[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 20, Volume 1]
[Revised as of April 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 20CFR217.17]

[Page 233-234]
 
                      TITLE 20--EMPLOYEES' BENEFITS
 
                  CHAPTER II--RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD
 
PART 217_APPLICATION FOR ANNUITY OR LUMP SUM--Table of Contents
 
                     Subpart C_Filing An Application
 
Sec.  217.17  Who may sign an application.

    An application may be signed according to the following rules:
    (a) A claimant who is 18 years old or older, competent (able to 
handle his or her own affairs), and physically able to sign the 
application, must sign in his or her own handwriting, except as provided 
in paragraph (e) of this section. A parent or a person standing in place 
of a parent must sign the application for a child who is not yet 18 
years old, except as shown in paragraph (d) of this section.
    (b) A claimant who is unable to write must make his or her mark. A 
Board representative or two other persons must sign as witnesses to a 
signature by mark.
    (c) A claimant's representative, as described in part 266 of this 
chapter, must sign the application if the claimant is incompetent 
(unable to handle his or her own affairs).

[[Page 234]]

    (d) A claimant who is a child between the ages of 16 and 18, is 
competent, as defined in paragraph (a) of this section, has no court 
appointed representative, and is not in the care of any person, may sign 
the application.
    (e) If it is necessary to protect a claimant from losing benefits 
and there is good cause for the claimant not personally signing the 
application, the Board may accept an application signed by someone other 
than a person described in paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (d) of this 
section. A person who signs an application for someone else will be 
required to provide evidence of his or her authority to sign the 
application for the person claiming benefits under the following rules:
    (1) If the person who signs is a court-appointed representative, he 
or she must submit a certificate issued by the court showing authority 
to act for the claimant.
    (2) If the person who signs is not a court-appointed representative, 
he or she must submit a statement describing his or her relationship to 
the claimant. The statement must also describe the extent to which the 
person is responsible for the care of the claimant.
    (3) If the person who signs is the manager or principal officer of 
an institution which is responsible for the care of the claimant, he or 
she must submit a statement indicating the person's position of 
responsibility at the institution.
    (4) The Board may, at any time, in its sole discretion require 
additional evidence to establish the authority of a person to sign an 
application for someone else.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control numbers 
3220-0002, 3220-0030, 3220-0031 and 3220-0042)

[47 FR 7647, Feb. 22, 1982, as amended at 54 FR 13364, Apr. 3, 1989]