(a) General rule. If you believe that you meet the requirements in § 408.234 and that you should continue to receive SVB payments even though you have been in the United States for more than 1 full calendar month, you must give us evidence that you had good cause for staying in the United States.

(b) Circumstances prevent you from returning to your home abroad. To prove that you had good cause for staying in the United States for more than 1 full calendar month, you must give us evidence of your good faith effort to return to your home abroad before the 1-month period had elapsed and of the circumstances/event which prevented your return to your home abroad.

(1) Evidence of your good faith effort to return to your home abroad. Evidence of your plans to return to your home abroad can include, but is not limited to:

(i) A plane ticket showing that you intended to return to your home abroad before the expiration of 1 full calendar month; or

(ii) Notice from a travel agency or airline confirming the cancellation of your reservation to return to your home abroad on a date within 1 full calendar month.

(2) Evidence of the circumstances preventing your return to your home abroad. The evidence we will accept from you to support the circumstance or event that prevented you from returning to your home abroad will depend on the reason you are staying in the United States. It can include, but is not limited to, a:

(i) Newspaper article or other publication describing the event or natural disaster which prevented your return; or

(ii) Doctor's statement, etc. showing that you are unable to travel; or

(iii) Death certificate or notice if you are staying in the United States to attend the funeral of a member of your family.

(c) You are appealing a decision we made. To establish that you had good cause to stay in the United States for more than 1 full calendar month because you want to appear in person at the appeal of a decision on a claim filed under a program administered by the Social Security Administration, you must submit evidence of this. The evidence must identify the appeal proceeding and the dates you are scheduled to attend.

(d) When we may ask for more evidence. If you stay in the United States for several months, we may ask you to give us more evidence to prove that you are still unable to return to your home abroad.