Basic (11-96)
The FSP in Lisbon, Portugal takes claims from individuals who wish to file for benefits under the agreement and also assists in processing claims filed with the Portuguese social security agency.
When taking applications under the agreement, the FSP should follow the same general procedures and obtain the same applications and evidence as SSA field offices. (See GN 01702.100 for FO and FSP development and GN 01727.205 - GN 01727.215 for special evidence and application requirements for the agreement with Portugal.)
Follow the procedure below which describes development and routing instructions that apply to claims filed in the FSP.
If this is a U.S. claim, do the following:
Obtain Form SSA-2490-F4, Application for Benefits Under a U.S. International Social Security Agreement (Part I), and the appropriate RSDI applications.
Forward a liaison Form SSA-2960-U3-PE to the appropriate Portuguese agency to request a Portuguese coverage certification, if it appears that the worker is not insured based only on U.S. coverage. See GN 01728.025 for determining which Portuguese agency office has jurisdiction of the claim.
Forward the claim to OIO along with copies of the liaison form sent to the Portuguese agency.
If this is a Portuguese claim, do the following:
Refer the claimant to the appropriate local office of the Centro Nacional de Pensoes or the Nucleo Coord. de Prest. Diferidas to file a Portuguese claim.
If the claimant insists on filing a claim for Portuguese benefits at the FSP, take a protective statement on Form SSA-795 and send it to the Portuguese agency under cover of Form SSA-2960-U3-PE.
If this is a concurrent U.S./Portuguese claim, do the following:
Obtain Form SSA-2490-F4 (Parts I and II) and the appropriate RSDI applications.
Forward a liaison Form SSA-2960-U3-PE to the appropriate Portuguese agency office to request a Portuguese coverage certification (if it appears that the worker is not insured based only on U.S. coverage) and to inform the Portuguese agency of the filing date.