American on Soc. Sec. dissability living in Thailand.

[westbounder]

Please answer only if you have first hand experience with this issue.

Hi,

I'm a 54 year old American male getting Social Security dissability and living in Thailand.

I just got a form in the mail sent to my home here in Thailand from the S.Security administration located in Pennsylvania.

I have attached the form to this topic via PDF File for you to view.

I think the letter has nothing to do with my benefits or getting a medical exam, but you can tell me what you think.

I think they only want updated information on my living status.

Question number 4 is the only question I need to answer YES to as I got married for the first time in my life about a year ago here in Thailand. I had not yet reported it to Soc. Sec. as this is the first time I was asked this question. Do you think I need to tell them I got married here in Thailand? It has never been reported to the US Consulate or Embassy here. My marriage has only been recorded to the Thai Govt. offices.

I hope getting married has no affect on my dissability.

What is your opinion on what I need to do?

I hope just simply filling out the form and telling the truth that I got married about 1 year ago is all I need to do and everything will be fine.

Thank You

Joe

Edited June 22, 2013 by metisdead
There is no need to post using bold font, bold font removed.

[ProThaiExpat]

This is the same form that I get every year for the past 12 years and I am not disabled, just receiving SSA benefits.

My take on the form, which threatens to cut off benefits if not returned, is their way of confirming you are still alive and that the benefits are going to a living person.

I don't believe getting married affects your benefits, but does notify SSA that you have a wife and when you die, they may receive a claim for survivors benefits.

If you do not send the form in, you will get another one to insure it didn't go astray and then I think they will cut off benefits if that one isn't received by them.

[scorecard]

This is the same form that I get every year for the past 12 years and I am not disabled, just receiving SSA benefits.

My take on the form, which threatens to cut off benefits if not returned, is their way of confirming you are still alive and that the benefits are going to a living person.

I don't believe getting married affects your benefits, but does notify SSA that you have a wife and when you die, they may receive a claim for survivors benefits.

If you do not send the form in, you will get another one to insure it didn't go astray and then I think they will cut off benefits if that one isn't received by them.

Too much 'I think', rather than quoting specifically from the relevant regulations.

[sfokevin]

Too much 'I think', rather than quoting specifically from the relevant regulations.

This is Thaivisa not the SS legal forum...

[CPT]

Do you think I need to tell them I got married here in Thailand? It has never been reported to the US Consulate or Embassy here. My marriage has only been recorded to the Thai Govt. offices.

Didn't you go to the US Embassy / Consulate to confirm your eligibility to marry (as in you were not legally married elsewhere at the time of marrying in Thailand)? If so, if they really wanted to know they could find out regardless.

I hope just simply filling out the form and telling the truth that I got married about 1 year ago is all I need to do and everything will be fine.

Joe, I can't answer your question as to the impact on your benefits due to marriage abroad but I doubt any impact would be negative. Having said that there are good reasons to not be less than truthful on a federal form regardless of the impact on your benefits.

[Tywais]

There is a topic in the Chiang Mai forum discussing the SS Proof of Life form. Not sure if it is a related question or not.

[spiritrace]

Looks simple to me. Just fill in the blanks

truthfully and send it back. I believe the

marriage info is for survivor benefits.

[puyaidon]

ProThaiExpat is spot on. I get the form every year and just fill it out and send it back. I am not remarried but the form is only to make sure you are alive. If you die here in Thailand, the embassy will be notifying everyone that you are deceased so fill in the form and get your benefits.

[wayned]

Got mine last week as I do every year. Fill it out truthfully and return it. Marriage won't affect your disability benefits. Everybody on Social Security gets one each year. It comes from Wilkes Barre, Pa. Here's the official reason for the form:

RS 02655.010 Follow-ups and Suspensions — Foreign Enforcement Program (FEP) A. Pre-Suspension Process for Foreign Enforcement Questionnaires (FEQs)

The instructions for the initial Foreign Enforcement mailing in May/June of each year request that the form be returned in 60 days. The Wilkes Barre Data Operations Center (WBDOC) creates a Responder File of the beneficiaries who return their forms within this time frame. Before the followup process is initiated, a Nonresponder File is created by Center for Information Technology (CIT)-Baltimore for beneficiaries who fail to return their forms within this time frame. This Nonresponder File is run against the Master Beneficiary Record (MBR) to eliminate files in T (terminated) status and to check for change of address, representative payee and any other change.

[wayned]

To continue:

B. The Follow-up Process

A second notice is usually mailed in September to those beneficiaries identified in the Nonresponder File who did not return their FEQs in the initial 60 days.

C. Second Notice Procedure (SSA-7162 and SSA-7161)

• Send another questionnaire with second notice language (see exhibits below);

• Request a reply in 45 days;

• Process in the same manner as the initial responses;

• Create a Responder File for the beneficiaries who respond the second time (WBDOC);

• Create a Nonresponder File for the beneficiaries who do not respond the second time (CIT-Baltimore).

