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Will Receiving A Belgian Pension Cause My U.S. Divorced Spousal Benefits To Be Reduced?
I have Divorced Spousal Social Security from the U.S. I may qualify for a minimal pension in Belgium of about $100.00 monthly. I do not know if I would be paid from the beginning date April 2020 should I qualify.
How would my Divorced Spousal Social Security be affected?
Could I start the application in Belgium or is it mandatory I start on the US side? Thank you so much, Anne
Hi Anne. No. Receiving a pension from a foreign country does not cause a person's U.S. Social Security auxiliary (e.g. spousal, divorced spousal) or survivor benefit rate to be reduced. Foreign pensions can only cause a person's U.S. Social Security benefit rate to be reduced if the type of U.S. Social Security benefit they receive is either retirement or disability benefits that are based on the person's own Social Security covered earnings history.
You can apply for your Belgian pension directly with them, or if you're living in the U.S. you can apply by contacting your nearest U.S. Social Security office. For more information on filing for benefits, refer to the following Social Security publication: https://www.ssa.gov/international/Agreement_Pamphlets/belgium.html.
Best, Jerry