TN 29 (10-16)

A. Eligibility requirement

A beneficiary needs only one crediting month to qualify for an automatic ARF.

For an explanation of ARF processing, see TC 11001.120 and OS 01201.470.

B. Crediting months

1. Retirement Insurance Benefits (RIB) cases

Grant crediting months in RIB cases for months of:

• full or partial work deduction; or

• simultaneous RIB-Disability Insurance Benefit (DIB) entitlement.

NOTE: Proration of work deductions has no effect on the adjustment of the reduction factor, as stated under RS 02501.120B.3.

For information regarding proration of work deductions, see RS 02501.120 and RS 02501.125.

For information regarding charging excess earnings, see RS 02501.095.

2. Spouse's cases

Grant crediting months to a spouse for all months that the spouse:

• is subject to a full or partial work deduction based on his or her work;

• is subject to a full or partial work deduction based on the NH’s work (including months for which the NH worked in which the full spouse’s benefit is paid after the benefits for a partial month are prorated);

• is not entitled because the NH's disability terminated (upon re-entitlement);

• is not entitled due to any terminating event (upon re-entitlement);

• has a child in care;

• is in non-payment due to his or her prior entitlement as a spouse (included in a divorced spouse's reduction factor);

• is in non-payment because the NH refused vocational rehabilitation (no longer applicable as of January 1, 2001. For more information, see DI 55001.600); or

• is in non-payment prior to his or her full retirement age (FRA) due to the NH’s voluntary suspension request made on or after April 30, 2016. For more information, see GN 02409.110.

3. Widow(er)’s cases

Grant crediting months for a widow(er) in all months the:

• widow(er) has full or partial work deduction;

• widow(er) is not entitled because of a terminating event (upon re-entitlement);

• disabled widow(er) refused VR (no longer applicable as of January 1, 2001. For more information, see DI 55001.600); or

• widow(er)’s benefits were increased to the mother or father's rate.

NOTE: When a beneficiary is dually entitled to RIB and/or auxiliary, survivor benefits, grant ARFs separately on each record.

4. DIB cases

Grant crediting months in DIB cases for any month the beneficiary was entitled to a reduced RIB (see RS 00615.410) or WIB (see RS 00615.420) and for which an ARF of the other benefit would otherwise be appropriate.

C. Manual preparation of full retirement age (FRA) diaries

For instructions on how to establish diaries, see GN 01040.005.

1. Cases requiring a manual diary at FRA

The following require a manual diary to adjust the ARF at FRA:

• Conversion of a reduced spouse's benefit to a young spouse's benefit with child in care prior to FRA;

• Conversion of a widow(er)’s or disabled widow(er)’s benefit to a surviving mother’s or father’s benefit prior to attainment of age 62 (and/or FRA);

• Disabled widow(er) in suspense prior to the attainment of age 62 (and/or FRA) for refusing Vocational Rehabilitation (no longer applicable as of January 1, 2001. For more information, see DI 55001.600);

• Re-entitlement of a widow(er)’s benefits prior to FRA who was previously entitled as a widow(er) on the same record;

• Technically entitled widow(er) terminated for reason T5 (entitled to benefits equal or larger) prior to re-entitlement and the work deduction occurred only on the survivor record as of the month of termination.

• DIB beneficiary becomes entitled to a reduced WIB. For more information, see RS 00615.350C.3.; or

• Spousal claims that were in non-payment due to the NH’s voluntary suspension request made on or after April 30, 2016. For more information, see GN 02409.110.

2. Manual diary due the year following FRA attainment

If the NH requests proration of the work deduction, diary the NH’s claim for an adjustment to the ARF in the year following FRA. For more information, see TC 11001.120.

3. Diary due date

The diary due date for the above cases is the month of FRA attainment unless there are work deductions for the year of FRA attainment. For cases involving work deductions for the year of FRA attainment, the diary due date is May of the year after attainment of FRA.