(a)(1) Claims for benefits shall be delivered, mailed to, or
presented at, any of the various district offices of the Social
Security Administration, or any of the various offices of the
Department of Labor authorized to accept claims, or, in the case of a
claim filed by or on behalf of a claimant residing outside the United
States, mailed or presented to any office maintained by the Foreign
Service of the United States. A claim shall be considered filed on the
day it is received by the office in which it is first filed.
(2) A claim submitted to a Foreign Service Office or any other
agency or subdivision of the U.S. Government shall be forwarded to the
Office and considered filed as of the date it was received at the
Foreign Service Office or other governmental agency or unit.
(b) A claim submitted by mail shall be considered filed as of the
date of delivery unless a loss or impairment of benefit rights would
result, in which case a claim shall be considered filed as of the date
of its postmark. In the absence of a legible postmark, other evidence
may be used to establish the mailing date.
