embassy events 2009

Ambassador Hosts Ceremony To Celebrate March 1 Start of Retirement Benefits Totalization Agreement

4 March 2009 

"This is a great day for Poland and the United States" - U.S. Ambassador to Poland, Victor Ashe, during his speech

U.S. Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe and Consul General Phillip Min held a media event March 3 with the participation of Polish Ministry of Labor Representative Elzbieta Rozek, Director of the Department of Coordination of Social Security Schemes, and six Polish retirees who will benefit from the agreement signed last year which entered into effect Sunday, March 1, 2009. Ambassador Ashe commented that “This is a great day for Poland and the United States and marks another high point in the strong and ever-growing U.S.-Polish bilateral diplomatic relationship, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year. From now on, countless hard-working Poles will receive the benefits due them from their years of work in the United States and in Poland. As many as 45,000 Poles could benefit over the next seven years or so.”  

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. 

Beneficiaries of the agreement who attended the event and gave interviews to the media were Andrzej Siennicki and Stanisław Zysik, who had both worked in the United States and can now count their time worked in the U.S. toward their retirement benefits; and Marianna Pianka, Marianna Tomaszewska, and Stanislawa Długosz, all of whom are widows who will be able to receive survivors benefits from Social Security. Steve Wettle, the Regional Social Security Representative in Frankfurt, Germany, attended for the Social Security Administration. Also present for the Labor Ministry was Barbara Gross, Head of Unit, Department of Coordination of Social Security Schemes.