Notice2025-23137
Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; Notice of Computer Matching Program (Railroad Retirement Board and Social Security Administration, Match Number 1007)
Primary source
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Published
December 17, 2025
Effective
January 16, 2026
Issuing agencies
Railroad Retirement Board
Abstract
In accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act, as amended, this notice announces a new matching program between RRB and the Social Security Administration (SSA). Under this two-way matching program, RRB and SSA both serve as source and recipient. RRB will use the information received from SSA in the administration of benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act. SSA will use the information received from RRB to administer its Retirement, Survivors and Disability Insurance program.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 240 (Wednesday, December 17, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 240 (Wednesday, December 17, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58639-58641]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-23137]
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RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD
Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; Notice of Computer Matching
Program (Railroad Retirement Board and Social Security Administration,
Match Number 1007)
AGENCY: Railroad Retirement Board (RRB).
ACTION: Notice of a new matching program.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the provisions of the Privacy Act, as
amended, this notice announces a new matching program between RRB and
the Social Security Administration (SSA). Under this two-way matching
program, RRB and SSA both serve as source and recipient. RRB will use
the information received from SSA in the administration of benefits
under the Railroad Retirement Act. SSA will use the information
received from RRB to administer its Retirement, Survivors and
Disability Insurance program.
DATES: This matching program becomes effective as proposed without
further notice on January 16, 2026. The matching program will continue
for 18 months after the effective date and may be extended for an
additional 12 months if the conditions specified in 5 U.S.C.
552a(o)(2)(D) have been met. We have submitted a report of this
computer-matching program with the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate; the Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform of the House of Representatives; and the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget
(OMB).
ADDRESSES: Interested parties may comment on this publication by
writing to Ms. Stephanie Hillyard, Secretary to the Board, Railroad
Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-1275.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Chad Peek, Chief Privacy Officer,
Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois
60611-1275, telephone 312-751-3389 or email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#accfc4cdc882dcc9c9c7ecdedece82cbc3da"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4d2e252c29633d2828260d3f3f2f632a223b">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. General
The Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a, as amended by the Computer
Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (Pub. L. 100-503), requires
a federal agency participating in a computer matching program to
publish a notice in the Federal Register for all matching programs.
The Privacy Act, as amended, regulates the use of computer matching
by federal agencies when records contained in a Privacy Act System of
Records are matched with other federal, state, or local government
records. It
[[Page 58640]]
requires federal agencies involved in computer matching programs to:
(1) Negotiate written agreements with the other agency or agencies
participating in the matching programs;
(2) Obtain the approval of the matching agreement by the Data
Integrity Boards (DIB) of the participating federal agencies;
(3) Publish notice of the computer matching program in the Federal
Register;
(4) Furnish detailed reports about matching programs to Congress
and OMB;
(5) Notify applicants and beneficiaries that their records are
subject to matching; and
(6) Verify match findings before reducing, suspending, terminating,
or denying a person's benefits or payments. The last notice for this
matching program was published at 88 FR 8921 (February 10, 2023).
B. RRB Computer Matches Subject to the Privacy Act
We have taken appropriate action to ensure that all of our computer
matching programs comply with the requirements of the Privacy Act, as
amended.
Participating Agencies
Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) and the Social Security
Administration (SSA), Match #1007.
Authority for Conducting the Matching Program
45 U.S.C. 231f(b)(7) requires SSA to provide wage, self-employment
income, and other records pertinent to the administration of the
Railroad Retirement Act (RRA); 45 U.S.C. 231f(b)(4)(B)(i) provides that
RRB is required to certify Social Security benefits to the Department
of Treasury on SSA's behalf for the agencies' mutual retirees; 26
U.S.C. 6103(l)(1)(C) provides authority for RRB to have access to tax
return information with respect to taxes imposed under chapter 22 of
the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) for purposes of administering the RRA;
42 U.S.C. 402(x)(3)(B)(iv) provides authority for SSA to disclose
prisoner data to any agency administering a federal or federally-
assisted cash, food, or medical assistance program; 45 U.S.C. 231q(2)
provides that earnings considered as compensation under the RRA will be
considered as wages under the Social Security Act (Act); and the
responsibilities of RRB and SSA with respect to the information
obtained under this agreement are in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 402,
405(o) and 415(f); 45 U.S.C. 231f(b)(2)(D).
Purpose
The RRB will, on a daily basis, obtain from SSA a record of the
wages reported to SSA for persons who have applied for benefits under
the Railroad Retirement Act and a record of the amount of benefits paid
by that agency to persons who are receiving or have applied for
benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act. The wage information is
needed to compute the amount of the tier I annuity component provided
by sections 3(a), 4(a) and 4(f) of the Railroad Retirement Act (45
U.S.C. 231b(a), 45 U.S.C. 231c(a) and 45 U.S.C. 231c(f)). The benefit
information is needed to adjust the tier I annuity component for the
receipt of the Social Security benefit. This information is available
from no other source.
Second, the RRB will receive from SSA the amount of certain social
security benefits which the RRB pays on behalf of SSA. Section 7(b)(2)
of the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. 231f(b)(2)) provides that the
RRB shall make the payment of certain social security benefits. The RRB
also requires this information in order to adjust the amount of any
annuity due to the receipt of a social security benefit. Section 10(a)
of the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. 231i(a)) permits the RRB to
recover any overpayment from the accrual of social security benefits.
