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Program

Letter

 United States

 Railroad Retirement Board

 Office of Programs

 

Quality Reporting Service Center

E-Mail: QRSC@rrb.gov 

Phone: (312) 751-4992

 Fax: (312) 751-7123

Letter No. 2018-02 Date: December 5, 2017

TO: Employer Contact Officials

SUBJECT: New RRB Forms Available via the Employer Reporting System (ERSNet)

Please share this information with the appropriate members of your staff who file service 

and compensation reports and other related activities for employees of your organization.

The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has added two new services to the ERSNet system. The 

following new services are available immediately on the ERSNet system and an explanation of 

their functions is shown below.

• Form G-73a.1, Notice of Death of Railroad Annuitant

• RL-5a, Notice to Employer of Annuity Award Listing

Form G-73a.1:

Form G-73a.1, Notice of Death of Railroad Annuitant, is used to notify an employer of an 

employee annuitant’s death whenever a first notice of death is processed. The report is generated 

on a monthly basis and released to the last employer of the former employee. 

RL-5a:

The RL-5a, Notice to Employer of Annuity Award, is a monthly listing provided to a requesting 

employer that provides initial annuity payment information about their former employees who 

have retired in the current month. The notice includes an annuity tier breakdown, date rights 

relinquished and Supplemental annuity information (if eligible). Employers who want to receive 

this information are required to submit a written statement which explains how the information 

will be used. 

Submit your request along with a completed Form BA-12, Application for Employer Reporting 

Internet Access, to the Quality Reporting Service Center (QRSC). After it is received, QRSC will 

forward the request to the RRB’s Office of General Counsel (OGC). OGC will render a decision 

as to whether the purpose of the employer’s request will allow disclosure of the employee’s annuity 

information.

Note – If you are currently receiving this listing, you are not required to submit a new 

request statement.
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These notices are intended for employers that need this information from the RRB to administer 

their private pension plans or for other actuarial or budgetary planning purposes. The information 

is provided to employers for internal processing only and should be kept private and secure.

Enrollment in these services will eliminate the need for multiple releases of paper forms to 

employers. Both forms will be found under New Items in ERSNet (see Figure 1).

Figure 1

ACCESS Levels on the ERSNet Site

The ERSNet system is a role-based system which means that each user’s access is tailored to the 

role of work they perform for their company. Access levels are assigned by the company, allowing 

employers the ability to retain control over the forms employees of their organization can view 

and submit to the RRB. If you are not enrolled and want to begin filing your reports on the ERSNet 

follow the instructions below. 

Applying for Access

To apply for access do the following:

• Read the Security Guidelines explaining your responsibilities as a user of ERSNet. They 

are available at either https://www.rrb.gov/RERI_Chapter_8_Security_Guidelines or 

https://www.rrb.gov/LERI_Chapter_8_Security_Guidelines. 

• File the enclosed Form BA-12, Application for Employer Reporting Internet Access. 

Complete Sections A, B, C, D, and F, then have the designated employee sign Item 5 in 

Section E, and return the form to you. The certification in Section E must be completed by 

a certifying official of the company who has the authority to sign official RRB forms. If 

you have signature authority, sign the certification. Otherwise, the company president and 

those persons designated on the Form G-117a, Designation of Contact Official, are 

assumed to have signature authority. NOTE: In addition to the information above, current 

ERSNet users wanting to add access to these two forms should mark “Modify Access” for 

Section D(1) as well as mark the “R” box next to each form under Section F. For additional 

copies of Form BA-12 or information on how to complete it, go directly to 

https://www.rrb.gov/Employer/Forms/BA-12 or contact the Quality Reporting Service 

Center at the telephone number or e-mail address shown on page 1 of this program letter. 
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All employer forms can be accessed on the RRB website at 

https://www.rrb.gov/Employers/Forms.

Within five to seven days of receipt of an acceptable application, the RRB will mail your user ID 

and temporary password along with instructions for accessing the site. To deter fraudulent use of 

ERSNet, Form BA-12 cannot be completed or filed on our website. Original signatures (no 

reproductions) are needed, and the form must be transmitted by either the USPS or an express mail 

carrier. For security reasons, facsimiles are not acceptable.

Detailed instructions on how to use the system are covered in Part VIII of the Reporting 

Instructions. See below for direct links to the reporting instructions on our website.

Rail Employer Reporting Instructions

https://www.rrb.gov/RERI_Part_VIII_Employer_Reporting_System_ERS_Internet_User_Instructions

Labor Employer Reporting Instructions

https://www.rrb.gov/LERI_Part_VIII_Employer_Reporting_System_ERS_Internet_User_Instructions

Attachments:

Form BA-12

Security Guidelines

Explanation of Access Levels 

 

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