased; or a beneficiary 

requests payment of a lump sum amount.

• A partial award was made and the annuitant dies before a final award is 

processed.
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• A recurring annuity rate changes from the O/M to the RR formula, or vice 

versa.

• Tolerance would have applied to the recurring rate, but an overpayment over 

$25.00 exists.

• Tolerance would have applied to the recurring rate, but an underpayment 

over $5.00 exists.

• An RR/SS adjustment is involved.

• Tolerance would have applied to the underpayment, but the recurring annuity 

rate changes by more than $1.00.

115.45.4 Tolerance Situations

Described below are some situations involving tolerance and the action that will be 

taken.

A. The difference between the correct rate and the rate being paid is more than 

$1.00, and the underpayment amount is $5.00 or less.

The annuity is recertified and the underpayment paid.

B. The difference between the correct rate and the rate being paid is $1.00 or less 

and the underpayment is more than $5.00.

The annuity is recertified and the underpayment paid.

C. The difference between the correct rate and the rate paid is $1.00 or less and the 

underpayment is $5.00 or less.

Tolerance applies to both the recurring rate and the underpayment. PREH 

records are updated with the correct rate so future mechanical adjustments are 

done correctly. In addition, if a manual adjustment is required in the future or the 

annuitant makes a request, any underpayment will be paid.

115.45.5 Affects of Tolerance on Future Adjustments

Whenever tolerance is applied to an annuity adjustment, PREH records retain the 

correct (actual) tier rate information for future adjustments. Consequently, an 

adjustment which is not paid due to tolerance is not permanently lost. When cumulative 

adjustments cause a rate change in excess of $1.00, the annuity is adjusted beginning 

with the month in which the monthly tolerance limit is exceeded. No adjustment is made 

for the months for which the increase is within tolerance unless a manual award action 

is required for some other reason.
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115.50 Uncashed Checks Investigation

Public Law 100-86 limits the payability of checks issued by the Department of the 

Treasury. Any check issued on or before September 30, 1989 was no longer payable 

effective October 1, 1990. Checks dated October 1, 1989 and later must be cashed 

within twelve months of the check issue date. While the period during which checks can 

be cashed is limited, the law does not affect annuitants' entitlement. If an annuitant 

allows a check to go uncashed for more than a year, the RRB can reissue payment for 

the period covered by that check, provided no event occurred which caused nonentitlement for that period.

Each month the RRB receives notice regarding uncashed check activity via an 

administrative cancellation file from Treasury. The administrative cancellation file 

contains notice of uncashed checks (checks which remain uncashed six months after 

issue) as well as reversal information for checks previously reported as uncashed. 

Reversals include reports that a check was subsequently cashed, reclaimed or reported 

as not received, lost or stolen, etc.

Each month, the latest administrative cancellation file is processed through the 

Uncashed Checks: Automated Investigation System (Uncashed Checks System). The 

system produces a letter for each annuitant for whom an uncashed check is reported. 

Address information for the letters is taken from the latest Checkwriting file. Where there 

is an uncashed check on the latest administrative cancellation file and there is a history 

of uncashed checks (three previously reported uncashed checks for which there are no 

reversals), no letter will be produced; instead, a G-236 USTAR referral will be generated 

to the appropriate field office. The referral will contain the annuitant’s identifying 

information, and will list the uncashed checks. Field office handling and reporting is 

required.

The purposes of the letters and the field office investigation referrals are:

• To advise annuitants of the limitation on check payability so that checks will 

be cashed timely, eliminating the need for reissue after the payability period 

expires;

• To encourage annuitants to enroll in the direct deposit program because EFT 

payments are not subject to the limited payability provisions;

• To secure earlier notification of annuitant deaths, changes of address, or 

situations requiring representative payee development;

• To reduce the possibility of endorsement of checks by persons other than 

those to whom the check are payable.
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115.50.5 Handling USTAR Referrals for Field Office Investigation of Uncashed 

Checks

A G-236 USTAR referral is produced when the most recent administrative cancellation 

file from Treasury contains a report that an annuitant's check is uncashed six months 

after issue and the Uncashed Check System history file shows three or more checks 

previously reported to RRB as uncashed. The category code on USTAR for the G-236 

referral is the designated field office number and the letters ‘UNC’; e.g., 296UNC.

