WAC 388-424-0008 Citizenship and alien status - Work Quarters

1. For purposes of determining Social Security work quarters, the following are considered federal means-tested benefits: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), non-emergency Medicaid, State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and federal Basic Food.

2. An immigrant can receive credit for work quarters by: 

   1. Earning enough money to qualify for work quarters;

   2. Getting credit for work quarters earned by a parent or step parent while the alien was under 18 (including quarters earned before the alien was born); and

   3. Getting credit for work quarters earned by a spouse during the marriage (including a now deceased spouse) or during a period when a couple “hold themselves out” as married.

3. An immigrant may receive credit for work quarters earned while residing in the U.S. regardless of their (or their family member’s) immigration status at the time the money was earned.

4. An immigrant cannot receive credit for a work quarter on or after January 1, 1997 if the person earning or being credited with the work quarter received a federal means-tested benefit during the quarter.

5. If the person earning the quarter applied for a federal means-tested benefit during the fortieth quarter and the person earning the quarter earned enough money to qualify for benefits before applying for benefits, the quarter is credited.

6. An immigrant can be provisionally credited with 40 work quarters for up to six months while awaiting verification of work quarters only if:

   1. SSA responded that the immigrant (and spouse and parents) has less than 40 quarters, but SSA is making an investigation to see if more quarters can be credited; or

   2. The immigrant has turned in a request to another federal agency for proof of the immigrant’s eligible alien status and the agency has accepted the request.