Benefits
Days for which benefits payable; determination of amount
Payment of Unemployment Benefits.—
Generally.—
Except as otherwise provided in this subparagraph, benefits shall be payable to any qualified employee for each day of unemployment in excess of 4 during any registration period within a period of continuing unemployment.
Waiting period for first registration period.—
Benefits shall be payable to any qualified employee for each day of unemployment in excess of 7 during that employee’s first registration period in a period of continuing unemployment if such period of continuing unemployment is the employee’s initial period of continuing unemployment commencing in the benefit year.
Strikes.—
Initial 14-day waiting period.—
If the Board finds that a qualified employee has a period of continuing unemployment that includes days of unemployment due to a stoppage of work because of a strike in the establishment, premises, or enterprise at which such employee was last employed, no benefits shall be payable for such employee’s first 14 days of unemployment due to such stoppage of work.
Subsequent days of unemployment.—
For subsequent days of unemployment due to the same stoppage of work, benefits shall be payable as provided in clause (i) of this subparagraph.
Subsequent periods of continuing unemployment.—
If such period of continuing unemployment ends by reason of clause (v) but the stoppage of work continues, the waiting period established in clause (ii) shall apply to the employee’s first registration period in a new period of continuing unemployment based upon the same stoppage of work.
Definition of period of continuing unemployment.—
Except as limited by clause (v), for the purposes of this subparagraph, the term “period of continuing unemployment” means—
a single registration period that includes more than 4 days of unemployment;
a series of consecutive registration periods, each of which includes more than 4 days of unemployment; or
a series of successive registration periods, each of which includes more than 4 days of unemployment, if each succeeding registration period begins within 15 days after the last day of the immediately preceding registration period.
Special rule regarding end of period.—
For purposes of applying clause (ii), a period of continuing unemployment ends when an employee exhausts rights to unemployment benefits under subsection (c) of this section.
Limit on amount of benefits.—
No benefits shall be payable to an otherwise eligible employee for any day of unemployment in a registration period where the total amount of the remuneration (as defined in section 351(j) of this title) payable or accruing to him for days within such registration period exceeds the amount of the base year monthly compensation base. For purposes of the preceding sentence, an employee’s remuneration shall be deemed to include the gross amount of any remuneration that would have become payable to that employee but did not become payable because that employee was not ready or willing to perform suitable work available to that employee on any day within such registration period.
Payment of Sickness Benefits.—
Generally.—
Except as otherwise provided in this subparagraph, benefits shall be payable to any qualified employee for each day of sickness after the 4th consecutive day of sickness in a period of continuing sickness but excluding 4 days of sickness in any registration period in such period of continuing sickness.
Waiting period for first registration period.—
Benefits shall be payable to any qualified employee for each day of sickness in excess of 7 during that employee’s first registration period in a period of continuing sickness if such period of continuing sickness is the employee’s initial period of continuing sickness commencing in the benefit year. For the purposes of this clause, the first registration period in a period of continuing sickness is that registration period that first begins with 4 consecutive days of sickness and includes more than 4 days of sickness.
Definition of period of continuing sickness.—
For the purposes of this subparagraph, a period of continuing sickness means—
a period of consecutive days of sickness, whether from 1 or more causes; or
a period of successive days of sickness due to a single cause without interruption of more than 90 consecutive days which are not days of sickness.
Special rule regarding end of period.—
For purposes of applying clause (ii), a period of continuing sickness ends when an employee exhausts rights to sickness benefits under subsection (c) of this section.
The daily benefit rate with respect to any such employee for such day of unemployment or sickness shall be in an amount equal to 60 per centum of the daily rate of compensation for the employee’s last employment in which he engaged for an employer in the base year, but not less than $12.70: Provided, however, That for registration periods beginning after
The maximum daily benefit rate computed by the Board under section 362(r)(2) of this title shall be the product of the monthly compensation base, as computed under section 351(i)(2) of this title for the base year immediately preceding the beginning of the benefit year, multiplied by 5 percent. If the maximum daily benefit rate so computed is not a multiple of $1, it shall be rounded down to the nearest multiple of $1.
In computing benefits to be paid, days of unemployment shall not be combined with days of sickness in the same registration period.
Notwithstanding paragraph (3), subsection (c)(1)(B), and any other limitation on total benefits in this chapter, for registration periods beginning on or after
Out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated $425,000,000 to cover the cost of recovery benefits provided under subparagraph (A), to remain available until expended.
Time of payments
Maximum number of days for benefits
Normal benefits
Generally
Limitation
Extended benefits
Generally
Beginning date
Termination when employee reaches age of 65
Temporary increase in extended unemployment benefits
Employees with 10 or more years of service
Subject to clause (iii), in the case of an employee who has 10 or more years of service (as so defined), with respect to extended unemployment benefits—
subparagraph (A) shall be applied by substituting “130 days of unemployment” for “65 days of unemployment”; and
subparagraph (B) shall be applied by inserting “(or, in the case of unemployment benefits, 13 consecutive 14-day periods)” after “7 consecutive 14-day periods”.
