Railroad Retirement Board
The RRB has benefit paying and non-benefit paying programs with outlays over $10M. The benefit paying programs consist of railroad retirement and survivor benefit (RRA) payments and railroad unemployment and sickness insurance benefit (RUIA) payments. Non-benefit paying programs include vendor payments and employee payments (payroll, travel, and other reimbursable expenses). During FY 2025, the RRB conducted a risk assessment for the RUIA program. The risk assessment concluded that the program is still below the statutory thresholds for significant improper payments under the Payment Integrity Information Act (PIIA) and shall remain in Phase 1. In FY 2025, the Railroad Employee Equity and Fairness (REEF) Act was signed into law and as a result, another risk assessment will be conducted for the RUIA program in FY 2026. Additionally, the RRA, vendor payments, and employee payments programs are scheduled to conduct risk assessments in FY 2026.
Show full executive summaryRecovery information
Please note: Overpayment amounts recovered are reported in the year they were recovered, not the year they were identified. Therefore it is possible in some years to have a recovery rate greater than 100%.
| Overpayment amount identified through recovery activities | $94.5 M |
| Overpayment amount recovered through recovery activities | $81.0 M |
| Recovery activities recovery rate | 85.71 % |
Why recovery audits are not cost effective in certain programs
The agency remains diligent in its efforts to recover overpayments and prevent improper payments. It conducts numerous quality assurance reviews targeting vendor and employee payment programs. These reviews form a robust monitoring framework that consistently yields a zero percent error rate. The most recent results for Fiscal Year 2024 showed no evidence of improper payments.
Additionally, the agency performs a bi-weekly payroll review that includes comparing an HR Links report—showing hours certified by supervisors—with a General Services Administration (GSA) report identifying payroll amounts for the same period. The totals from these two reports are reconciled to ensure accuracy. To date,
this process has revealed no indication of improper payroll payments.
Given the effectiveness of current internal controls, implementing a formal payment recapture audit program or alternative method for vendor and employee payments would not be cost-effective. Overall, the agency's existing activities constitute a comprehensive and effective alternative to a formal recapture audit program.
Nevertheless, despite the agency’s rigorous controls, some improper payments may still occur due to factors such as delayed or incomplete information.
Supplemental Information
We have determined that our current business processes, data sources, and the Do Not Pay Initiative are effective in detecting and preventing benefit overpayments. As a benefit paying agency, the RRB receives pre-payment information regarding benefit entitlement at other agencies and wage information. We have ongoing data sources established and in use for this information, which includes benefit entitlement and wages from SSA, employers, and our application process. We also receive post-payment wage information through established sources such as wage matching programs with the fifty states. In addition, we receive death data directly from SSA and CMS, which provides us with detailed death information.
The Working System has reduced/prevented improper payments:
The Working System strives to maintain accurate data. However, the past year, RRB has identified incorrect information in the Working System Monthly.
RRB was found compliant during the most recent PIIA compliance review.
Show full list of compliant programs 
Compliant programs:
- Employee Payments – Railroad Retirement Board
- Railroad Retirement Act
- Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act
- Vendor Payments – Railroad Retirement Board
| Program name | When was the last improper payment risk assessment conducted? | Likely to be susceptible to significant improper payments? | Substantial changes made to the assessment methodology used for the reporting cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employee Payments – Railroad Retirement Board | 2023 |
 No
|
|
| Railroad Retirement Act | 2023 |
No
|
|
| Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act | 2025 |
No
|
|
| Vendor Payments – Railroad Retirement Board | 2023 |
No
|