Codes

This variable is not available for any of the currently selected samples.

Description

GOTRRRP indicates whether the respondent received income from Railroad Retirement payments during the previous calendar year. Such payments are administered by the Railroad Retirement Board, an independent federal agency that handles benefit programs (for retirement pensions, disability payments, survivor benefits, unemployment compensation, and sickness benefits) for U.S. railroad workers and their families.

For 1976-1987, the amount of income from Railroad Retirement payments was combined with income from Social Security payments in the INCSS variable. If respondents did not receive income from Social Security payments during the previous calendar year (i.e., they have a code of 1 in GOTSS) and they did receive income from Railroad Retirement payments during the previous calendar year (i.e., they have a code of 2 in GOTRRRP), then the dollar amount in INCSS for 1976-1987 should indicate the amount of income specifically from Railroad Retirement payments. If individuals received payments from both Social Security and Railroad Retirement, then the amount of income specifically from Railroad Retirement payments cannot be identified. Even in this case, however, researchers can use GOTRRRP to analyze the characteristics of the recipients of Railroad Retirement payments.

Comparability

There was a significant change in how this information was collected. For 1976-1979, the interviewer asked whether the individual received "from the U.S. government any money from Railroad Retirement checks." This question is worded broadly enough to encompass various benefits administered by the Railroad Retirement Board, including, for example, unemployment and sickness benefits as well as retirement pensions.

For 1980-1987, information about Railroad Retirement income was collected via detailed questions on the receipt of retirement income, disability payments, and survivor benefits.
Interviewers asked an opening question about the receipt of "any pension or retirement income from a previous employer or union, or any other type of retirement income," followed by questions about the source of such income (with Railroad Retirement as one of the options) and the amount of income from that source. Similarly, interviewers asked an opening question about the receipt of income as a result of a health problem, disability, or handicap, followed by questions about the source of such income (with Railroad Retirement as one of the options) and the amount of income from that source. Also, interviewers asked an opening question about the receipt of income "as a survivor or widow, such as survivor or widow's pension, estates, trusts, annuities, or any other survivor benefits." Again, this was followed by questions about the source of such survivor benefits (with Railroad Retirement as one of the options) and the amount of income from that source. If respondents reported receiving Railroad Retirement payments for any of these reasons (as a retirement pension, as disability payments, or as survivor benefits), then they were identified as a recipient of Railroad Retirement income (code 2) in GOTRRRP.

The same detailed questions were retained in the survey for 1988-2004, and variables corresponding to these detailed questions were added to the public use files beginning in 1988. Thus, persons with a "yes" response in GOTRRRP for 1976-1987 are comparable to persons in 1988-2004 who reported receiving Railroad Retirement as a source of retirement income (i.e., those with a code of 5 in SRCRETI1 or in SRCRETI2), as a source of disability payments (i.e., those with a code of 6 in SRCDISA1 or in SRCDISA2), and/or as a source of survivor income (i.e., those with a code of 5 in SRCSURV1 or SRCSURV2).

Beginning in 1988, the amount of income from Railroad Retirement payments was no longer combined with income from Social Security payments in INCSS. Rather, the amount of income from retirement pensions from Railroad Retirement was combined with other sources of retirement income (except Social Security) in INCRETIR; the amount of income from disability payments from Railroad Retirement was combined with other sources of disability income (except Supplemental Security Income, veterans' payments, and Social Security) in INCDISAB; and the amount of income from Railroad Retirement for survivors' benefits was combined with other sources of survivors' benefits (except veterans' payments and Social Security) in INCSURV.

Universe

Flags

Unharmonized Variables

• UH_INCS14_A2