CURRENT NEWS

Current NARVRE Board leadership are traveling to La Grande, Oregon for a March 10 presentation of a new charter to Unit #89. Tom Dwyer, AW "Whitey" Westphal, Maggie Haverfield (Area 7 Director) and Donald Cain (National Legislative Comm., Area 7)  have arranged to be in attendance to make the charter presentation. This new Unit, lead by Larry Romine, has grown rapidly since being formed less than a year ago. They currently have approximately 80 members, and are anticipating more soon. These same leaders will travel to Hermiston, Oregon the following day, March 11, for an informational meeting to introduce NARVRE to interested veteran and retired railroaders. These people represent mostly current and retired Union Pacific Railway employees.

Important Message

Railroad retirement annuities, like social security benefits, will not increase in January 2010 as there was no increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the third quarter of last year to the corresponding period of the current year.

Also, because there is no cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), social security law prohibits an increase in the amounts social security and railroad retirement beneficiaries subject to earnings restrictions can earn in 2010 without having their benefits reduced.

For those under full retirement age throughout 2010, the exempt earnings amount remains at $14,160. For beneficiaries attaining full retirement age in 2010, the exempt earnings amount, for the months before the month full retirement age is attained, remains at $37,680 in 2010.

For employee and spouse annuitants, full retirement age ranges from age 65 for those born before 1938 to age 67 for those born in 1960 or later. For survivor annuitants, full retirement age ranges from age 65 for those born before 1940 to age 67 for those born in 1962 or later.

Special work restrictions continue to be applicable to disability annuitants in 2010. The monthly disability earnings limit will increase to $780 in 2010 from $770 in 2009.

Regardless of age and/or earnings, no railroad retirement annuity is payable for any month in which an annuitant (retired employee, spouse or survivor) works for a railroad employer or railroad union.

The Department of Health and Human Services has not yet announced if there will be any Medicare premium changes for 2010. Information about Medicare changes for 2010, when available, will be found at

TOLL FREE NUMBER RAILROAD RETIREMENT

Prepared by Public Affairs 312-751-4777

The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) announced that an additional 18 field offices will be added to its nationwide toll-free telephone service by the end of January 2009. A single toll-free number
(1-877-772-5772/1-877-RRB-5RRB) will provide RRB customers with easy access to the agency's field offices. In addition, the new toll-free number will offer options for self-service through automated menus and automatic routing of calls to claims representatives in nearby offices during emergency and peak periods.

The additional 18 offices are Kansas City and St. Louis, MO; Nashville, TN; Louisville, KY; Scranton, Harrisburg, Altoona, and Philadelphia, PA; Baltimore, MD; Denver, CO; Albuquerque, NM; Omaha, NE; Wichita, KS; Billings, MT; Portland, OR; Salt Lake City, UT; and Bellevue and Spokane, WA.

Twelve of the RRB's 53 field offices participated in the initial implementation of nationwide toll-free telephone service during November and December 2008. Those 12 field offices were St. Paul and Duluth, MN; Fargo, ND; Des Moines, IA; Jacksonville and Tampa, FL; Atlanta, GA; Birmingham, AL; Oakland, Sacramento and Covina, CA; and Mesa, AZ.

Nationwide toll-free telephone service will be implemented in the remaining 23 RRB field locations by March 2009. Until then, RRB customers who reside outside of the service areas covered by these 30 offices should continue to use the telephone number for the field office providing service to their area. Customers can get these numbers by calling the automated RRB Help Line at 1-800-808-0772 or by visiting the RRB's Web site at www.rrb.gov.