Appling for SSD while living abroad...
 

Hi I´m new to the forum and have a few question about SSD...
I´m a US Citezen, but have been living abroad for the past 15 years and I want to aplly to SSD becuase I´m schizofrenic... I was wondering has anybody done this before? Could I do the aplication from here in Peru or would I have to go to the states? Would me living abroad for long somehow hinder the review of my aplication?

Welcome Jackie Coogan. :Wave-Hello:

What is your date of onset of disability and what is the last date you worked and what is your current age?

You probably have a remote date last insured, which means you ran out of Social Security credits 10 years ago and may have a hard time proving that you were disabled when you still had enough credits.

And you won't qualify for SSI at all because you don't live in the US.

So yes, you may have a hard time even getting past the first hurdle.

1. I was diagnosed the summer of 2012, but I´ve episodes before that and schizofrenia is something you live with your whole life...

2. Last steady job I had was like 2 years ago...

3. 29

So SSA will only consider you if you have enough credits? No exception?

That job you mentioned had to be one that you paid into Social Security here in the US. SSDI is like an insurance plan, if you don't continue contributing, than you lose eligibility--as Janke said usually it's 5 years (at the latest) after you stop working.

SSI is essentially a welfare program. If you live in another country than you do not qualify, no exceptions. If you move back to the US and decide to continue living here, than you'd qualify for SSI.

At age 29, if you've been living outside of the US for 15 years, I would assume you have never paid into Social Security? If there is enough medical evidence that you were dealing with such severe psychiatric issues before age 22 that kept you from working, and you had a parent that was eligible for SS benefits, there might be a possibility of qualifying as an "adult child", but if you held a steady job 2 years ago that alone would likely disqualify you.

Was your employment in the USA , or from a US based company, or US gov?

non of the above...

I don´t think I qaulify either... neither of my parents are eligible for SS benifits...