When the Division of International Operations (DIO) forwards information about a Portuguese claim, certified copies of evidence, and a copy of the worker’s U.S. coverage record to Portugal, the Benefit Earnings Technician (BET) electronically stores the claims material in the Paperless Processing Center (PPC) system in DIO before forwarding the claim to the Portuguese agency. The system automatically generates a notice that the BET sends to the applicant.

If an applicant contacts the Social Security Administration (SSA) for status of their claim for Portuguese benefits and states that they have not received notification that DIO forwarded a claim to the Portuguese agency, check the PPC system. NOTE: Field offices are able to check the PPC system through the Evidence Portal (EP) application. See MS 09701.001 for an overview of the EP application, and to access the EP User Guide.