Questionnaire On Disability Retirement - Retirement Systems Of: Fill & Download for Free

A2AI don’t know if you can get your SSI in Canada from the U.S. and I didn’t even try to research it because it doesn’t matter. You cannot…as a senior/disabled person receiving SSI…move to Canada.Being in receipt of SSI tells me that you are unlikely to have a few hundred thousand dollars to invest in a start-up, so the Start Up Visa immigration option is not open to you.Canada’s points-based immigration system is HEAVILY weighted to favour younger, working immigrants. This is because the country has a demographic imbalance of too many older people. Canada does not need more older residents and does not allow them to immigrate as permanent residents.The only exceptions are a relatively few parent/grandparent sponsorships allowed to people who are already Canadian citizens or permanent residents; a few older refugees who might be coming with families; or the aforementioned Start Up Visa program.Otherwise, you will not get enough points to be admitted to Canada. If you want to test that for yourself, take the questionnaire on this page of the Immigration Canada website. Give yourself the top level of marks for language. (You probably haven’t taken an IELTS exam.)Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) tool: skilled immigrants (Express Entry)I’m also nearing retirement age, BTW, and when I completed the questionnaire, I found I would not qualify to immigrate to Canada.At present, in order to be invited to apply to move to Canada, you would need to score 460 to 470 or above. You would also need to pass health screening so if you have a disability or chronic illness, you could be ruled medically inadmissible.A single person of any age who immigrates to Canada must also have a minimum of $12,669 CAD to support him or herself while re-settling in Canada. Potential immigrants must demonstrate that they are able to work full-time and be self-supporting. This is unlikely to be true of someone receiving SSI.The best you could do is get a visitor visa that lets you visit in Canada for up to six months. To do that, you would also have to arrange for your own health insurance.Canada’s universal health insurance is only available for Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Why? Because those are the people who pay for it with their taxes.

You seem to misunderstand the laws re: leaving the country. Of course, you don’t mention whether you mean disability, retirement, survivor or dependent benefits, nor if mean FICA covered benefits or Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The rules are different for each.SSI recipients are generally not able to continue receiving benefits once they have been out of the US for 30 days and must return for at least 30 days before payments can resume.In most cases, if you receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits under your own work record, then you are able to receive your benefits per usual for at least six months after moving outside the U.S., unless you move to a prohibited country.Any U.S. citizen that’s otherwise eligible for Social Security Disability (SSDI) can receive benefits, even if living overseas. There are however, certain countries the Social Security Administration (SSA) cannot mail benefit checks to, and payments cannot be processed and sent to someone other than you.The SSA considers any stay outside the U.S. or its protectorates (e.g. Puerto Rico, Guam, etc.) that lasts longer than 30 days to be residence outside the U.S. rather than just a visit. Therefore, any stay lasting 30 days or more requires you report your status change to the SSA, including submitting change of address information. Some exceptions to this rule do apply, but you’ll have to visit the U.S. consulate or embassy to determine if you may be approved as an exception. It’s also important to keep in mind that among the rules to qualify for an exception is the agreement that you’ll pick up your benefit checks in person each month from the U.S. embassy or consulate.If you’re receiving benefits as a dependent or beneficiary, there are different rules that apply. You can still continue to receive benefits as long as you have not been outside the U.S. for more than six months, and provided you don’t live in one of the prohibited countries. Again, there are some exceptions to this rule.It’s also important to note that benefit payments withheld due to regulation restrictions while you’re in another country are still available to you. You may not receive them immediately, but you can obtain them once you leave the country in which restrictions applied.You will also periodically receive questionnaires from the SSA if you’re residing in another country. Failure to complete and return the questionnaires within the prescribed time frame will result in your benefit payments ceasing.If you are not a citizen of the US or its protectorates, but are a legal resident who moves out of the country for more than six months, your benefits payments may cease. Citizens and legal residents on SSDI may both be required to return to the US at some point for a disability review to determine whether or not the disabling condition persists.So, the rules depend on what type of benefits you mean. There is not just one type of benefit which is called “Social Security,” and each benefit type has slightly different rules.As for how they know, you do realize that different branches of the gov’t talk to one another, right? The US processes passport details for all air passengers through a system called APIS, and ties that to the electronic I-94 (arrival and departure record). The gov’t has access to pax manifests. How the manage this with cruise ship, car, private boat, etc, I do not know - though I imagine cruise ships have to submit pax manifests since they have to submit so much other info to the USG. While they don’t have the time or desire to track every person from the second they leave, they often do eventually put it all together. Not disclosing change in address, if accidental, may result in delay in benefits. If intentional, it could result in a fraud investigation and all the criminal charges, requirement to pay back benefits, financial penalties, etc. So, given you can still get your money, why lie about it?

