Message to the Congress Transmitting the Switzerland-United States Social Security Agreement

To the Congress of the United States:

Pursuant to Section 233(e)(1) of the Social Security Act, as amended by the Social Security Amendments of 1977 (P.L. 95 - 216, 42 U.S.C. 433(e)(1)), I transmit herewith the Supplementary Agreement Amending the Agreement between the United States of America and the Swiss Confederation on Social Security ("Supplementary Agreement"), which consists of two separate instruments -- a principal agreement and an administrative agreement. The Supplementary Agreement was signed at Bern on June 1, 1988.

The U.S.-Switzerland agreement is similar in objective to the social security agreements in force in Belgium, Canada, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Such bilateral agreements provide for limited coordination between the United States and foreign social security systems to overcome the problems of gaps in protection and of dual coverage and taxation for workers who move from one country to the other. The present Supplementary Agreement would amend the original agreement with Switzerland to update and simplify several of its provisions in view of changes in U.S. and Swiss law and to simplify the method of computing U.S. benefit amounts.

I also transmit for the information of the Congress a comprehensive report prepared by the Department of Health and Human Services, which explains the provisions of the Supplementary Agreement and the effect on social security financing as required by the same provision of the Social Security Act. I note that the Department of State and the Department of Health and Human Services have recommended the Supplementary Agreement and related documents to me.

I commend the U.S.-Switzerland Supplementary Social Security Agreement and related documents.

George Bush

The White House,

February 21, 1989.