RUIA Benefit Tables

Table 14. -- Benefits under the railroad unemployment insurance system

QUALIFYING WAGES
Base Year 2015	$3,637.50
Base Year 2016	$3,637.50
Base Year 2017	$3,862.50
DAILY BENEFIT RATE
Basic Rate (60% of Daily Rate of Pay)
Maximum
Benefit Year 2016-2017¹	$72.00
Benefit Year 2017-2018	$72.00
Benefit Year 2018-2019	$77.00
Minimum	$12.70
MAXIMUM NORMAL BENEFITS
For 14-Day Period
Benefit Year 2016-2017	$720
Benefit Year 2017-2018	$720
Benefit Year 2018-2019	$770
For Benefit Year Duration (130 Compensable Days) Amount²
Benefit Year 2016-2017	$9,360
Benefit Year 2017-2018	$9,360
Benefit Year 2018-2019	$10,010
MAXIMUM EXTENDED BENEFITS
10 or More Years of Service Duration (65 Compensable Days) Amount
Benefit Year 2016-2017	$4,680
Benefit Year 2017-2018	$4,680
Benefit Year 2018-2019	$5,005

¹A benefit year generally runs from July 1 of a calendar year through June 30 of the next calendar year.
²Not to exceed the employee's taxable earnings in the base year, counting earnings up to $1,879 a month for benefit year 2016-2017 (base year 2015), $1,879 a month for benefit year 2017-2018 (base year 2016), and $1,996 a month for benefit year 2018-2019 (base year 2017).
Note.--Amounts do not reflect sequestration. In accordance with the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011, benefits were reduced 9.2 percent for days of unemployment and sickness after February 28, 2013, 7.2 percent for days after September 30, 2013, 7.3 percent for days after September 30, 2014, 6.8 percent for days after September 30, 2015, and are reduced 6.9 percent for days after September 30, 2016. Some net sickness benefit payments are somewhat less than the above amounts since they are subject to tier I railroad retirement taxes.

Table 15.--Maximum weekly benefit amount under Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act and State unemployment laws, July 2016

RAILROAD UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE ACT: $360

Benefit plan	Max. weekly benefit amount	Benefit plan	Max. weekly benefit amount
STATE LAW:		STATE LAW:
Alabama	$265	Nebraska	$392
Alaska	370-442	Nevada	426
Arizona	240	New Hampshire	427
Arkansas	451	New Jersey	657
California	450	New Mexico	423-473
Colorado	516 or 568	New York	425
Connecticut	598-673	North Carolina	350
Delaware	330	North Dakota	630
District of Columbia	359	Ohio	435-587
Florida	275	Oklahoma	505
Georgia	330	Oregon	590
Hawaii	569	Pennsylvania	573-581
Idaho	410	Puerto Rico	133
Illinois	437-595	Rhode Island	566-707
Indiana	390	South Carolina	326
Iowa	447-548	South Dakota	380
Kansas	474	Tennessee	275
Kentucky	415	Texas	479
Louisiana	247	Utah	509
Maine	410-615	Vermont	458
Maryland	430	Virginia	378
Massachusetts	722-1,083	Virgin Islands	480
Michigan	362	Washington	681
Minnesota	440-683	West Virginia	424
Mississippi	235	Wisconsin	370
Missouri	320	Wyoming	489
Montana	510
Note.--When two amounts are given, the higher includes dependents' allowances. There are other States with dependents' allowances but the maximum is the same with or without the allowance.

Table 16.--Operations under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, benefit year 2015-2016¹

Benefit activity	Unemployment benefits	Sickness benefits
Qualified employees	254,200	254,200
Applications received	24,100	19,800
Claims received	137,300	129,200
Payments²:
Number	112,300	109,700
Average amount per two-week claim period³	$591	$592
Amount of benefits (net)³	$71,655,000⁴	$54,511,000
Claimants	16,400	16,000
Accounts exhausted	3,300	3,100
¹July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016.
²Not adjusted for recoveries or settlements of underpayments.
³In accordance with the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011, amount reflect a reduction of 9.2 percent under sequestration for days of unemployment and sickness after February 28, 2013, 7.2 percent for days after September 30, 2013, 7.3 percent for days after September 30, 2014, and 6.8 percent for days after September 30, 2015.
⁴Starting in June 2009, includes temporary extended unemployment benefits authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Beginning in November 2009, temporary extended unemployment benefits are also being paid under the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, as amended by the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010. The Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, and the American Tax Payer Relief Act of 2012 continued the temporary unemployment benefits extension.

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