SSI Benefits for a U.S. Citizen With Less Than 40 Credits

[taat]

Hi there,

I am a US citizen, live in NJ, age 68, less than 40 credits. Since I am a retired, I get $400 a month from SSI.

Question: (1) Am I eligible to continue getting this money from SSI if I go out of country (India) for few months and then come back withing the year? If yes or no, will this effect when I finish my 40 credits and starts getting full SSI benefits?

We have checked information on SSI site but they haven't said anything about US citizen with less than 40 credits law for India.

I tried calling to SSI but it's really hard to find some one on the phone.

Please let me know if you have any question in order to provide correct information.

Your appropriate input will help me to get out this confusion.

Thanks.

[JH900]

according to a few Internet searches, if you have SSI you cannot leave the U.S. for more than 30 days at a time.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...7160510AAsgwx6
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/intern...outsideUS.html
http://ssa.gov/ssi/text-eligibility-ussi.htm
Scroll to the very bottom of that link.

[aaron]

The principal issue is the length of your trip:

Except for certain students temporarily abroad for study purposes or a child of military parents stationed overseas, an individual is not eligible for SSI benefits for any month during all of which he or she has been outside the U.S. Once an individual has been outside the U.S. for 30 consecutive days or longer, he or she must be back in the U.S. for 30 consecutive days to be eligible for SSI benefits.

For a trip of a few months it's a suspension of benefits, not a termination of benefits.

[Janke]

Neither your citizenship status or your lack of 40 credits matter. If you leave the US and are gone for either a full calendar month or 30 days, you are ineligible for SSI while you are gone and cannot be reinstated until after you are back for 30 days. If benefits are suspended for more than 12 months, you have to file a new claim; less than 12 months, reinstatement. Hope you have family members to support you while you are gone and when you come back.