Insured status is a prerequisite for preliminary payments. Therefore, in initial claims, E/R data must be promptly secured from OCRO records so that it will be received in the DO/BO before the 15-day time frame has elapsed (see RS 02807.025).

To accomplish this, the DO/BO will immediately request an ONBE on all cases where an initial retirement or survivor claim and preliminary payment request have been filed unless the request clearly does not meet the requirements for filing.

If the NH is 60 or older, the ONBE response will usually be immediate. If, however, the response is “defaulting to offline,” the offline response will be provided on an overnight basis. If the ONBE response is “NIF,” request an offline benefit estimate (OFBE). If the DO/BO has not received the OFBE within 5 days, request it again.

In the event it still has not been received in the DO/BO by the end of the 10th day, institute procedures for obtaining a delayed E/R.

The DO/BO may input an automated claim (see RS 02807.040-RS 02807.045) after waiting 3 days after the estimated earnings record (ONBE/OFBE) data is received.