Request assistance when:
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developing foreign claims, inquiries, or post-entitlement (PE) issues;
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instructions require correspondence or development through an FBU;
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conflicting evidence has been submitted;
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claimants or beneficiaries require special assistance; or
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development cannot be completed by phone or through direct mail.
Request assistance with verifying evidence when country specific instructions in GN 00307.000 allow for verification of evidence. Not all countries allow for verification due
inaccessibility of contacts or the response time.
Consider the practical limitations of time, labor and distances and the fact that
most FBUs are not staffed to manage a volume of outside work (work not included in
our agreement). Scheduling outside work can delay completion of the request. Therefore,
keep requests centered as instructed in POMS, when possible.
SSA cannot request the assistance of FBUs in countries in which the United States
(U.S.) is not represented by the Department of State (DOS) or in which U.S. diplomatic
representation is too limited to assist SSA. Such countries include Angola, Cambodia,
Iran, Libya, North Korea, and Vietnam. Other countries can be involved as conditions
in them change.