Employees with less than 10 years of service
Application
Appropriation
Accelerated benefits
General rule
Exception
Determination of age
Overpayment of benefits; recovery; liability of officers
Assignment, taxation, garnishment, attachment, etc., of benefits
Effect of payment of benefits for remunerable period; payment of surplus remuneration to Board
Payment of accrued benefits upon death
Source
(June 25, 1938, ch. 680, § 2, 52 Stat. 1096; June 20, 1939, ch. 227, §§ 7–9, 21, 53 Stat. 845, 848; Oct. 10, 1940, ch. 842, §§ 9–12, 54 Stat. 1095, 1096; July 31, 1946, ch. 709, §§ 305–307, 60 Stat. 736, 737; May 15, 1952, ch. 290, § 1, 66 Stat. 73; Aug. 31, 1954, ch. 1164, pt. III, § 304, 68 Stat. 1041; Aug. 12, 1955, ch. 869, § 4, 69 Stat. 716; Pub. L. 86–28, pt. III, §§ 302, 303(a),Notes
References in Text
Amendments
Effective Date of 1996 Amendment
Effective Date of 1995 Amendment
Effective Date of 1988 Amendment
Except as provided in paragraph (2), the amendments made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [
The amendments made by paragraph (2) of subsection (a) shall apply with respect to registration periods beginning after
Effective Date of 1983 Amendment
Effective Date of 1975 Amendment; Reduction of Benefits in View of Coverage Under Nongovernmental Plan; Filing Claims for Payments to Insurers and Employers
Effective Date of 1974 Amendment
Effective Date of 1968 Amendment
Effective Date of 1959 Amendment
Effective Date of 1955 Amendment
Effective Date of 1954 Amendment
Effective Date of 1952 Amendment
Effective Date of 1946 Amendment
Effective Date of 1940 Amendment
Clarification on Authority To Use Funds
Extended Unemployment Benefits and Administrative Expenses
Clarification on Authority to Use Funds.—
Funds appropriated under either the first or second sentence of clause (iv) of section 2(c)(2)(D) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act [45 U.S.C. 352(c)(2)(D)] shall be available to cover the cost of additional extended unemployment benefits provided under such section 2(c)(2)(D) by reason of the amendments made by subsection (a) [amending this section] as well as to cover the cost of such benefits provided under such section 2(c)(2)(D), as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act [
Funding for Administration.—
Out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated to the Railroad Retirement Board $250,000 for administrative expenses associated with the payment of additional extended unemployment benefits provided under section 2(c)(2)(D) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act by reason of the amendments made by subsection (a), to remain available until expended.”
Extended Railroad Unemployment Insurance Benefits During Periods of High National Unemployment
In General.—
For purposes of section 2(h) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (45 U.S.C. 352(h)(2)), a ‘period of high unemployment’ includes any month during the period November 1991 through February 1994.
Effective Dates.—
In general.—
Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), no employee shall have an extended benefit period under the second proviso of section 2(c) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act beginning before
Transition.—
If an employee has established an extended benefit period under the second proviso of section 2(c) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act and the last day of such extended benefit period, as established, is after
Reachback Provisions.—
If an employee has exhausted that employee’s rights to normal unemployment benefits under section 2(c) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act [45 U.S.C. 352(c)] after
Limitation on Payment.—
Extended benefits under this section shall be payable for a maximum of 65 days of unemployment, including any extended benefits payable by reason of the application of the reachback provisions.
Enlargement of Benefits.—
Generally.—
During the period that begins on the date of the enactment of this subsection [
subsection (c) of this section shall be applied by substituting ‘130’ for ‘65’;
section 2(c) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act [45 U.S.C. 352(c)] shall be applied—
by substituting ‘13 (but not more than 130 days)’ for ‘7 (but not more than 65 days)’ in the table; and
by substituting ‘but not by more than 130 days’ for ‘but not by more than sixty-five days’ in the second proviso; and
section 2(h)(1) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act [45 U.S.C. 352(h)(1)] shall be applied by substituting ‘13’ for ‘seven’.
Phase-out.—
Benefits on or after june 14, 1992.—
Effective on and after
Reductions under emergency compensation extension provisions.—
Effective on and after the date on which a reduction in benefits is imposed under section 102(b)(2)(A)(iii) [section 102(b)(2)(A)(iii) of Pub. L. 102–164, 26 U.S.C. 3304 note], subparagraph (A) of this paragraph and subparagraphs (B) and (C) of paragraph (1) shall not apply and subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) shall be applied by substituting ‘50’ for ‘130’.
Effective after
Limitations on reductions.—
Notwithstanding subparagraphs (A) and (B), in the case of an individual who is receiving extended benefits under section 2(c) of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act [45 U.S.C. 352(c)] for persons with 10 or more but less than 15 years of service, or extended benefits by reason of this section, for any day during a week which precedes a period for which a reduction under this paragraph takes effect, such reduction shall not apply for purposes of determining the amount of benefits payable to such individual for any day thereafter for which the individual meets the eligibility requirements of this section and the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act [45 U.S.C. 351 et seq.].
Termination of Benefits.—
In the case of an individual who is receiving extended benefits by reason of this section on
GAO Study of Fraud and Payment Errors
estimates of rates and amounts of annual losses due to fraud and overpayment;
comparisons of such rates with the rates of losses in other Federal programs which experience such losses;
recommendations for legislative measures that could be taken to reduce the losses in the railroad unemployment compensation program arising from fraud and payment errors; and
such other matters relating to such fraud and payment errors as the Comptroller General determines are appropriate.”