A prerelease agreement is a written or verbal agreement between a public or penal
institution and the Social Security Administration (SSA) to cooperate in the processing
of Title II and Title XVI (or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)) prerelease applications
and reinstatements. A written agreement is preferred, though not required, and is
a non-binding means of ensuring understanding by all parties and facilitating an individual’s
successful integration back into the community.
The prerelease agreements process is slightly different for Federal Bureau of Prisons
(BOP) institutions compared with non-BOP institutions. As of November 9, 2016, SSA
and the BOP have a national Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) providing prerelease
planning assistance to inmates at BOP institutions. Central office maintains the MOU.
For an overview of SSA’s and BOP’s
responsibilities under the MOU for BOP prerelease claims, see SI 00520.910E in this
section.
In contrast, the prerelease agreements process with non-BOP institutions is more varied.
Agreements can be formal or informal, and they are established and maintained by regional
offices (ROs) and field office (FOs). For instructions on prerelease agreements with non-BOP
institutions, see SI 00520.910B through SI 00520.910D in this section.