You’re probably being too real.A lot of people assume that they are supposed to show their true, authentic self when interviewing. For a lot of people, their true self would be considered unprofessional in most workplaces.You have to remember that you’re playing a role for a company. It’s like acting.I’m not encouraging you to lie, but to consider your “professional self”.Imagine yourself in 5 years, succeeding at the goals you are currently trying to accomplish. How would that person answer the questions? Imagine your mentor, or the person you consider to be the “ideal professional”. How would that person answer?A lot of personality assessments are not technically legal. They ask questions like “are you prone to depression” when, in reality, major depression is considered a protected class under the Americans with Disabilities Act.If you are prone to depression, anxiety, social phobia, emotional sensitivity, or other mental health conditions (along with at least 25% of the US population), you may be unfairly screened out and disqualified.Here’s an excerpt from WSJ on the topic:Workers who apply online at RadioShack Corp. must say if they agree with the statement: "Over the course of the day, I can experience many mood changes." Lowe's Cos. asks job seekers if they "believe that others have good intentions." A test at McDonald's Corp. said: "If something very bad happens, it takes some time before I feel happy again."The use of online personality tests by employers has surged in the past decade as they try to streamline the hiring process, especially for customer-service jobs. Such tests are used to assess the personality, skills, cognitive abilities and other traits of 60% to 70% of prospective workers in the U.S., up from 30% to 40% about five years ago, estimates Josh Bersin, principal of consulting firm Bersin by Deloitte, a unit of auditor Deloitte LLP.Workplace personality testing has become a $500 million-a-year business and is growing by 10% to 15% a year, estimates Hogan Assessment Systems Inc., a Tulsa, Okla., testing company. Xerox Corp. says tests have reduced attrition in high-turnover customer-service jobs by 20 or more days in some cases. Dialog Direct, of Highland Park, Mich., says the testing software allows the call-center operator and manager to predict with 80% accuracy which employees will get the highest performance scores.But the rise of personality tests has sparked growing scrutiny of their effectiveness and fairness. Some companies have scaled back, changed or eliminated their use of such tests. Civil-rights groups long focused on overt forms of workplace discrimination claim that data-driven algorithms powering the tests could make jobs harder to get for people who don't conform to rigid formulas.PROBING QUESTIONS | FROM RECENT ONLINE TESTSJob applicants at McDonald's must say which statement out of a pair they agree with more. An example:I sometimes get confused by my own thoughts and feelings.I do not really like when I have to do something I have not done before.RadioShack asks potential employees if they strongly disagree, disagree, feel neutral about, agree or strongly agree with specific statements, such as:Over the course of the day, I can experience many mood changes.I am always happy.Sometimes there is so much stress I wonder how I am going to make it through the day.Source: the companiesJulie Brill, a Democrat on the Federal Trade Commission who has examined companies' use of data, says algorithms designed to reduce bias "ironically could have the effect of creating a new kind of discrimination." The FTC doesn't have the power to regulate workplace issues.Whole Foods Market Inc.stopped using the tests in 2007 after managers noticed that workers who cleared the personality-screening process sometimes lacked basic food-preparation skills. "For us, it just wasn't a good fit," says company spokesman Michael Silverman.Xerox quit looking at data about job applicants' commuting time even though data showed that customer-service employees who got to work faster were likely to keep their jobs at Xerox longer. Xerox managers decided the information could put applicants from minority neighborhoods at a disadvantage in the hiring process."There's some knowledge that you gain that you should stay away from when making a hiring decision," says Teri Morse, Xerox's vice president of recruitment. Overall, though, the company is "shocked all the time" by the accuracy of tests it began using in 2012, she says.Xerox has begun probing for compassion in pre-employment tests, since applicants who score high for empathy tend to excel in customer service, according to the company. The tests are provided by Evolv Inc., a closely