The Center for Security and Integrity, International (CSI-INT) will inform the FBUs of the number of beneficiaries in the second mailing in their service area and the date of the mailing.

D. SSA-7162 and SSA-7161 Second Notice Exhibits 1. Second Notice, Form SSA-7162-OCR-SM Not Returned After 60 Days

[dighambara]

This is the same form that I get every year for the past 12 years and I am not disabled, just receiving SSA benefits.

My take on the form, which threatens to cut off benefits if not returned, is their way of confirming you are still alive and that the benefits are going to a living person.

I don't believe getting married affects your benefits, but does notify SSA that you have a wife and when you die, they may receive a claim for survivors benefits.

If you do not send the form in, you will get another one to insure it didn't go astray and then I think they will cut off benefits if that one isn't received by them.

I received 3 copies of the same form yesterday for myself and my daughters. It is just SSA ensuring I am alive and my daughters are receiving the benefit of their payments.

[craigt3365]

I'd recommend you let them know you are married. I'm pretty sure when you pass, your wife will get survivor's benefits. It's not a huge amount, but it's something.

[Langsuan Man]

I'd recommend you let them know you are married. I'm pretty sure when you pass, your wife will get survivor's benefits. It's not a huge amount, but it's something.

Wife will not get survivors benefits unless she lived with you in the US for five years prior to your death

[MrRealDeal]

Disability is about weather or not you can work ..... being married is not relevant to that, except that it has a tendency to show that a mentally ill persons health might have improved. At 55 years old the odds of being taken off disability are close to Zero , even in cases where peoples health has improved and they could work the system they use to determine if they should be taken off takes into account their age and education , a 55 year old person who has not worked for a number of years (ten or more) with low education is considered disabled for that reason alone , they use a point system, and age and education and length of time not working will eventually make you disabled all by itself under the scoring system. You go from not being able to work, to not being able to get a job even if you could work under their scoring system, so the disability status continues until 62 when you get switched to regular retired status.

[craigt3365]

I'd recommend you let them know you are married. I'm pretty sure when you pass, your wife will get survivor's benefits. It's not a huge amount, but it's something.

Wife will not get survivors benefits unless she lived with you in the US for five years prior to your death

Unless She's a US citizen. I found this thread:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/346073-us-social-security-survivors-benefits/

[ProThaiExpat]

My reading of the SSA regs led me to believe that an Alian Spouse resident in the US for three years is eligible to become a citizen, and clearly a citizen wife is entitled to survivors benefits without a waiting period. Thus the five year residence requirement is shortened to three years and makes getting citizenship well worth the effort if one wants to return to Thailand as soon as possible.

I trust those who have an interest in this permutation of the regs will post if they disagree with my belief so I can check it out again if I was misled.

I have also explored what residence in the US means and I have seen some information to indicate that as long as one goes overseas for no more than six months at a time, residency for eligibility for SSA survivor benefits is considered continuous.

I have no knowledge of whether a Thai marriage is valid for SSA purposes, there must be some who read this that have some personal experience in this regard. I would think if in doubt, re-marry in the US while there. I suspect that if one is grandted a green card for your spouse to travel to the US to live and the marriage certificate qualifying for the green card was from Thailand, this is a non-issue.

[MrRealDeal]

Your first sentence is False but I am a little tired to go through the rest right now ...... A citizen wife is not entitled to payments without a waiting period, it depends on the situation. A person who marries someone expected to die within 9 months is not eligible under most situations for what I guess are for obvious reasons of people doing it just for the payments. (which is unrelated to the non citizen issue.)

[ProThaiExpat]

Your first sentence is False but I am a little tired to go through the rest right now ...... A citizen wife is not entitled to payments without a waiting period, it depends on the situation. A person who marries someone expected to die within 9 months is not eligible under most situations for what I guess are for obvious reasons of people doing it just for the payments. (which is unrelated to the non citizen issue.)

Being tired may explain your missing the point. I am talking about residency requirements for an Alien Spouse, Normally five year residency to be eligible for survivor benefits.however, if after a three year residency and the alien spouse becomes a citizen, there is no further residence requirement. As the below quite indicates, the time to process the naturalization application adds his spouse only waited a few months to get her citizenship. Others may have to wait almost a year so add thatto the residency requirement in this scenario, so in effect you probably only save a year or a bit more off the five rear residency requirement if you spouse becomes a citizen as soon as possible after receiving the green card and US residency immediately after that.

"

Residency requirement for US Social Security benefits

by UdonExpat » June 19, 2007, 11:05 am

Someone recently told me my wife would need to have resided in the US for at least 5 years to get survivor benefits when she is 60, and I have passed on (we have no children). This is true if she is not a US Citizen, but since she is there is no residency requirement.

Under current naturalization requirements a spouse can become a citizen after only 3 years as a Resident Alien (green card) in the US. My wife became a US Citizen after 3 years and 2 1/2 months in the states.

Admittedly it was a sacrifice to return to the US for a bit over 3 years, but it will provide for her in her old age, and as a dual citizen it is now much easier for us to travel outside of Thailand as she now has a US passport"