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EVILDR235
I will try to make this as quick as possible. My wife is trying to get her Social Security. She was born 68 years ago in the Philippines to American parents both born in California. We just got her birth certificate from the Philippines, but only her mother is listed on it. While still living in the Philippines she was adopted by another American couple. The birth mother gave up her child to her soon to be new parents, but they had to sue the birth father in court to adopt her. The court appointed the soon to be new parents Guardian Ad Litem. When my wife and her new mother boarded a ship in Manila to come to America, she was on her new mothers passport with her new name which she uses now. There is a picture on the Ancestry website of the passenger list with her name and her new mothers name. She has never
seen any adoption papers. We have the court papers listing both birth parents and both new parents. Both fathers were in the Navy and were based at the Subic Bay Navel Station. Her birth father is dead. Both of her new parents have been gone for over 26 years. We assume her birth mother is gone also. The birth certificate is not a very good copy and we have not yet went to Social Security with it yet. The very rude people at S.S told us we don't care what name you are using now, we want to see the birth certificate with your birth name. We have been to the S.S. office many times and they are not helpful. We have also been to the Immigration and Naturalization office and they had no record of her coming to this country. I know we are probably going to have to hire a lawyer. Which lawyer ? Social Secutity lawyer or Immigration lawyer ? She has been fighting the S.S. people for about 1-1/2 years. Will she get any back money owed to her ? Now the real bad part. 3 weeks ago she fell off a curb and broke her shoulder. We went to the local E.R. where they x-rayed her, gave her pain meds and put her in a sling and sent her home. She retired recently and no longer has any medical coverage and we are quickly running out of money. We have been to several hospitals and as they here she has no medical coverage, they say bye, bye, can't help you. I am also retired and on Social Security.

EvilDr235
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Comments

13 comments

Date Votes
  • Ricci Wright
    I was under the impression an Emergency Room could not refuse treatment.
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  • JIM STARK
    If your wife is of an age that she would qualify for SS, and you are drawing it, She should automatically be eligible to draw..Probably 1/2 of the amount you draw.. My wife didn't work the required 40 quarters, and she draws 1/2 of what I do...
    Hope this helps...
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  • Brookwood
    At her age of 68 she should also be entitled to Medicare which would cover 80% of her medical expenses along with future medical needs.

    A good Social Security employee should hear her complete story and get her started without having to pay for legal help. If you are not getting the needed support from your local office, I would travel to a smaller town close by and talk to them.

    I hope you both make out well.
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  • p3skyking
    Contact your Senator asap.
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  • 11b6r
    What Brookwood said up there ^^^. In addition, contact your Congresscritter.
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  • EVILDR235
    We asked Social Security about my wife drawing 1/2 of my S.S. They said she has to prove she is a U.S. citizen before she can get any S.S. of any type or Medicare. My wife got her Social Security card in 1966 and has work most of that time. Her last job was at a airport for 34 years and she had to pass a security check by Homeland Security, which she did. She did go to the E.R. in Tacoma Washington where she got hurt, but when we went to several E.R. hospitals here in Vancouver Washington where we live, we were turned away.

    EvilDr235
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  • Smitty500mag
    Hate to hear you're having a hard time. It's a shame they do American citizens like that.

    Next time she goes to the ER tell her to say No Hablo Ingles when they ask her a question and they'll give her a private suite at no charge along with a disability check, food stamps and free housing. She could probably go to college for free too.
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  • Oakie
    quote:Originally posted by p3skyking
    Contact your Senator asap.

    Yup.
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  • kimi
    quote:Originally posted by p3skyking
    Contact your Senator asap.


    Best bet!

    Added: Take the birth certificate to the SS people...better copies can generally be had should they not accept the copy that you have.
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  • susie
    Contact the US Consulate.
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  • bpost
    All the above and call an immigration lawyer on the E or W coasts, they deal with this all the time.
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  • Junkballer
    quote:Originally posted by EVILDR235
    She did go to the E.R. in Tacoma Washington where she got hurt, but when we went to several E.R. hospitals here in Vancouver Washington where we live, we were turned away.

    EvilDr235


    For many years the congressional "Hill-Burton" act has been in affect.....any hospital receiving government funds cannot/shall not turn anyone away due to lack of ability to pay. In your cases you may have went to privately owned "for profit" hospitals in Vancouver. If you went to the Vancouver ER's for follow-up treatment then that is the wrong place to go for such and help would be denied, emergency rooms are for emergencies.
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  • JasonV
    quote:Originally posted by Junkballer
    quote:Originally posted by EVILDR235
    She did go to the E.R. in Tacoma Washington where she got hurt, but when we went to several E.R. hospitals here in Vancouver Washington where we live, we were turned away.

    EvilDr235


    For many years the congressional "Hill-Burton" act has been in affect.....any hospital receiving government funds cannot/shall not turn anyone away due to lack of ability to pay. In your cases you may have went to privately owned "for profit" hospitals in Vancouver. If you went to the Vancouver ER's for follow-up treatment then that is the wrong place to go for such and help would be denied, emergency rooms are for emergencies.


    It is called EMTALA http://www.emtala.com/faq.htm
    If an ER is trying to run you away here is what you do.

    1.Ask for the contact information for the hospitals Business Compliance Officer. It is probably posted in their ER break room or someplace near the hospital enterance. You will want to make a report to the Compliance Officer.

    2. Ask for the information for the hospital Quality Department and make a complaint to them as well.

    3. Also inform them you are contacting The Joint Commission and filing a compliant. This is the accrediting agency for most hospitals. If your hospital isn't accredited you probably should not be going to it. Here is the link to file a complaint. https://www.jointcommission.org/about/contactus.aspx

    4. The above items will just make life hard for the hospital. The correct way to file an metal complaint is with CMS, the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services. One there website you find the local office and make the complaint. These people have the power to put the financial hurt on the hospital. This link should get you started. https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/RegionalOffices/index.html
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