When a G-236 USTAR referral is assigned, attempt to contact the annuitant, either by 

telephone or in person. Inform the annuitant that our records show checks issued but 

never cashed. Sections A through H, below, provide examples of situations which will 

occur as you make these contacts. Each situation has a corresponding disposition code 

for closing out the USTAR referral. Use the assigned disposition code that best 

documents your investigation results to close out the case. This is required for program 

integrity reporting. 

The "Remarks" section should be used to provide additional information associated with 

closing out the case. 

• Any special information requested in items A. through H. For example, if you 

are closing out the case for Death or Non-Entitlement, enter the date of death 

or date of non-entitlement event in the Remarks section. 

• Description of any unique situations which occur during the investigation 

contact.

• Additional documentation of a case when multiple disposition codes could be 

applicable, or any other pertinent information. For example, if you discover 

that the annuitant has died and that some of the checks issued to him/her 

may have been cashed fraudulently, requiring referral to the Office of the 

Inspector General, close out the using the disposition code for "Ref. to OIG" 

(UO) and notate the date of death in the Remarks Section.

A. ADV (Advice Only) - Annuitant Has Possession of Checks - If the annuitant 

states that he/she has the uncashed checks, encourage the annuitant to cash the 

checks immediately. Explain the limited payability provisions described above. 

Explain that if the checks are not cashed within the payability period there may 

be a significant delay if the annuitant later requests that the payment be reissued.

If the annuitant experiences difficulty or inconvenience in cashing annuity checks 

timely, encourage the annuitant to enroll in the direct deposit program. EFT 

payments are not subject to a limited period of payability. See section 115.20.1

for direct deposit enrollment information.

If the annuitant has not cashed the checks because the funds were not needed, 

encourage the annuitant to cash all checks before the expiration of the payability 
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period so that, when needed, the funds will be available without a delay caused 

by the necessity to reissue payments after expiration of the payability period. Do 

not suggest that the annuitant waive his annuity or any portion of it. Waiver will 

preclude payment at a later date for any period covered by the waiver.

B. ANL (Annual) - Annuitant Refuses to Cash Checks - You do not have to contact 

the same annuitants repeatedly. If you have contacted the annuitant and 

explained the importance of cashing the checks and he or she flatly refuses to 

cash them, you can limit contact with the annuitant to a yearly basis thereafter. 

Enter the date of the contact in the remarks section of the USTAR referral. This 

code will alert the Program Evaluation Section-UI/SI/DIS/FLD (PESUI/SI/DIS/FLD), that no additional efforts will be made within the year. 

C. NAN – (No Action Needed) - Annuitant Reports that Checks Were Received and 

Cashed or Returned to Treasury - If the annuitant states the checks were cashed 

or returned within the last 60 days, assume that Treasury will send the RRB a 

reversal on the next month's administrative cancellation file. Take no further 

action, unless you receive another G-236 USTAR referral for the same checks in 

a subsequent month.

If the annuitant states that the checks were cashed or returned more than 60 

days before the G-236 USTAR referral was generated, it may be that the 

Uncashed Checks System records are in error. Advise PES-UI/SI/DIS/FLD by 

email and note the Remarks section with your findings. If necessary, PESUI/SI/DIS/FLD will notify P&S-PAS.

D. NRC (Non-Receipt Claim) - Annuitant Reports that Checks Were Never 

Received or Were Destroyed, Lost or Stolen - If the annuitant reports non-receipt 

or that the checks were lost, stolen or destroyed, take appropriate action as 

indicated in section 115.30. 

