(a) Statutory basis. The Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act provides for the payment of sickness benefits to a qualified railroad employee for days of sickness within a period of continuing sickness. To establish basic eligibility for sickness benefits, a qualified employee must have at least four consecutive days of sickness with respect to each period of continuing sickness. The terms “day of sickness” and “period of continuing sickness” as used in this part, are defined in sections 1(k) and 2(a) of the Act, respectively, and paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section. As evidence of days of sickness based upon illness or injury or upon pregnancy, miscarriage or childbirth, section 1(k) requires an employee to file a statement of sickness. Other information that is required to identify an employee's days of sickness is obtained by means of an application for sickness benefits at the beginning of each period of continuing sickness and by means of a claim for sickness benefits which is filed for each registration period within a period of continuing sickness. The term “registration period”, generally refers to a period of 14 consecutive days and is defined in paragraph (d) of this section.

(b) Day of sickness. The term “day of sickness” means, in general, any calendar day, including days that would normally be rest days, on which an employee is not able to work because of any physical or mental illness or injury. With respect to a female employee, a “day of sickness” also includes any calendar day on which she is not able to work, or working would be injurious to her health, because of pregnancy, miscarriage or childbirth.

(c) Period of continuing sickness.

(1) The term “period of continuing sickness” refers to a period of time when an employee is not able to work on account of illness, injury, sickness or disease, including inability caused by pregnancy, miscarriage or childbirth. An employee has a period of continuing sickness under either of these circumstances:

(i) He or she has any number of “consecutive” days of sickness based on one or more infirmities; or

(ii) He or she has any number of “successive” days of sickness based on a single infirmity and there is no interruption of more than 90 “consecutive” days which are not days of sickness.

(2) Days of sickness are “consecutive” when they occur one after another continuously and without interruption by any day that is not a day of sickness. Days of sickness are “successive” when one or more days of sickness follow any day of sickness with an interval of one or more days that are not days of sickness.

(3) A period of continuing sickness with respect to any employee begins with the first day of a number of consecutive days of sickness or with the first day of a number of successive days of sickness attributable to a single cause with no interval of more than 90 days that are not days of sickness. In the example given in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, October 1 begins a period of continuing sickness. The days October 16, 17, 18, 21, and 22 are in the period of continuing sickness beginning October 1, and benefits are payable for them, provided that the employee's inability to work on those five days is due to one or more of the same infirmities that caused the employee to be unable to work on the days from October 1 through October 11. Otherwise, October 16 begins another period of continuing sickness.

(4) A period of continuing sickness ends when either of these circumstances occurs:

(i) 91 consecutive days have elapsed none of which is a day of sickness resulting from the infirmity that was the basis for the preceding days of sickness; or

(ii) One or more days that are not days of sickness have elapsed and a statement of sickness is filed with respect to a day of sickness based on an infirmity other than any infirmity causing inability on the preceding days of sickness. The end of a benefit year, generally the 12-month period beginning July 1 of any year and ending June 30 of the next year (see 45 U.S.C. 351(m)), does not end a period of continuing sickness. In the example in paragraph (c)(2) of this section, if the inability to work on October 16 was not due to an infirmity or infirmities that caused the inability to work on October 11, then a period of continuing sickness ends on October 11. A new application and statement of sickness would be required in order for the employee to be paid sickness benefits for days beginning October 16. See §335.2 of this part.

(5) A period of continuing sickness can be interrupted, provided that:

(i) The interruption is for not more than 90 consecutive days; and

(ii) The days of sickness after the interruption are due to one or more of the same causes as the days of sickness before the interruption. A period of continuing sickness can be interrupted any number of times so long as each interruption is not more than 90 days and the days of sickness are all due to the same cause. If a period of continuing sickness is caused by more than one infirmity, any one of the infirmities can be considered as the single continuing cause that will permit the interruption of the period of continuing sickness for not more than 90 days without ending it.

(d) Registration period. The term “registration period” means, with respect to any employee, the period which begins with the first day with respect to which a statement of sickness for a period of continuing sickness is filed in his or her behalf in accordance with this part, or the first such day after the end of a registration period which will have begun with a day with respect to which a statement of sickness for a period of continuing sickness was filed in his or her behalf, and ends with whichever is the earlier of:

(1) The thirteenth day thereafter; or

(2) The day immediately preceding the day with respect to which a statement of sickness for a new period of continuing sickness is filed in his or her behalf. However, each of the successive 14-day periods in an extended sickness benefit period shall constitute a registration period.

(e) Liability for infirmity. When sickness benefits are paid to an employee on the basis of an infirmity for which he or she recovers a personal injury settlement or judgment, the Board shall receive reimbursement for the sickness benefits in accordance with part 341 of this chapter.