Article 11.3 describes the method of computing U.S. benefit amounts when entitlement is established by totalizing (i.e., combining) U.S. and Czech coverage. As stipulated in Article 11.1, persons who qualify for U.S. benefits based solely on their U.S. coverage are not eligible for U.S. totalization benefits.
Under the procedure outlined in Article 11.3, the amount of the worker's benefit depends on both the level of his or her earnings and the duration of his or her coverage under U.S. social security. This computation procedure is described in detail in SSA regulations (20 CFR 404.1918 as revised July 24, 1984). The first step in the procedure is to compute a theoretical Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) as though the worker had spent a full coverage lifetime (i.e., full career) under U.S. social security at the same level of earnings as during his or her actual periods of U.S. covered work. The theoretical PIA is then prorated to reflect the proportion of a coverage lifetime completed under the U.S. program. A coverage lifetime is defined in the regulations as the number of the worker's benefit computation years, i.e., the years which must be used in determining a worker's average earnings under the regular U.S. national computation method.