This information is not available from any other source.
Third, once a year the RRB will receive from SSA a copy of SSA's
Master Benefit Record for earmarked RRB annuitants. Section 7(b)(7) of
the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. 231f(b)(7)) requires that SSA
provide the requested information. The RRB needs this information to
make the necessary cost-of-living computation adjustments quickly and
accurately for those RRB annuitants who are also SSA beneficiaries.
SSA will receive weekly from RRB earnings information for all
railroad employees. SSA will match the identifying information of the
records furnished by the RRB against the identifying information
contained in its Master Benefit Record and its Master Earnings File. If
there is a match, SSA will use the RRB earnings to adjust the amount of
Social Security benefits in its Annual Earnings Reappraisal Operation.
This information is available from no other source.
The SSA will also receive daily from RRB earnings information on
selected individuals. The transfer of information may be initiated
either by RRB or by SSA. SSA needs this information to determine
eligibility to Social Security benefits and, if eligibility is met, to
determine the benefit amount payable. Section 18 of the Railroad
Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. 231q(2)) requires that earnings considered as
compensation under the Railroad Retirement Act be considered as wages
under the Social Security Act for the purposes of determining
entitlement under the Social Security Act if the person has less than
10 years of railroad service or has 10 or more years of service but
does not have a current connection with the railroad industry at the
time of his/her death.
Categories of Individuals
All applicants for benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act and
current beneficiaries will have a record of any social security wages
and the amount of any social security benefits furnished to the RRB by
SSA. In addition, all persons who ever worked in the railroad industry
after 1936 will have a record of their service and compensation
furnished to SSA by RRB.
Categories of Records
1. Name, social security number, RRB claim number, annuity
beginning date, date of birth, sex, last employer identification
number, amount of daily pay rate, separation allowance or severance
payment, creditable service and compensation after 1937, home address,
date of death, and electronic mail address.
2. Information pertaining to the payment or denial of an
individual's claim for benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act:
name, address, social security number, claim number, proofs of age,
marriage, relationship, death, military service, creditable earnings
and service months (including military service), entitlement to
benefits under the Social Security Act, programs administered by the
Veterans Administration, or other benefit systems, rates, effective
dates, medical reports, correspondence and telephone inquiries to and
about the beneficiary, suspension and termination dates, health
insurance effective date, option, premium rate and deduction, direct
deposit data, employer pension information, citizenship status and
legal residency status (for annuitants living outside the United
States), and tax withholding information (instructions of annuitants
regarding number of exemptions claimed and additional amounts to be
withheld, as well as actual amounts withheld for tax purposes).
[[Page 58641]]
Systems of Records
The applicable RRB Privacy Act Systems of Records and their Federal
Register citation used in the matching program are:
1. RRB-5, Master File of Railroad Employees' Creditable
Compensation, September 30, 2014 (79 FR 58877)
2. RRB-22, Railroad Retirement, Survivor, Pensioner Benefit System,
December 5, 2025 (90 FR 56201)
The applicable SSA Privacy Act Systems of Records used and their
Federal Register citation used in the matching program are:
1. SSA Master Files of SSN Holders and SSN Applications
(Enumeration System) (60-0058), last fully published at 90 FR 50879
(November 12, 2025).
2. SSA Earnings Recording and Self-Employment Income System, (60-
0059), last fully published at 71 FR 1819 (January 11, 2006) and
updated at 78 FR 40542 (July 5, 2013), 83 FR 54969 (November 1, 2018),
and 89 FR 825 (January 5, 2024), and 90 FR 53413 (November 25, 2025).
3. SSA Master Beneficiary Record (MBR) (60 0090), last fully
published at 71 FR 1826 (January 11, 2006) and updated at 72 FR 69723
(December 10, 2007), 78 FR 40542 (July 5, 2013), 83 FR 31250-31251
(July 3, 2018), 83 FR 54969 (November 1, 2018), 89 FR 825 (January 5,
2024), and 89 FR 14554 (February 27, 2024), and 90 FR 53413 (November
25, 2025).
4. SSA Supplemental Security Income Record and Special Veterans
Benefits (SSR) (60-0103), last fully published at 71 FR 1830 (January
11, 2006) and updated at 72 FR 69723 (December 10, 2007), 83 FR 31250-
31251 (July 3, 2018), 83 FR 54969 (November 1, 2018), 89 FR 825
(January 5, 2024), and 89 FR 14554 (February 27, 2024), and 90 FR 53413
(November 25, 2025).
5. SSA Prisoner Update Processing System (PUPS), (60-0269), last
fully published at 64 FR 11076 (March 8, 1999), and updated at 72 FR
69723 (December 10, 2007), 78 FR 40542 (July 5, 2013), and 83 FR 54969
(November 1, 2018), and 90 FR 53413 (November 25, 2025).
Dated: December 15, 2025.
By Authority of the Board.
Stephanie Hillyard,
Secretary to the Board.
[FR Doc. 2025-23137 Filed 12-16-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7905-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on December 17, 2025.
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