A 70-year-old woman has gone from collecting survivors’ benefits from the United States to soliciting welfare assistance here in Barbados because American authorities have stopped the payments.
The woman, who is now living in poverty, said the benefits were stopped because she informed the United States embassy that she did not have the financial means to travel to New York City every six months, a requirement which she had to undertake in order to receive the payments.
“An official at the embassy told me that the payments would stop until I could prove to them that I have travelled to the US to present myself at the Social Security office in New York,” she said.
As a result, she is now forced to live on welfare assistance of $126 every two weeks.
Explaining the unfortunate circumstances, the woman said she and her husband lived in the United States for several years, where he worked as a plumber and she as a nursing assistant. She said her husband was a Barbadian but had attained United States citizenship.
Even though she had been living there since 1993 and allowed to work, her status was never fully regularised because her husband fell ill in 2002, after being diagnosed with cancer and he told her he did not want to die in the United States.
“He was given five months to live so we sold our home, bought a home here and came back to Barbados,” she said pointing out that her husband actually lived for five years, but was crippled and severely ill. They managed to survive on his social security benefits.
When he died in 2009, the woman said she visited the embassy and produced his death certificate. In 2011 the embassy contacted her and informed her that she could now collect survivors’ benefits following her husband’s death but she would have to present herself at the Social Security office in New York and spend six months there and upon her return present herself to the embassy’s office here with the proof that she had travelled. It was only then would the monthly payments of $361 a month begin.
The woman said she made the first trip in 2012 after gathering the $1 200 airfare.
“I had nowhere to stay so I had to ask a friend of a friend to put me up,” she explained, pointing out that it was also very challenging spending six months at the home of a stranger.
The next time that she was required to travel, she enquired from the embassy if she could spend less than the six months. She said the same official who she had been in contact with informed her that she could spend one month.
Again she made the trip and spent the time at the home of a friend.
When she presented herself at the Social Security office in New York, the woman said she asked if it was really necessary for her to make that trip every six months.
“The woman who I spoke to told me that I could present myself at the embassy in Barbados instead.”
However, when the next six months for her to travel came around last year, she said she received a call from the official at the embassy here asking why she was not in New York.
“I told her that the Social Security Administration office had told me that I did not have to come there. She asked me if I had a letter stating so, and I said I did not and I did not have any money to travel there. She told me that the benefits would stop until I presented myself in the US.”
She also received a letter from Social Security advising her that they had overpaid her by $5 266 which she would have to return and that she could no longer receive the benefits because she was not lawfully present in the US.
While the department gave her 60 days to appeal the decision, the woman said she got scared and returned the money.
Since then her life has gone downhill.
“I had to sell off all of my nice furniture and clothes which I brought in from the US in order to pay my bills and put food on the table. My stove even broke down and someone lend me one which is not working properly but I make do with it. My freezer use to be full of food but I no longer use it because I cannot afford to stock up,” she said, pointing to a freezer covered with a cloth in a corner of the kitchen.
With tears streaming down her face, the woman said she went to the National Insurance Department to see if she had qualified for pension but was given $300 and told that she did not even qualify for non-contributory pension.
She also went to an attorney but because she could not afford to pay the fees the attorney made some calls on her behalf but according to the woman this did not go down well with embassy officials.
“One day the woman at the embassy who I was dealing with all along called me and told me that I went to my Government but my Government can’t help me because I am dealing with the US government,” the woman said, pointing out that the phone call left her in tears.
This year after things started to get really hard the woman said she finally had to turn to the welfare office for help. She is now surviving on $126 every two weeks.
“It is really hard on me. My daughter helps in paying some of the bills but she does not work for much money. Some days we have to go without food,” she cried.
“I went to America and my husband and I worked hard. When my husband was alive I did not want for anything. He always made sure that he provided for us. I am very disappointed to think that in my old age that I would be living like this. People see me living in this house and think that I have it made but is very rough.”
When contacted, the Bridgetown embassy said they could not comment on issues raised by private citizens and outlined in detail the requirement for beneficiaries to present themselves to the Social Security office in the United States every six months in order to collect benefits.
I also contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here and the matter is being investigated by an official, who pointed out that officers would try to see what consular assistance they could offer.
