Attempts will be made to contact the SVB recipient (or his or her representative payee) when the recipient's whereabouts are questionable, e.g., mail returned as undeliverable; notification of returned check for address reasons, etc. The first indication of a need to develop an SVB recipient's whereabouts may be received by the CPS (e.g., systems-generated returned check alert), or by an SSA office servicing the SVB recipient's foreign address (e.g., undeliverable mail to a Philippine address is forwarded to the Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) in Manila).

The following sections provide procedures for developing an individual's whereabouts by the servicing office. The guidelines in VB 00210.001C apply for determining the servicing office for SVB development purposes. Generally, the CPS will be the servicing office if development outside the United States is undertaken via direct mail. When the CPS requests assistance from another SSA office in developing an individual's whereabouts, the assisting office is the servicing office. For example, when the CPS requests the FBU to develop whereabouts in the Philippines, the servicing office is the FBU.

Attempt to contact the SVB recipient (or his or her representative payee, if one). If efforts are unsuccessful, attempt contacts with other interested parties or sources that may know the recipient's whereabouts. Pursue all available leads to locate the beneficiary. Consider:

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  other systems queries (e.g., MBR, MDW, MSSICS screens, etc.) that may reflect an address for the recipient;

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  the SVB Intranet site;

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  contacting the financial institution (if direct deposit is involved);

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  checking local directories (e.g., phone); and

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  visiting the beneficiary's last known address (if feasible).

EXCEPTION: Contact will not be made with PVAO in Manila when trying to locate an SVB beneficiary as it could adversely affect the PVAO payable.