Basic (03-86)

DI 43510.001 General

INTPSC will develop disability and nondisability factors. To expedite case processing foreign disability examiners are located in the claims development branch of INTPSC where they have access to translators and can confer easily with INTPSC claims authorizers and claims adjudicators on nondisability issues.

Medical and nonmedical development in foreign claims is usually made by examiners and authorizers through the Foreign Service Posts (FSP). Foreign Service Posts are the field offices of the Department of State and are located in countries around the world. Upon request, the Department of State will verify the professional qualifications of foreign medical sources and will obtain additional medical and nonmedical information from foreign sources. The services performed by the Department of State and its foreign service personnel are worldwide in scope. Thus, requests for assistance may be initiated concerning individuals or medical sources in any country outside the United States or its possessions, except for the restricted Communist-controlled areas such as, Albania, Democratic Kampuchea (formerly Cambodia), Cuba, German Democratic Republic (East Germany and East Berlin), North Korea, Vietnam and the Soviet Union (Russia). (For a complete listing see RS 02650.001A and RS 02650.020.)

When requesting development through the FSP's, it is important to include all development in the same request and to clearly identify alternative actions if the needed evidence is not available from the suggested source. Since foreign contacts are usually time consuming and difficult, do not request development through the FSP until you have assured yourself that the needed evidence is not available from domestic sources.


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http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0443510001
DI 43510.001 - General - 01/23/1990
Batch run: 01/15/2019
Rev:01/23/1990