E. NEN (Non-Entitlement) - Annuitant Has Not Cashed Checks Because of an 

Event Causing Non-Entitlement - If current annuity entitlement is affected, take 

action to suspend or terminate annuity payments as appropriate. Secure, if 

possible, the return of any uncashed checks for which there is no entitlement, 

according to section 115.25. Notify UPSD-TCIU that the uncashed check is not 

payable due to non-entitlement so an “F” stop can be processed for agency 

credit. Close out the case and notate your findings and event information in the 

Remarks section of the G-236 referral. 

F. DEC (Deceased) - Annuitant Is Deceased - If the annuitant has died, process a 

first notice of death (FNOD) transaction on APPLE to stop future annuity 

payments, and advise the informant that all uncashed checks issued in the 

annuitant's name must be returned. Develop for survivor benefits as described in 

section FOM-1-145, if applicable. If the informant has uncashed checks issued 

before the date of death, explain that a check cannot be negotiated by a person 

other than the payee. The checks must be returned for payment of the amount 
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as an accrued annuity to entitled survivors. Develop for accrued annuities as 

described in FOM-1-615. Notate your action in the G-236 USTAR referral.

G. RPD – (Representative Payee Development) - Representative Payee 

Appointment or Change in Representative Payee is Required – If the annuitant is 

in need of a representative payee, or a change in representative payee is 

needed, develop for a representative payee or a change in representative payee 

in the usual manner. Follow the guidelines in FOM-1-1415.15 to determine if the 

annuity should be suspended while in the representative payee development 

process. Uncashed checks received by field offices should be forwarded to 

UPSD-TCIU to place a stop an “A” stop on the check. Once credit is received 

from Treasury, the adjudication unit can issue the payment to the newly selected 

representative payee. If the uncashed check status is outstanding and available 

to cancel, a “C” stop can be placed using PI-ENTRY to have Treasury reissue 

the payment to the newly selected representative payee. Close the case using 

this disposition code only after all representative payee development action has 

been completed. 

H. SUS - (Suspended) – Attempts to Contact Annuitant Are Unsuccessful/Incorrect 

Address. - If the annuitant no longer resides at the latest address shown on DataQ, attempt to secure the annuitant's current address. Follow the methods 

outlined in section FOM 1-139.40. If a current address can be secured, contact 

the annuitant to determine whether the uncashed checks have been received. 

Process a change of address for future payments, if appropriate.

If the annuitant no longer resides at the address shown on Data-Q and you are 

unable to secure a current address, suspend the annuity (see section FOM 1-

139.40). Close the case using this disposition code and notate your action in the 

Remarks section of the G-236 USTAR referral.

I. UO - (Refer to OIG) – OIG Investigation Needed.

If the uncashed check investigation indicates fraudulent activity has occurred, 

refer the case to the OIG via email at hotline@oig.rrb.gov. Notate your action and 

any other relevant information in the Remarks section of the G-236 referral. If a 

secondary close out situation can apply to the case, such as death or nonentitlement, notate this and any other details in the Remarks section of the 

USTAR referral. 

You will receive another G-236 USTAR referral when the latest monthly file shows a 

new uncashed check and there are still three uncashed checks in the history file.

If the second G-236 referral is generated 60 days or less after you investigate a 

previous G-236 referral, it may be that reversal data resulting from your investigation 

(for example, checks cashed after you contacted the annuitant) will not be reflected on 

the second G-236 referral. This is because the Uncashed Checks System uses only 

the data received from Treasury on a monthly basis. If this is the case, it is not 

necessary to conduct another investigation in this situation, even though the second G-
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236 referral will list one check which did not appear on the previous G-236 referral. 

Close out the second G-236 referral using disposition code, NAN. However, if the prior 

investigation resulted in a claim of non-receipt or more than 60 days have elapsed since 

your last investigation, another contact should be made and your findings should be 

reported in the Remarks section of the second G-236 referral.

