Basic (03-86)
The principal provisions of the international Social Security agreements (totalization)
are outlined in GN 01701.000. Additional detailed disability procedures for district office and INTPSC personnel
are provided in GN 01702.000. DDS actions are discussed in DI 23550.001. The procedures in this subchapter will provide guidelines to INTPSC personnel for
processing requests from foreign countries for medical evidence of record (MER) and
consultative examinations (CE). Under international agreements, we will exchange information
with countries with whom we have an agreement in force, and upon request will assist
these countries in their medical development.
The requests for medical information will usually be made by a foreign agency in situations
where the claimant is ineligible for benefits from the U.S., or we do not have a claim,
but the claimant has filed for regular or totalization benefits with a foreign agency.
In some instances, the requests will not be identifiable by account numbers. However,
we may have prior claims material or be paying regular or totalization benefits. In
some cases, the request will be associated with the prior file. The information in
that file may be helpful to the examiner in preparing the development requests for
medical examinations.