Embassy events 2009

Mr. Andrzej Siennicki, the First Totalization Agreement Beneficiary

21 August 2009

Ambassador Ashe presents Mr. Andrzej Siennicki with a letter of recognition. (more photos)

On August 20, 2009, Ambassador Ashe presented Mr. Andrzej Siennicki with a letter recognizing him as the first recipient of benefits under the Retirement Benefits Totalization Agreement. Signed last year and activated on March 1, 2009, the agreement has been a priority for Ambassador Ashe and will have a long lasting impact on US-Polish relations. Mr. Siennicki thanked the Ambassador for his efforts in seeing the agreement through to completion. Mr. Siennicki arrived in New York City in 1978 just days before the election of Pope John Paul II and began working in a clothing store almost immediately. Prior to returning to Poland in 1983, Mr. Siennicki also worked as a sales assistant and electronics repairman. He lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. After his return, Mr. Siennicki worked as a recording studio maintenance specialist for Polish Television. He is now retired and lives with his wife in Warsaw.

Ambassador Ashe and Poland’s Minister of Labor and Social Policy Jolanta Fedak signed the U.S.-Poland Totalization Agreement in a ceremony held at the Ministry of Labor in Warsaw on April 2, 2008.  The agreement allows for the combining of ZUS/KRUS and U.S. Social Security coverage, and eliminates double ZUS/KRUS and Social Security taxation.  Also, for many Polish Social Security beneficiaries and their family members, the agreement will protect their right to Social Security benefits, even if they reside outside of the United States.  Ambassador Ashe noted his deep personal satisfaction with the agreement as it will help “real people in real life.”

The Totalization Agreement allows Poles and Americans to avoid being double-taxed by two social security systems.  Rather, they will pay into one system regardless of which two countries they work in. People will be able to count the years they’ve worked in both countries to calculate their final benefits.  If someone does not have enough years worked in either the U.S. or Poland to qualify for a full retirement, that person can now count the years worked in both countries to determine their overall retirement benefits – with resulting payments from both systems. In addition, benefits needed by the spouses and children of workers who have passed on will be paid to Poles living in Poland. There will no longer be any requirement that a person visit the United States for a certain amount of time each year, thus lifting a huge burden on many older people.