Railroad Unemployment Insurance Amendments Act of 1996

Railroad Unemployment Insurance Amendments Act of 1996 - Amends the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to revise and reduce the waiting period for unemployment benefits. Repeals the prohibition against payment of benefits for days of unemployment during the first thirteen-day period of unemployment registration within a benefit year in which the employee has more than four days of unemployment. Permits payment of such benefits to an employee after seven days of unemployment during such first registration period during a time of continued unemployment, if such period is the employee's initial period of continuing unemployment in that benefit year. Prohibits payment of benefits during a registration period in excess of an employee's monthly compensation base for the applicable base year.

Applies the seven-day waiting period allowance and requirements, where a period of continuing employment is due to a strike-related work stoppage, to an employee's first registration period following exhaustion of benefit rights in a new period of continuing employment based upon the same work stoppage. (Currently, such waiting period would be 14 days.) Defines period of continuing unemployment.

Makes similar revisions to, and reductions in, the waiting period for sickness benefits. Repeals the prohibition against payment of benefits for days of sickness during the first thirteen-day registration period within a benefit year in which the employee has both four consecutive days of sickness and more than four days of sickness. Permits payment of such benefits to an employee for each day in excess of seven during such first registration period in a period of continuing sickness if that registration period begins with four consecutive days of sickness and includes more than four days of sickness. Waives such waiting period for the first registration period in any subsequent period of continuing sickness beginning in the same benefit year. Defines period of continuing sickness.

Repeals the current formula for calculating the maximum daily benefit rate to make such rate five percent of the monthly compensation base.

Repeals the eligibility for extended unemployment benefits of employees with less than ten years of service. Reduces from to 65 days the maximum number of extended unemployment or sickness benefit days for employees with 15 or more years of service (thus limiting to 65 the maximum number of such extended benefit days for all employees with ten or more years of service).

Repeals the entitlement to supplemental unemployment benefits of certain employees with less than ten years of service.