115.50.10 Handling Inquiries Regarding Uncashed Check Notices Sent to 

Annuitants

If a check has not been cashed six months after issue and no reversal activity has been 

reported (reclamation, notice of non-receipt, etc.), Treasury will notify RRB via the 

administrative cancellation file. As a result, the Uncashed Checks System will produce a 

letter (RL-81) to the annuitant informing him/her that the check is uncashed and 

explaining the limited payability provisions. You may receive inquiries regarding these 

letters. There will be only one letter produced for each uncashed check. However, if an 

annuitant does not cash two annuity checks, he or she may receive a letter regarding 

the first check in one month and another letter regarding the second check in a 

subsequent month.

Handle the inquiries in the same manner as the field office investigation requests 

described in section 115.50.5. 

115.50.15 Return and Reissuance of Checks After Expiration of Payability Period

A. Annuitant/Informant Has Possession of Checks - If an annuitant or an informant 

possesses checks remaining uncashed for 12 months or more, advise him/her to 

turn them in to the field office. Upon receipt, enter on the face of the returned 

check, beneath the name and address block next to the Statute of Liberty 

emblem, "Limited Payability--Not Negotiable" and forward the checks, in an 

envelope, to UPSD-TCIU. The envelope should be notated "Do Not Open In 

Mailroom". Do not forward these checks to Treasury. Secure a statement from 

the annuitant requesting that the checks be reissued. If the annuitant is 

deceased, take the necessary action as described in FOM-1-145 and, if 

necessary, develop for accrued annuities as described in FOM-1-615. The 

appropriate headquarters unit will reissue the checks once it is determined that 

entitlement to the checks exists.

B. Annuitant Reports that the Checks Were Never Received Or Were Destroyed, 

Lost or Stolen - If the annuitant reports non-receipt or that the checks were lost, 

stolen or destroyed, access PAYBACK to determine whether or not a Limited 

Payability Cancellation credit (code 40) has been received for the checks in 

question. If a code 40 credit has been received, contact RBD or SBD to request 

reissuance of the check(s). 

• If the check does not appear on PAYBACK, check PISTATUS to see if a 

previous non-receipt claim was processed. If a previous claim was 

processed, prepare and release Form RL-77 to advise the annuitant of the 
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action that was taken. Form RL-77 is on RRAILS. Refer to FOM1-1574.20

for a list and explanation of the status messages.

• If there is no previous claim shown on PISTATUS and the check in question 

was issued 10/1/1997 or later, look up the status of the check on PACER or 

TCIS. If the status on PACER or TCIS is “Reconciled Issue/Payment”, the 

check was cashed. Request an image of the check and release it, along with 

Form RL-77 (RRAILS), to the annuitant advising that check was cashed and 

no further action can be taken because the statute of limitations for filing a 

claim against the check has expired.

• If the check was issued prior to 10/1/1997 or additional assistance is needed, 

contact UPSD-TCIU at TCIS-CSU Group. UPSD-TCIU will check available 

headquarters records to see if the check was previously cancelled and/or if a 

prior non-receipt claim was processed.

• If UPSD-TCIU finds that the check was previously cancelled or was never 

issued, they will refer the matter to the appropriate unit for handling.

• If a prior claim was processed, UPSD-TCIU will release an RL-77 letter to the

annuitant regarding the action that was taken on that claim. A copy of the letter 

will be imaged.

• If the check was not previously cancelled, and no prior claim was processed, 

UPSD-TCIU will secure a photocopy of the check and upon receipt forward it, 

to the annuitant. UPSD-TCIU will also release Form RL-77 (RRAILS) to the 

annuitant advising that no further action can be taken, as the statute of 

limitations for filing a claim against the check has expired.

NOTE: If the issue date of the check is more than six and one-half years from 

the current date, Treasury is unable to provide a photocopy of the check. 

Treasury will use the message “PAID – NO PHOTOCOPY AVAILABLE”. If 

Treasury advised that the check was paid, UPSD-TCIU will release Form RL77 (RRAILS) to the annuitant, with a copy to the field office, advising that no 

further action can be taken as the statute of limitations for obtaining a 

photocopy of the check has expired. 

