f. Federal Benefits

The Federal Benefits Unit offers assistance and advice regarding U.S. Social Security, Veterans and other U.S. Federal benefits programs.

You may apply at this office for different types of Social Security Benefits: retirement, spouse’s, survivors and disability benefits, or any combination of those benefits. We will let you know which benefits you are entitled to after we determine your eligibility for them.

You may also report your change of address, death of a beneficiary, a lost or stolen check and request direct deposit of you benefits into a U.S. bank account.

Note that in order to qualify for a Social Security disability or retirement benefit, you must have worked and paid Social Security taxes and earned enough Social Security credits. If you have never worked or have worked very little, you may not qualify for benefits.

How to apply for a social security card

To apply for a Social Security Number Card you may come to the U.S. Embassy 's Consular Section, window # 8 (ACS) Mondays through Thursdays from 08:30 to 12:00 and on Thursdays from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Embassy is located at Av. Arce 2780, La Paz.

You will need to submit a complete application for a social security number card (ss-5, available at the embassy), proof of age (such a certified true copy of your birth certificate or baptismal record executed by the custodian of records), proof of identity: a valid U.S. passport.

Applicants age 12 or older must apply in person.

Note: Applicants age 12 and older will also need to submit a letter stating the reasons why he/she has never obtained a Social Security Number, school records, employment records, and travel documents (e.g. a passport) to prove that he/she has never been living outside the U.S. continuously from one point in time to the present. Parents applying on behalf of a child under 12 may sign the application on the child's behalf, but in addition applications must always be signed by the applicant if he/she is capable of signing, regardless of his/her age.

Please refer to the following link for additional information on federal benefits:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/living/living_1234.html#fraud