held San Francisco firm that calls itself the "recognized leader in big data workforce optimization."Evolv's chief executive, Max Simkoff, says personality-related criteria are a small part of its overall test, which also examines a job seeker's motivation, creativity and technical aptitude.The Equal Employment Opportunity commission is investigating whether personality tests discriminate against people with disabilities. As part of the investigation, officials are trying to determine if the tests shut out people suffering from mental illnesses such as depression or bipolar disorder, even if they have the right skills for the job, according to EEOC documents.EEOC officials won't comment on the investigation. In general, though, "if a person's results are affected by the fact that they have an impairment and the results are used to exclude the person from a job, the employer needs to defend their use of the test even if the test was lawful and administered correctly," says Christopher Kuczynski,EEOC acting associate legal counsel.Employers are watching the investigation closely. A ruling against personality tests would "set a tremendous precedent," forcing companies and test makers to prove their tests aren't discriminatory, says Marc Bendick, an economist and consultant who studies workforce diversity issues.Test sellers have said their own studies show personality tests don't have an adverse impact on applicants based on race or gender. However, little work has been done on disabilities.In 2011, Rhode Island regulators said there was "probable cause" to conclude that drugstore chain CVS Health Corp. might have violated a state law barring employers from eliciting information about the mental health or physical disabilities of job applicants.The Woonsocket, R.I., company's personality test asked potential employees to say whether they agreed or disagreed with statements like "People do a lot of things that make you angry," "There's no use having close friends; they always let you down," "Many people cannot be trusted," and "You are unsure of what to say when you meet someone."CVS removed the questions in 2011 and settled a civil "charge of discrimination" filed by the Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union, which claimed the test "could have the effect of discriminating against applicants with certain mental impairments or disorders."CVS neither admitted nor denied wrongdoing. The company confirmed the settlement but declined further comment on the Rhode Island case. The retailer still uses personality tests in hiring but has changed suppliers.Job-screening personality tests are largely based on a psychological model developed in the 1930s. Until recently, job candidates often took the tests well into the hiring process, and the results were considered along with interviews and past experience.As the hiring process gets more automated and employers begin incorporating more data into hiring, the tests are used more often and earlier in the process to winnow applicants for specific jobs.The responses to an online personality test are fed into an algorithm that scores each applicant, sometimes on a scale of red, yellow and green. Scoring systems vary by testing provider, and the companies can customize their methods to fit an employer's demands. Red applicants—and sometimes yellow ones—rarely get the chance to interview for a job.Automated personality tests can "screen out the 30% of applicants who are least qualified" before an employer even looks at a résumé, according to Ken Lahti, vice president of product development and innovation at CEB, an Arlington, Va., company that provides pre-employment tests.Deniz Ones, an industrial and organizational psychologist at the University of Minnesota, says the tests have some predictive value. For example, a worker's ranking on measurements of conscientiousness can tell bosses about work ethic, she says.RadioShack uses behavioral questions as just one tool to assess job candidates, says a person close to the company. Lowe's says its personality tests help the home-improvement retailer "in developing a workforce that will provide the best shopping experience for customers." McDonald's spokeswoman Lisa McComb says personality questions are used to elicit "accurate and candid responses," not to assess a job candidate's qualifications.Academic studies have concluded that individual personality traits have at most a small connection with performance. "It's intuitively appealing to managers that personality matters," says Fred Morgeson, a management professor and organizational psychologist at Michigan State University, but the link is "much lower than the field has led us to