C. Annuitant Reports That The Check Endorsement Is A Forgery - Public Law 100-

86 limits the time period for initiating and filing a claim against a Treasury issued 

check. A non-receipt stop request must be initiated and then processed by 

Treasury within one year of the check issue date. If the check is found to be paid 

and the annuitant alleges forgery, the annuitant must also file a claim with 

Treasury, using Form FMS-1133, within one year of the check issue date. If 

forgery is involved, Treasury has up to six months to recover the proceeds of the 

check. 
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While the law limits the time period for initiating and filing a claim, it does not 

prohibit the annuitant from filing a claim against an alleged forged check. 

However, the law prohibits Treasury from initiating recovery action against the 

financial institution (FI) that cashed the check and from issuing the annuitant a 

replacement check, even if the claim is valid. Likewise, the Railroad Retirement 

Board has no regulatory authority to recover from the FI or to issue the annuitant 

a replacement check, if the claim is valid.

If the annuitant claims that the check endorsement is a forgery, explain to 

him/her the provisions of the law and that no further action can be taken. If the 

annuitant insists on filing a claim, have the annuitant return the check photocopy, 

along with the following items:

• a signed statement attesting that he or she did not cash the check;

• samples of the annuitant’s handwriting that were written at the time the check 

was cashed; and,

• any other documentation the annuitant may have to support his/her claim.

Forward the requested items to UPSD-TCIU. UPSD-TCIU will forward the items 

to Treasury’s Questioned Documents Branch (QDB). QDB will perform a 

handwriting analysis, render an opinion regarding the endorsement of the check, 

and notify UPSD-TCIU of its findings. UPSD-TCIU will release Form RL-77 

advising the annuitant of Treasury’s decision. If forgery is determined, UPSDTCIU will also advise the annuitant that no further action can be taken on the 

claim, as the statute of limitations for issuing a replacement check was expired. 

115.50.20 Handling Uncashed Check G-608 USTAR Referrals

A G-608 USTAR uncashed check referral is produced in cases where an annuitant's 

check is uncashed six months after issue, and there is termination on the record without 

an effective date, or a termination effective date exists, and the date of the check is after 

the termination effective date. 

If a G-608 referral is generated for a case in which a termination effective date exists, 

and the date of the check is after the termination effective date, the Uncashed Checks 

System will generate a TSO file, ‘P.BRC.#2824DD4.Y2K’, for processing and handling 

by BFO-DRD.

The remaining referrals require investigating to determine if the uncashed payment is 

not due or payable, or an annuity due but unpaid at death situation exists, based on the 

termination date. The category code on USTAR for the G-608 referral is the ‘SISUNC”. 

All cases will be assigned to the Survivor Initial Section for handling. 

When a G-608 USTAR uncashed check referral is assigned, the adjudication unit will 

develop for an effective date by sending an assignment to the field office. If the 
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development results are for death, the field office will process a First Notice of Death 

(FNOD) transaction on APPLE. The adjudication unit should process a FAST-S/T 

transaction if the terminating event is other than death. These actions will apply the 

date of death/event to the annuitant’s record. Additionally, the adjudication unit will take 

the following actions on the uncashed check based on the effective date:

If the uncashed check: Check Status Action Needed

Is dated the same or 

earlier than the effective 

date

An accrued annuity may 

be due and payable

• Send an email to the 

TCIS-CSU Group 

mailbox for the Direct 

Deposit Analyst (DDA) 

to process an “F” stop 

against the check to 

receive agency credit;

• Initiate development 

action for any eligible 

payees based on 

priority of payment;

• Notate your actions in 

the Remarks section of 

the G-608 referral, and 

close the case out 

using the disposition 

code of “Handled” once 

all action on the case 

has been completed.

Is dated after the effective 

date

Check is not due or 

payable; or partially 

payable (OPO)

• Send an email to BFODRD Attn: Zabrina 

Shelton to advise check 

is not due and FNOD 

action has been taken 

for reclamation 

handling.

• Take development 

action if check partially 

payable.

• Notate your actions in 

the Remarks section of 

the G-608 referral, and 

close the case out 

using the disposition 

code “Handled”.
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