disabled father in law /mortgage question

[tone]

hello fellow FG's

been out of the country for 7 yrs but may be back again soon

have a situation that could use some perspective (for sanity and also because I am the man having to financially handle anywhere they are left hanging)

my wifes dad was a tradesman, and just came down with lou gehrigs, which in a year has rendered him unable to even walk.

my wifes parents live in a 2 or 3(small) LDK older mansion they are still making payments on. they have what sounds like 6 yrs left on it.

we heard some kind of good news that they had paid into an insurance plan that if he became disabled, there was something about waiving the remainder of the mortgage. have any of you ever heard about this type of insurance?

the last Dr. visit, or consult with the mortgage/insurance people wasnt enough to get the mortgage waived, but that was 6 months ago and he was still walking. now he should hopefully qualify. if he doesn't qualify this time, I was thinking maybe it might be time to consult a lawyer

in Tokyo these days, what are the economics of this. would maybe a scary letter be enough? I mean, these insurance groups are loathe to actually pay out, so maybe a little pressure might help.

also - what do you guys know about disability in japan. I heard it might be something over 10man a month. does anyone know the range for that?

it's just brutal because they arent super flush, in fact very unflush with cash. My wife and I dont want them to lose their place, because its where the mom will live after the dad passes at some point. its also in need of major reform before any kind of good value can be had in a sale. Am i right in thnking that if reform is needed on the apartment, they will get super lowballed and ripped off if they try to sell it.

we are thinking about moving back. wifes a nurse, and I do computer stuff that hopefully can translate. thats a whole other issue. things are screwy in both places, and of course i fear japanese business culture, but lets not go there yet - if we dont have to bail out the rest of their mortgage, we could afford to move back and have a bad year, otherwise we are inheriting a spendy mortgage (we would prob try to get some cash together and buy out the mortgage. sounds like the interest on it would make us save like $10k paying all now)

sucky sittuation

if anyone can shed some light, that would be awesome. best regards

[Taro Toporific]

... they had paid into an insurance plan that if he became disabled, there was something about waiving the remainder of the mortgage. have any of you ever heard about this type of insurance?

Disability/death insurance is standard and required for most mortgages in Japan. Get a lawyer.

.. I was thinking maybe it might be time to consult a lawyer

Yes, you MUST. Get a lawyer.

also - what do you guys know about disability in japan. I heard it might be something over 10man a month. does anyone know the range for that?

Nope. Disability is only 60,000 yen/m or less.
Retirement over the age of 65 years (not disability) is something over 10man a month. The Retirement and Disability pensions are NOT related (unlike the US). Get a lawyer.

Oh, did forget to mention, get a lawyer?

[tone]

thanks for the reply and info on the soc security/disability figures. my father in law is only 62 or 63, so some hard time before retirement.

Lawyer - we are stateside right now - my wifes folks dont quite mingle with as many lawyers as say my folks seem to. how might we approach finding a lawyer? maybe ask again if they know anyone in their extended family? some kind of phone book?

any insight on how lawyers work in japan? are there family lawyers who are mom and pop enough to have reasonable prices and be good for our sittuation, to maybe just write that scary letter?

we just went back, but mainly it was to get our heads around his disease and i met with a few industry folks to start thinking about coming back and trying to find a spot to work in if we move back to help with his care. it was insane being there in october with the news talking about the all time low of the dollar v. yen, and thinking about our responsibility. but they were good to me and took me in when i was a FG teaching english in 2001 who had met my wife in the states while we were in school. at least i can read better than i could. trying to not work in teaching this time around (good luck~)

the mortgage insurance possibility is really nice though, even though right now it sounds too good to be true for our situation. still expecting one of those "thats just how it is in japan" moments

thanks again, and sorry to vent. sometimes life dumps this kind of thing on a guy

[Greji]

thanks for the reply and info on the soc security/disability figures. my father in law is only 62 or 63, so some hard time before retirement.

You say he was a tradesman? Self employed or with a company? Why I ask is the general retirement age is 60 with most companies and the government. This allows him to draw on his company retirement, but the government type social security that Taro was referring to does not pay full until 65 or over. But, he might be able to get a part of it earlier.

However, all of the mortgages I have, or have had, were insured and in some cases mandatory. So more than likely there would not be a hand-me-down mortgage and he might be able to claim insurance coverage of the mortgage by the time you return to Japan.

But, as Taro said, GET A LAWYER!

[tone]

he was a self employed denki yasan, so yeah no company retirement or any other of those nice safety nets

thanks so much, will post more as i know more. thats cool about the mortgage insurance

[Marked Trail]

thanks for the reply and info on the soc security/disability figures. my father in law is only 62 or 63, so some hard time before retirement.

As Greji said, Japan has two types of social security, the good kind for corporate and government jobs, the crappy kind which everybody else gets. A self-employed "tradesman" probably has the crappy kind and the father-in-law will only be able to collect a 100,000yen/month at 65+years (or 65% from age 62 years).

Lawyer - we are stateside right now - my wifes folks dont quite mingle with as many lawyers as say my folks seem to. how might we approach finding a lawyer? maybe ask again if they know anyone in their extended family?

Finding a good lawyer in Japan is a bitch. Your extended family is the best bet.
IF your wife or you were here in Japan for a few months, and IF you were hard-nosed and hyper aggressive, it might be possible to collect on the mortgage insurance on your own. However, I doubt your Japanese is up to the challenge and most Japanese wives (and the majority of J-husbands too) are so lame, pavid, timid and IGNORANT in legal matters you folks need a lawyer.

any insight on how lawyers work in japan? are there family lawyers who are mom and pop enough to have reasonable prices and be good for our sittuation, to maybe just write that scary letter?

Lawyers are rare and ain't cheap in Japan. Generally the lack of legal recourse has generated Japan's national anthem, "Shoganai." The "scary letter" approach most likely will not work. Rot's of ruck, you're fucked.

the mortgage insurance possibility is really nice though, even though right now it sounds too good to be true for our situation. still expecting one of those "thats just how it is in japan" moments

ONE BRIGHT SPOT
As the others said, almost all Japanese mortgages are covered by mortgage insurance (because the lenders demand it).

You need to:

Gather FULL documentation and doctors letters

Immediately apply for a government handicapped classification

If you or your in-laws do their homework properly and properly document the disability (bigger J-hospitals have social workers who will help), collecting the mortgage insurance is a no-brainer.

(I hate to say it, but your wife and in-laws sound very unsophisticated. )

[tone]

thanks again for the replies.

haha, very true about the shoganai attitude

yeah they aren't rich or college educated, and they just had life take a shit on them, maybe this exposes a certain lack of sophistication. I know my parents have their bases covered a bit better, but it is what it is. i'm probably being hyper vigilant, and they are kind of not wanting to talk about it and being kind of mellow or in denial about it

so youre saying the lawyer would be able to maybe collect more quickly, and push the issue? it would probably be more than a letter? i'll be more vigilant about seeing if they are on top of the paper work. maybe they are and im just not understanding well enough.

nothing i can do about their sophistication. they are some of the nicest parents in law i could have ever asked for

would life insurance still contribute on a 63 y/o patient?

just trying to get my head around how we will support the family during and after and what figures that might look like

thanks again, really appreciate it