Benefits and Beneficiaries Under the Railroad Retirement 

and Unemployment Insurance Systems - March 2008 

Benefit payments March 2008 March 2007 

Regular Retirement 

and Survivor Benefits 

Total 

Retired employ

Spouses and d

Widow(er)s - a

Other survivors 

ees 

ivorced spouses 

ged and disabled 

$834,517,000 

552,977,000 

101,189,000 

157,070,000 

23,280,000 

$828,139,000 

546,796,000 

99,641,000 

158,108,000 

23,594,000 

Average under 

Being paid Awarded in Social Security 

Monthly benefits end of month month March 2008 

Number Average1 Number Average1 Being Paid Awarded 

Total 569,500 ......... 2,800 ......... ......... .........

Regular employee annuities, total 276,100 $1,984 1,200 $2,555 ......... .........

 Age 191,900 1,952 2 500 2 3,091 $1,082 3 $1,446

 Disability, Full Retirement Age and Over 34,000 1,765 ......... ......... ......... .........

 Disability, Under Full Retirement Age 50,200 2,256 300 2,500 1,004 1,039 

Spouses and divorced spouses 136,700 731 900 883 517 378 

Widow(er)s--aged and disabled 130,700 1,197 600 1,599 1,023 857 

Widowed mothers and fathers 800 1,493 4/ 1,321 773 765 

Widow(er)s--remarried and divorced 14,100 799 100 835 5/ 5/ 

Children 11,000 878 4/ 1,208 707 714 

Other survivors 100 635 ......... ......... ......... .........

 Benefit payments 

Being paid 

end of month 

Awarded 

in month 

Supplemental 

Employee 

Annuities 

March 

2008 

$5,010,000 

March 

2007 

$5,094,000 

Number 

120,800 

Average 

$42 600 

Number

$42 

Average 

1

Railroad retirement benefits shown are net of reduction for social security benefit entitlement. 

2

For employees retiring directly from the railroad industry with full age annuity (their years of service averaged 35); some 300

 other age annuities were awarded in the month. 

3

For men aged 65 or over insured on regular basis. 

4

Fewer than 50. 

5

Remarried and divorced widow(er)s included with aged and disabled widow(er)s and widowed mothers and fathers. 

Note. --Data are on a cash basis (unaudited) and are partly estimated. Detail may not add to totals due to rounding. 

Regular retirement and survivor benefit payments total includes hospital insurance benefits for services in Canada. 

(Over) 
Benefits and Beneficiaries Under the Railroad Retirement 

and Unemployment Insurance Systems - (Continued) 

March 2008 

Unemployment and Sickness Benefits 

Average payment 

Number of beneficiaries 

during month 

Per 2-week 

registration period

 Per

 full week 

Unemployment 3,700 $524 $292 

Sickness 5,300 514 

March 2008 

Benefit payments 

292 

March 2007 

Unemployment

Total 

3,268,000 

$7,812,000 -$2,814,000 

-5,135,000 

Sickness 4,544,000 2,321,000 

Note. --Data are on a cash basis (unaudited). Detail may not add to totals due to rounding. 

In March 2007, approximately $9.6 million was paid in annuity adjustments for additional service and earnings credits, 

resulting in higher than normal retirement benefit payments. In addition, retirement-survivor and unemployment benefits 

also reflect a reversal of fiscal year 2007 accounting adjustments to unapplied cash and the corresponding entries to 

benefit payments.

Published by the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board

Bureau of the Actuary

Recycled

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