The residual lump-sum (RLS) is the means by which railroad employees and their survivors are guaranteed to receive at least as much in benefits as the employee paid in railroad retirement taxes during the years 1937 through 1974. An RLS payment can be made only if it appears that no other benefits based at least in part on railroad service will be payable under either the Railroad Retirement Act or Social Security Act in the future. The residual is reduced for any retirement benefits that were paid on the basis of the employee's railroad service, and for any survivor benefits based on the employee's earnings already paid by either the Board or the Social Security Administration. A widow(er) or dependent parent can, before attaining age 60, elect to waive future rights to monthly benefits based on the employee's railroad service in order to receive the RLS.

After the death of an employee, the RLS is payable, in the following order, to: beneficiaries designated by the employee; surviving relatives of the employee in order provided by law (see § 234.44); or the employee's estate.

The employee may designate one or more persons as beneficiaries of the RLS on a form available at any Board office. The employee may specify the share that each beneficiary is to receive. Also, the employee may designate alternate beneficiaries in the event that all primary beneficiaries die before the RLS becomes payable.

(a) How designated beneficiaries are paid. Primary beneficiaries are paid the RLS to the exclusion of alternate beneficiaries. If a designated beneficiary dies before the date on which the RLS becomes payable, his or her share of the RLS becomes payable to any other designated beneficiaries. If an entitled designated beneficiary dies before negotiating the RLS check, that share is payable to his or her estate.

(b) Amount designated beneficiaries are paid. If the employee specified the share that each beneficiary is to receive, payment is made in the proportion specified. Otherwise, if there is more than one designated beneficiary, each is paid an equal share of the RLS.

(a) How surviving relatives are paid. If the employee either did not designate a beneficiary or was not survived by a designated beneficiary, the RLS is payable to surviving relatives of the employee in the following order of relationship to the employee:

(1) Widow(er) who was “living with” the employee at the time of the employee's death (see § 234.21 for a definition of “living with”);

(2) Child;

(3) Grandchild;

(4) Parent;

(5) Brother or sister, including half blood brother or sister.

(b) Amount surviving relatives are paid. If more than one relative in an equal degree of relationship survives the employee, each one is paid an equal share of the RLS. If an entitled relative of the employee dies before negotiating the RLS check, that share becomes payable to other surviving relatives of the employee in the same degree of relationship. If no relatives in that degree of relationship survive, relatives in the next degree of relationship are payable.

(a) When the employee's estate is paid. If no designated beneficiaries or relatives survive the employee when the RLS becomes payable, the employee's estate may be paid the RLS. Employees may also designate their estates to receive all or a share of the RLS as beneficiaries.

(b) How the employee's estate is paid. If a legal representative of the employee's estate has been appointed and has not been discharged, the Board will pay the RLS to the legal representative. When no legal representative of the employee's estate has been or is expected to be appointed, or the estate of the deceased employee has been closed and reopening is not expected, the Board will pay the RLS according to state statutory procedures applicable when no formal probate or administration occurs.

The gross RLS amount is equal to certain percentages of the employee's creditable compensation, including military service, as described in § 234.48. (Creditable compensation and military service are discussed in parts 211 and 212 of this chapter, respectively.) The amount of the RLS payable is equal to the gross RLS minus the sum of all retirement benefits that have been paid on the basis of the employee's railroad service and all survivor benefits based on the employee's earnings previously paid by either the Board or the Social Security Administration.

(a) An RLS cannot be paid if it appears that there are immediate or future monthly survivor benefits payable to anyone other than a widow(er) or parent. A widow(er) or parent can elect to have the RLS paid in lieu of future monthly benefits based on the employee's railroad earnings under either the Railroad Retirement Act or Social Security Act.

(b) When an election must be filed. An election to have the RLS paid must be filed before the widow(er) or parent attains age 60 if he or she would be entitled to benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act, or before the age of eligibility if he or she would be entitled to future benefits under the Social Security Act instead of the Railroad Retirement Act.

(c) Filing an election. An election to have the RLS paid must be made on the certification provided by the Board for that purpose, and must contain an irrevocable election to have the RLS paid in lieu of all benefits based on the employee's railroad service to which the widow(er) or parent might otherwise become entitled. Once the RLS check is negotiated, the election cannot be revoked.

The amount of the gross RLS is equal to the percentages of the employee's creditable compensation shown in Table I. However, compensation may only be credited up to the maximum amounts shown in Table II.

(a) Percentages of the employee's creditable compensation and the periods to which those percentages apply:

(b) Maximum compensation which may be credited per month: