An individual who meets all SVB qualification requirements can be paid benefits only
for months during which the individual resides outside the United States (as explained
in VB 00102.010). An individual's residence on the first day of the month will generally be considered
his or her residence throughout the month absent information to the contrary. For
SVB purposes, an individual can be a resident of only one country at a time. An individual
cannot maintain a residence in the United States as well as a residence outside the
United States and be considered a resident of both countries at the same time.
IMPORTANT: A determination that an individual is not a foreign resident for SVB purposes is
NOT a determination that an individual is a U.S. resident.
Under certain circumstances an SVB recipient can be entitled to receive SVB and a
prorated SSI benefit for the same month. This can occur when an SVB recipient is considered
a foreign resident on the first day of a month but gives up his or her foreign residence
and becomes a U.S. resident later in that same month (as discussed in VB 00205.170).
SVB is not payable beginning with the month after the individual loses or relinquishes
his or her foreign residence. Residence outside the United States is considered lost
or relinquished if the SVB recipient:
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•
enters the United States and stays for more than 1 full calendar month;
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•
notifies SSA that he or she no longer considers himself or herself to be a foreign
resident; or
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•
becomes eligible again for SSI (including section 1619(b) participants and certain
institutionalized individuals).
EXCEPTION: An SVB recipient whose stay or visit in the United States exceeds 1 full calendar
month can continue to be considered a foreign resident and paid SVB if good cause
is found to exist per VB 00205.160C.
SSA's policy for establishing and discontinuing residence outside of the United States
for SVB purposes is found in VB 00205.155 through VB 00205.165. These guidelines are to be used in tandem with the following sections to determine
whether the departure from, and/or or entrance into, a foreign country affect SVB
entitlement and/or payments.