The RR Act and the SS Act provide that the two agencies cooperate and exchange certain information. RRB has access to certain SSA systems.

RRB requests information from SSA on a daily, weekly and annual basis. Such requests for information include benefit data, earnings, periods of disability and medical evidence. RRB needs this information to compute the RR annuity correctly and to administer the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA).

SSA obtains RR compensation information from RRB for both life and survivor claims. For survivor claims, SSA also needs a survivor jurisdiction determination. For life claims, if the wage earner has not yet acquired their 120th month of RR service or effective 01/01/2002, the wage earner has less than 120 months of RR service but has not yet acquired their 60 months of RR service after December 31, 1995, SSA can use the RR service and compensation to establish insured status and to compute the PIA. For survivor claims, if RRB determines that SSA has jurisdiction then SSA can use the RR service and compensation to determine insured status and compute the PIA.