TN 19 (02-22)

GN 00904.220 Requests for Assistance in Foreign Cases

A. Policy for requesting assistance in foreign cases

Vital statistics records from certain countries are not reliable. We do not accept evidence from certain countries without additional verification. Field Offices (FO) and Program Service Centers (PSCs) send an Electronic 562 to the Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) to verify evidence for certain countries. For more information on verifying evidence from foreign countries, and specific country instructions, see GN 00307.000.

Contacts with individuals living outside the U.S. (other than in the British Virgin Islands, Canada, and Samoa) are within the jurisdiction of the Division of International Operations (DIO) in the Office of Earning and International Operations (OEIO).

B. Procedure for the FO and PSC to use when requesting assistance from the FBU

1. Use the Electronic 562 (e562) to request FBU assistance

To send the e562, follow these instructions:

  1. a. 

    Visit the Foreign Country Service Information Website to locate the country’s servicing FBU. There is no FBU in Canada. Domestic SSA FOs service the Canadian provinces. Refer to the Canadian Service Area Directory to identify the DOC for the FO that services each province.

  2. b. 

    Use the charts in GN 00904.220B.2 to determine the DOC for the FBU.

  3. c. 

    Refer to each country’s specific instructions in GN 00307.000. If needed,Access the e562 and prepare a “Request for Assistance/Certification of Documents or Records”, following the instructions on the Electronic 562 website. Send the request to the FBU.

  4. d. 

    Set up a diary for the FBU response, considering OIO's diary periods, as shown in GN 00904.245B

  5. e. 

    If the FBU is unable to verify the authenticity of evidence from (country) follow the procedure in GN 01010.410B.5.b which states, “If the cooperative claimant cannot furnish any evidence of high probative value because it is not obtainable, make a determination based on the evidence submitted and award or disallow benefits accordingly.”

NOTE: For guidance on handling suspected fraud, see GN 04110.000.

2. Use the chart of Federal Benefit Unit District Office Codes to send the e562

Refer to the chart below to identify the DOC for the servicing FBU for countries other than Mexico. Refer to GN 00904.220B.3 for Mexico.

FBU

DOC

FBU

DOC

FBU

DOC

London Region DOC Frankfurt Region DOC Rome Region DOC
London 377 Frankfurt 477 Rome 479
Dublin D86 Krakow WL2 Athens 065
Lisbon D87 Paris D90 Jerusalem WJ7
Madrid D88 Warsaw WZ0 Naples 525
Oslo WR2
Manila Region DOC Mexico City Region DOC San Jose Region DOC
Manila 382 Mexico City 021 San Jose 637
Tokyo WX9 Ciudad Juarez 091 Buenos Aires D84
Guadalajara 155 Santo Domingo WU9

3. Chart of assigned states for the Mexico City Region

Use the chart below to determine which FBU serves the claimant’s address in Mexico.

State

State

State

 

State
Ciudad Juarez 091 Guadalajara 155 Mexico City 021

Mexico City 021

Baja California Aguascalientes Campeche

Oaxaca

Chihuahua Baja California Sur Chiapas

Puebla

Coahuila Colima Guanajuato

Querétaro

Durango Jalisco Guerrero

Quintana Roo

Nuevo Léon Nayarit Hidalgo

San Luis Potosí

Sonora Sinaloa México

Tabasco

Tamaulipas Zacatecas México Distrito Federal

Tlaxcala

Michoacán

Veracruz

 

 

Morelos

Yucatán

 

 

C. Procedure for DIO requests for assistance

Request assistance from the servicing FO, as needed, in developing a claim or an earnings discrepancy. The instructions for securing wage information (as shown in GN 00904.070 through GN 00904.075) and requesting assistance (as shown in GN 00904.080 through GN 00904.090) are applicable to IBO and DIO when acting as an FO.

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To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0200904220
GN 00904.220 - Requests for Assistance in Foreign Cases - 02/18/2022
Batch run: 01/30/2024
Rev:02/18/2022