TN 2 (03-04)

The role of the field office is to:

• Provide limited general information about the eligibility requirements under the system of an agreement country. (Refer to the subchapter for the specific agreement for a short summary of eligibility requirements.)

• Assist applicants in filing applications to claim benefits from either the United States or an agreement country.

• Secure evidence (other than a foreign coverage record) required to adjudicate a claim for U.S. Totalization benefits.

• Make reasonable efforts to secure information/evidence required by an agreement country to adjudicate a claim for benefits from that country.

• Perform final adjudication of claims for U.S. benefits where the number holder (NH) is insured based on U.S. coverage alone or has less than 6 quarters of coverage (QCs).

• Process an initial denial in claims for U.S. benefits where the NH has at least 6 QCs but is not insured based on U.S. QCs alone and the applicant meets all other factors of entitlement.