The role of the technician is to review the claimant’s information to determine their
eligibility options for benefit decisions. We should not attempt to persuade the claimant
about benefit decisions. Instead, we should provide the claimant with Social Security
program information based on the following:
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benefits for which the claimant may be eligible;
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monthly benefit amount (MBA) for the earliest possible MOEL, at full-retirement age
(FRA), age 70, and any other months requested by the claimant;
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applicability of the MOEL options to the claimant’s situation; and
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information requested by the claimant.
If the claimant has decided when to begin receiving benefits and they do not wish
to obtain further information, the technician should not pursue other options for
the claimant.
If the claimant files an Internet claim (iClaim), the technician may need to contact
the claimant for clarification purposes to discuss MOEL options. For iClaim procedures,
see GN 00204.055K.
IMPORTANT: Every interview must include an explanation to the claimant about the situations
(i.e., codes “A” and “B”), where earnings are involved and the MOEL selected is conditional
and subject to change through the earnings enforcement process. For more information
about material earnings, see GN 00204.040A. For MOEL options codes, see GN 00204.041.