believe."Personality-testing firms and companies that hire them disclose little information about the tests, saying their formulas are proprietary. For example, Kronos Inc. has opposed the EEOC's efforts in a civil lawsuit to force the test provider to hand over internal validity studies and other documents related to its assessments.Since 2007, the EEOC has been investigating allegations by a West Virginia woman that supermarket chain Kroger Co.'s personality test discriminated against people with disabilities.The Cincinnati company declined to comment, but applicants for hourly positions at Kroger stores must complete an extensive online application that includes a personality test.As part of about 80 personality-related questions in a 2012 version of the Kroger test, job candidates were asked to "strongly disagree," "disagree," "agree" or "strongly agree" with statements like "You are always cheerful" and "You have no big worries."In 2012 and 2013, Kroger and six other companies were accused by retired Nokia Corp. lawyer Roland Behm of discrimination against the mentally ill through their use of personality tests. Mr. Behm filed complaints with the EEOC on behalf of his son, Kyle.Kyle Behm says he applied online in 2012 for hourly jobs at Finish Line Inc., Home Depot Inc., Kroger, Lowe's, PetSmart Inc., WalgreenCo. and Yum Brands Inc. He held similar positions in the past and had a personal connection at his local Kroger store. But he says he was turned down everywhere.The engineering student at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about 18 months before the job rejections. He says a Kroger employee told him he scored "red" on the test, which indicated he might ignore customers if he felt upset or angry. He didn't tell Kroger about his diagnosis and wasn't required to under the law.Mr. Behm's father says he contacted all seven companies about his concerns. Most denied culpability but suggested they could find a suitable job for Kyle if he agreed not to pursue legal action. The father and son decided to file discrimination charges with the EEOC instead, hoping to force changes to the companies' hiring processes.The complaints against Kroger and PetSmart were folded into the EEOC's continuing investigation of personality tests, according to letters sent to Mr. Behm by the EEOC. The agency is reviewing Mr. Behm's complaints against the five other companies.The tests used by Kroger and PetSmart were created by assessment vendor Unicru Inc. and administered by Kronos. Kronos bought Unicru in 2006. Kronos Vice President Charles DeWitt wouldn't comment on the Behm case but says testing is "only a small part of our business."A PetSmart spokesperson says the Phoenix company is "committed to fair recruitment and employment practices," declining to comment on Mr. Behm. Finish Line says the athletic-gear retailer is aware of challenges to pre-employment assessments but is "confident" and stands by "Finish Line's employment policies and practices."Jim Pemberton, Walgreen's chief diversity officer, wouldn't comment on Mr. Behm's accusations but says the Deerfield, Ill., drugstore chain has special recruitment programs for people with disabilities."In our experience, we feel we can expect people with disabilities to perform the same job at the same level, with the same pay and the same standards of excellence as people without them," Mr. Pemberton says. "We have no intention to dismiss a population that we're trying to attract."Home Depot declined to comment. A Lowe's spokeswoman says it is "inappropriate for us to comment about Mr. Behm's claims," adding that the company's "hiring assessment complies" with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Yum couldn't be reached for comment.Kroger has dropped from its hiring test many of the questions Mr. Behm and his father found most troubling. A recent version posted online, also administered by Kronos, was 11 pages long, down from 17 pages in 2012, and includes just 12 personality-related statements. Instead, much of the recent test asks applicants to respond to hypothetical work scenarios and choose one of two endings to 19 statements that begin "When at work I…"For example, "…Am liked by nearly everyone" or "…Believe there are some people that don't like me." Kroger declined to comment on the changes or the EEOC investigation.Mr. Behm, who is 24 years old and is in his senior year at Mercer, says he could have lied on tests to give answers that might have seemed more agreeable. "I didn't think it was necessary, and I didn't think it was really ethical," he says.His disorder was never an issue in his previous jobs, he says. "They would've known that if they contacted any of my references."