Social Security Benefits While Living In The Philippines

[JJReyes]

I have been doing research regarding Social Security benefits.For purposes of the Social Security Administration (SSA), you are considered to be living in the United States if you are residing in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands or American Samoa. Once you have been outside of the United States for at least 30 consecutive days, you can request the SSA to send your monthly benefits to any country where you choose to live, except Cuba and North Korea. (No funny comments about North Korea during this mourning period for, "Dear Leader.")For details about Social Security payments outside of the United States, request for a copy of Social Security Administration Publication No. 05-10137, ICN 480085 by mail. The information is also available from their website: http://www.ssa.gov. If you are already in the Philippines, contact the U.S. Veterans Administration Regional Office at 1501 Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City 1302, Metro Manila. The American Embassy in Manila website has Mr. Darrin K. Morgan listed as the SSA representative at the VA. The office email is: FBU.Manila@ssa.gov. The VA disburses about $18 million per month to about 19,000 Social Security beneficiaries. The average is therefore around $950 per person. With the 2012 Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), the monthly average benefits will be closer to $1,000 per person. Kindly note that the 19,000 is the number of persons receiving their benefits in the Philippines. Others prefer to have the benefits deposited to their U.S. bank account.The rules for receiving Social Security overseas do not apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Most recipients of SSI are not entitled to benefits outside the United States. SSI benefits will stop if a recipient is outside the United States for more than 30 days. The benefits won't start up again until the recipient is back in the country for at least 30 days. By the way, your are required to report any change of residence to the SSA, even if your retirement benefits are directly deposited to a bank account.Question: Has anyone encountered problems receiving their Social Security benefits while living in the Philippines?JJR