Social Security Disability

[Larry B]

 

                               Hello Future Friends ,
                                                             My name is Larry B i am a newby here this is my 2nd post, and i'm feeling my way around as i go .
                              I'm not very computer literate . Last year I became permanently disable . My x Wife is from the Philippines , and i have been
                              3 times . So it just dawned on me , why not retire there ?? ok My first Question is , IF i am collecting SSD will the US SS Service
                              ever require me to check in with them back in the States

                                                                                                               Thank You
                                                                                                                 Larry B

[Steve & Myrlita]

 

                               Hello Future Friends ,
                                                             My name is Larry B i am a newby here this is my 2nd post, and i'm feeling my way around as i go .
                              I'm not very computer literate . Last year I became permanently disable . My x Wife is from the Philippines , and i have been
                              3 times . So it just dawned on me , why not retire there ?? ok My first Question is , IF i am collecting SSD will the US SS Service
                              ever require me to check in with them back in the States

                                                                                                               Thank You
                                                                                                                 Larry B

Hi Larry, welcome aboard.
You're SSDI is good here. Yes you will be required to fill out a form SSA-7162 which will be mailed to you annually. You will need to fill it out and Express mail it back to Wilkes-Barre, PA. I recommend you don't procrastinate too long. After 60 days, they mail out a replacement. You miss that one and you get cut off until it's done. The office is in the US Embassy in Ermita, Manila. +63-2-301-2000. (The SSA-7162 must be sent to PA.)

Remember, Medicare is not valid here and if you also receive SSI along with the SSDI, the SSI part will be cut off 30 calender days of your departure. It's only available in the physical US only.

Again welcome and enjoy.

[JoeLP]

You will receive a form to fill out.  I would suggest that you keep a copy of it and just send one in January each year.  The first year I got one I realized it might be tight getting there in time and called the national number in the USA via magicjack and they gave me a 60 day extension.
On your medicare, you might as well check in and shut it down before you come.  It'll give you an extra $100(actually, a little more now) per month and you will still have emergency coverage.  So if you did need to take an emergency trip to Guam or somewhere in the USA most of the costs of an emergency visit to a hospital are still covered.  Just your prescriptions(even some of them are covered) and some care will not be covered.  Up to you how you want to decide to go on that.
It's up to you how you want your pay to come to you.  I have kept my US bank open and just use xoom.com to transfer it here.  You can change your direct transfer to a bank in the Philippines also if you want.  That could be a problem not so much with the payment system as much as it could be a problem using the bank here.  The bank system here has some differences when compared to the US bank system.  They'll probably force you to open a US dollar account to have the check direct deposited into.  Then you might want a PHP account to transfer that money into after it is converted.  Up to you how you want to do all that also.
And the form changes if you have any kids.  So if you hook up with a young little thing and have a baby come along, they will add him/her to your account and all, but the new form is more a check on the child and they want your signature.  Sorta a "hit 2 birds with one stone" action.

[Lee2]

Just a suggestion, if you will still be able to have a U.S. mailing address, friend or family, then you can open a Charles Schwab checking account or a Fidelity checking account to have your SS deposited into and they both reimburse ATM fees, thus you can keep your money in the U.S., write a U.S. check to deposit in your Philippine dollar bank accounts, which you will likely have to open, then wait the 21 business days for it to clear or just use the ATM and credit cards to live off of, we used our Fidelity Visa card or Cap One CC for supermarkets, large restaurants and department stores and pay cash for the rest by withdrawing cash with my Fidelity Visa ATM card, yet my wife and I also have local bank peso and dollar bank accounts in the Philippines, that we can also use.

[Gray Wolf]

You might try setting up your mailing address with your daughter. That way you can maintain a US presence. It can come in handy for bank accounts, Soc Sec, etc.

Good luck and welcome to the group!