(a) General requirement. Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, statements of sickness and claims for sickness benefits must be filed within the time limits specified by this section. Failure to comply with the time restrictions on filing claims will result in a denial of benefits for days for which timely statements and claims are not filed, as such days would not be considered days of sickness.

(b) Statement of sickness. An employee shall file a statement of sickness within ten calendar days of the first day that he or she wishes to claim as a day of sickness. For example, if an employee wishes to claim sickness benefits for days starting November 1, the statement of sickness should reach the Board no later than November 10. If the statement of sickness is received November 11, the employee cannot be paid sickness benefits for November 1. Such day would not be considered as a “day of sickness”, unless the form may be considered as timely filed under paragraph (d)(3), (4) or (5) of this section.

(c) Claim for sickness benefits. An employee shall file a claim for sickness benefits within 30 days after the ending date shown on the claim form, or within 30 days after the date on which the Board mails the claim form to the employee, whichever date is later. Failure to comply with this provision shall bar the payment of sickness benefits with respect to any day included within the calendar period covered by the claim form.

(d) When form considered timely filed. The Board will consider a statement of sickness or a claim for sickness benefits as timely filed if:

(1) The statement or form was received in a Board office within the prescribed time; or

(2) The statement or form was mailed to a Board office in accordance with instructions printed on the form and was received at such office; or

(3) The employee made a reasonable effort to file the statement of sickness or claim form within the prescribed time but was prevented from doing so by circumstances beyond his or her control, and such statement or claim was received at a Board office within a reasonable time following the removal of the circumstances that prevented the employee from filing the form. The phrase “circumstances beyond his or her control” shall not include an employee's forgetfulness or lack of knowledge of the sickness benefit program or the time limit for filing for sickness benefits or any other lack of diligence by the employee. For the purposes of this provision, if a statement of sickness is not received within the prescribed time but is received within 30 days of the first day that an employee intends to claim as a day of sickness, the Board will consider that the employee made a reasonable effort to file the statement within the prescribed time, unless it is clear on the basis of affirmative evidence that the delay was not the result of circumstances beyond the employee's control; or

(4) The employee mistakenly registered for unemployment benefits when he or she should have applied for sickness benefits for the day or days claimed and the appropriate statement of sickness was then received at an office of the Board within a reasonable time after unemployment benefits were denied; or

(5) Notwithstanding the foregoing, any claim that is not filed within two years of the day or days claimed shall not be considered as timely filed, and such day or days shall not be considered as days of sickness.

(e) Days for which no statement of sickness deemed filed. A statement of sickness shall not be deemed to be filed with respect to any day in a benefit year in which the employee is not a qualified employee as defined in section 3 of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act or has exhausted his or her rights to sickness benefits under the Act. See part 336 of this chapter.

[54 FR 43057, Oct. 20, 1989, as amended at 57 FR 807, Jan. 9, 1992; 60 FR 40073, Aug. 7, 1995]