An application may be signed according to the following rules:

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) or paragraph (f) 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.

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.

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).

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.

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:

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.

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.

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.

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.

An acceptable signature may include:

A handwritten signature that complies with the rules set out in paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d), or (e) of this section; or

In the case of an application being taken and processed in the Railroad Retirement Board's automated claims system, an electronic signature, which shall consist of a personal identification number (PIN) assigned by the Railroad Retirement Board as described in the application instructions; or

An alternative signature or signature proxy acceptable to the Railroad Retirement Board. An example of an alternative signature is attestation, which refers to the action taken by a Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) employee of confirming and annotating RRB records of the applicant's intent to file or complete an application or related form, the applicant's affirmation under penalty of perjury that the information provided is correct, and the applicant's agreement to sign the application or related form.