The Board makes decisions on this based on medical reports from an employee s own doctors and may send the individual to a special doctor designated by the Board. If an employee has 240 or more creditable months, the employee is eligible to apply for an occupational disability. Generally, these start at age 60 or 62 and the retirement age will gradually increase over the coming years. The amount of the annuity depends on the years of service an employee has. The Railroad Retirement Act contains many complex provisions and it is a good idea to call a local RRB office before making decisions concerning any of the programs.
Valuable publications are also available.