Good Morning
I reached 70 on July 1, 2022 and was unable to file for SS retirement benefits due to medical surgery. How do you think I should now apply for retirement benefits? and would they pay me for the missing months of benefits?
another question: is it better to file for benefits from my foreign location or should I fly to the U.S. and file there?
Thank you for your help.

Hi. No. Social Security retirement benefits can't be paid retroactively for more than 6 months prior to your month of filing, regardless of your reason for not applying sooner. What you should do as soon as possible is to contact Social Security to either apply for benefits or at least make an appointment to apply later. Establishing an appointment to apply for benefits at a later date protects your filing date, which will prevent you from losing any additional months of back pay.

I doubt if it would speed up the processing of your claim if you returned to the U.S. in order to apply in person. If you aren't able to contact Social Security by phone from where you're living, you may be able to apply at a Social Security office in the country in which you reside. And, even if you live in a country that doesn't have a totalization agreement with the U.S., in most countries you can apply for U.S. Social Security benefits by contacting your U.S. Embassy or Consulate. For contact information, refer to the to the following Social Security website: https://www.ssa.gov/foreign/foreign.htm.

Best, Jerry