Social Security

A. Purpose

For the 2024 cycle, forms SSA-7161 and SSA-7162 may be completed and signed by SSA staff or Department of State staff within the Federal Benefits Units (FBU) using SSA’s attestation process.

The agency’s Foreign Enforcement Program is an integrity measure to verify the existence and identity of beneficiaries living outside the United States. Each year in May or June, we mail a Foreign Enforcement Questionnaire (FEQ) to beneficiaries (SSA-7162) and representative payees (SSA-7161) who live abroad. The beneficiary or representative payee must complete, sign, and return the FEQ. If the first FEQ is not returned, we mail a second FEQ in September or October. If there is still no response, we suspend benefits effective the following year’s February payment.
We previously required a wet signature on the forms. However, to address challenges, such as international mail service issues, and to improve our ability to provide service, we will be offering attestation as an alternative way for beneficiaries and representative payees to complete and sign these forms. This EM establishes policy and procedure for doing so for the 2024 cycle while we work to issue permanent POMS instructions in time for the 2025 cycle.

For the 2024 cycle, SSA or Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) employees may use SSA’s attestation process to complete and sign forms SSA-7161 and SSA-7162.

You may call beneficiaries and representative payees, or they may call you, to complete and sign their FEQ using attestation.
1. Identifying the Interviewee
Follow the considerations for telephone interviewing in GN 00203.015 and instructions for identifying the individual in TC 01001.020.
2. Completing the FEQ
• Inform the beneficiary or representative payee that SSA will accept verbal attestation instead of a pen-and-ink signature for the FEQ. Explain that we will confirm the individual’s intent to submit the FEQ, obtain their affirmation under penalty of perjury that the information they have provided is correct, and confirm that they agree to sign the FEQ by signature proxy. The interviewer’s annotation of the same in SSA records constitutes a signed FEQ.
• At the beginning of the interview, read the following scripted language: “During this interview, we will ask you questions that will be used to complete your Foreign Enforcement Questionnaire. At the end of the interview, we will ask you to confirm the truthfulness of your answers under penalty of perjury and we will record your response. You should be aware that you can be held legally responsible for giving us false information.”
• Confirm the individual’s intent to complete and sign the FEQ using signature proxy.
• Complete the FEQ by obtaining and recording the individual’s responses.
• At the end of the interview, read the following scripted language: “Do you understand that the information you have provided will be used to process your Foreign Enforcement Questionnaire? Do you declare under penalty of perjury that this information is true and correct to the best of your knowledge?”
3. Documenting Completion of the FEQ
• Annotate the Master Beneficiary Record with the following special message: “2024 FEQ attestation by phone.”
• Annotate the form’s signature field with “ATTEST” along with your name and office code.
• Submit the completed FEQ to WBDOC via the multifunction device (MFD) process. If the “FEQ to WBDOC” button is unavailable on the MFD, e-fax the completed form to WBDOC’s FEQ Scan Only eFax inbox.