CSANews 107

BirdTalk Dear Bird Talk, My husband and I had just nicely arrived in Florida to our winter home when Peter became very ill very quickly. Medipac arranged everything, from hospital care in Florida to flying us home, and also contacted our doctor here to arrange care after we got home. After being home in Ontario for seven weeks, Medipac paid all of our transportation costs back to Florida. We recommend Medipac to all of our friends. Thank you to all staff at Medipac who helped us. Peter and Marion Farr. Marion Farr Bracebridge ON Ed.: This is just a reminder of what “real” travel insurance is all about. Medipac’s Early Bird insurance packages are on the way to you now, so get them in before the deadline. I will make sure that our staff is commended for your treatment and we are happy that everything worked out for you both. Dear Bird Talk, My wife is looking at getting implants at a dentist in Los Algodones and we are wondering if anyone else has had any experience with this, or if CSA has any recommendations with regards to this. David Meace Edmonton AB Ed.: Our recommendation at this time is similar to the Canadian government’s travel warnings – we do not think that travel to Mexico is safe right now. Please access this website for the most recent government updates - https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/mexico We are aware of several snowbirds who received dental work in Mexico and, if you have a referral from someone who was treated by the same dentist, you will probably be pleased with the outcome, especially with the price. You should also be aware that the actual procedures and complications of treatment and/or anesthesia are not covered by any travel insurance policy. I would make sure that you get a guaranteed price, up front, as medical facilities in Mexico have been creating substantial difficulties for snowbirds, and for Medipac for that matter, over the past year or two. Exorbitant prices, refusing to release you from hospital, unauthorized charges on your credit cards, passport seizure and unnecessary tests, etc. are just some of our recent issues. Just to be fair, several of the dental offices in Los Algodones are very highly rated and have excellent state-of-the-art equipment. Simply search the internet for “Los Algodones dentists” and you can see for yourself. Dear Bird Talk, We own a house in Florida, where we spend three months of the year. We made a will in Canada leaving that house to our children. Now, a Canadian snowbird neighbour in Florida tells us that we should make a U.S. will for our U.S. property tomake things easier for our kids when we pass away? Is there any merit in this advice? Konrad Finckenstein Ed.: Yes! Just do it! I recommend that you have a U.S. will for any U.S. property but, even more important, you should have a U.S.-based living will. Authorities in general are not convinced by documents presented from another country, even Canada. In the event of a medical emergency, you do not want or need unnecessary delays in obtaining treatment, or declining treatment, for that matter. The cost is usually US$100-$200. Dear Bird Talk, You obviously receive a lot of inquiries regarding the maximum time Canadians can stay in the U.S. I’ve read many of them, but I am still unclear on a couple of points: If you file Form 8840 but the IRS is unresponsive, do you just have to hope that they’ve accepted your claim to a closer connection? And, if you are on a relatively moderate pension, as most snowbirds are, is there any evidence that the IRS will still take much of an interest? Kelly McParland Ontario Ed.: Hi Kelly; I thought that you should receive a direct answer. Cast in stone is the fact that you can stay in the United States for six months in any 12-month period, if the U.S. immigration official says that it is OK when crossing the border. (Don’t say 183 days – say six months.) The taxation officials are the ones who deal with your Form 8840 and mostly, they just don’t care. They search for people who overstay their six-month period because some of them are really U.S. residents.We are aware of several IRS taxation cases related to “supposed” Canadian snowbirds who were really U.S. residents. The tax bills involved were in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some Canadians pretend that they are still Canadian citizens so that they can retain their Canadian medical benefits – those are some of the people whom the IRS wants to find. As a Canadian senior on a moderate pension, and abiding by U.S. laws, I believe that you have zero risk of the IRS trying to tax you. But, if they do, make sure you keep a copy of your filed Form 8840 to fall back on and we will help you. The IRS does not send out a confirmation of receipt, but you can send it via registered mail or request an “international advice of receipt” which will prove that the form was sent and received at the Internal Revenue Service Center in Austin, Texas. 8 | www.snowbirds.org

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