Social Security

A. Purpose

This Emergency Message establishes that the agency will not suspend benefits if beneficiaries or representative payees in Lebanon and Israel do not respond to their 2024 Foreign Enforcement Questionnaire (FEQ) (form SSA-7161 or SSA-7162).

The agency uses the Foreign Enforcement Program (FEP) as an integrity measure to verify the existence and identity of beneficiaries living outside the United States. We mail the FEQ to beneficiaries (or their representative payees) living abroad in May or June. 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 with the February payment.

This year, there have been documented mail service disruptions in Lebanon and Israel that could affect individuals’ ability to return their FEQ. Lebanon was listed on the USPS International Mail Service Suspensions List from early October through early December, preventing mail from being delivered during that time. Additionally, in September 2024, a State Department advisory urged U.S. citizens to depart Lebanon due to the volatile and unpredictable security situation in that country. Israel has been listed on the USPS International Mail Service “Disruptions” List since October 10, 2023, with an advisory citing mail service delays.

Therefore, for the 2024 FEQ cycle, we will not suspend benefits of non-responders in either country.

For beneficiaries and representative payees living in Lebanon and Israel, do not suspend benefits for failure to respond to the 2024 FEQ.

1. Instructions for WBDOC
By January 9, 2025, complete the transmission of the responder file to the Center for Automation, Security and Integrity, Applications Programming and Systems Operations (CASI APSO).

2. Instructions for CASI
Add the non-responder beneficiaries and representative payees to the responder file. This will ensure benefit payments do not get suspended effective February 2025 solely because the FEQ was not returned.
3. Instructions for OEIO
For non-responder beneficiaries and representative payees, annotate the MBR with the following special message: “Lebanon mail issue case” or “Israel mail issue case.”

· RS 02655.001 The Foreign Enforcement Program (FEP)
· RS 02655.005 Preparation and Mailing Schedule — Foreign Enforcement Program (FEP)
· RS 02655.007 Processing the Foreign Enforcement Questionnaire (FEQ) — Wilkes-Barre Direct Operations Center (WBDOC), Payment Center 8 (PC8), and the Federal Benefits Unit (FBU)