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My husband, myself and our adult disabled daughter are moving to Costa Rica in a month!! I just found out she will no longer be eligible for the SSI benefits she has received in the States for the last 10 yrs…she still has the same needs: meds, dr visits, programs, etc; one of the reasons we are moving is to give her a better quality of life and to immerse her in a culture and language far beyond anything she would discover in the US; are there benefits available in CR for such a person? it amazes me that a non-US citizen can get benefits in the US, but an American Citizan, along with her US tax paying parents, can not rec’e the benefits that have afforded her better medical care and “quality of life” in the US; any thoughts, ideas?
Sorry but I’m not sure if your question is clear Diane …
Are you asking if the Costa Rican system – ie the Costa Rican people – would be willing to pay so that your daughter can continue getting the medical care that your own country refuses to pay?
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comwhy hasn’t she filed for social security disability? that is the only way she would continue to get benefits in costa rica. SSI is state run, SSD comes under the federal program. and no, as far as i know, there is no program for which you would qualify in costa rica. you still have time to file for disability in the US, and if you really need those benefits, then i would do that immediately. of course, there is no guarantee they will grant it, but it’s worth a try.
Diane, are you asking if Costa Rica will support your daughter financially in the same general way that she’s been supported by Supplemental Security Income in the U.S.? If that’s the question, I don’t think you’re going to find such a support system.
There seems to be a change underway with regard to eligibility for enrollment in the CAJA, the Costa Rican public medical care system. Traditionally, enrollment has only been open to citizens and legal residents. Now, I’ve heard stories of non-residents also enrolling. The CAJA appears to provide pretty fine care in emergency situations but many find it lacking for ongoing health maintenance.
Social Security Disability Insurance and SSI are both federal government programs. I was there when the old state-run programs for the disabled and blind were taken over by the federal government and became SSI. In essence, SSI is for disabled people who do not qualify for SSDI because they do not have a qualifying work history. I suspect that explains why Diane’s daughter isn’t on Social Security Disability — she has no qualifying work history. The question in my mind is whether she might qualify under her parents’ Social Security account. It may be the case that the parents must be collecting under their Social Security account for the dependent disabled adult child to qualify.
An important distinction between Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income is that for SSDI one must have a qualifying work history and meet the Social Security Administration’s criteria for disability. For SSI, you must meet the same disability criteria but you must also be poor according to the program’s definition.
In my experience (hardly current), parents were not legally or financially responsible for their adult children, so even a person who has never left his or her parents’ home but who has reached the age of majority, and who is disabled as defined by the program, may be deemed “poor” if they meet the income and asset criteria.
Diane, there’s no time to waste. Contact your local Social Security Administration office to see if your daughter might qualify under your own account as a disabled child. If you don’t get a good response, contact your local U.S. congressperson’s office. They have staffers who deal with just this sort of issue.
Edited on Oct 30, 2009 14:16
Diane, I second David’s suggestion about contacting either SSA or your congressperson’s office. I recently used my congressman’s office to ask questions both about the Social Security Administration or the VA about their how the might handle some of my questions I need to ask. You will find that generally speaking that most congressperson’s have experts on their staff who deal Social Security. So if you want to run the your situation by that person first, I think it might help give you some confidence before you to Social Security. In the past year, I have had to deal with Social Security for both Medicare sign up and Social Security benefits to start and my caseworker was a generous person. You should have a good experience if you call their 1-800 number since it will ring into your local SSA office.
Good luck!
Thanks,
Tom in Portland, Oregonthanks to everyone for the good information! I will try the congressperson in our district–I contacted our local Social Security office, and the gentlemen tried to be helpful but was unable to answer all of my questions–in fact, he was more interested in asking ME questions about Costa Rica, and retiring there!!!
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