Each agreement provides that individuals who wish to appeal a decision on a claim for U.S. or foreign benefits may file the appeal with either country. Thus, an individual may file an appeal of a decision on a claim for foreign benefits with the Social Security Administration (SSA), or file an appeal of a decision on a claim for U.S. benefits with the foreign agency.

The date an appeal is filed with one country’s agency is recognized as the date of filing by the other. Regardless of where a person files an appeal, the country whose decision is being appealed will process the appeal in accordance with its own laws.

Follow the procedures in GN 03102.200 for appeals of decisions on claims for U.S. benefits.

When an individual wishes to file an appeal of a decision on a claim for foreign benefits with SSA:

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  obtain a signed statement requesting review of the decision and indicating why the applicant disagrees with the decision,

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  date stamp the statement with the date stamp normally used to date application forms, and

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  forward the statement to the Office of International Operations (OIO) at the address in GN 01702.310C.

Exception: When a person wishes to file an appeal of a decision on a claim for Canadian benefits with a designated border office (see GN 01715.320), the designated border office will forward the statement directly to the appropriate agency in Canada.