DineshR

On 10/25/2022 at 1:29 AM, Thailand J said:

I just saw on my SSA account my application was approved 6 days after the Manila phone call.

Congrats ! You are extremely lucky. I'm still waiting ... 77 days and counting. Sent an inquiry via the FBU weblink last night. Tried calling them several times over the last 2 weeks but with no luck. Will keep trying. 

An update. Subsequent to the email I received from FBU Manila on Sept 26 requesting a contact number and available dates and times, I have yet to receive a call from them.

On October 7, I sent them an email asking when I could expect a call.

Today, October 12, I receive another email but this time letting me know that in order for them to schedule me for a phone interview, they required my full name, date of birth, mailing address and contact number. I have promptly responded to that email with the required info. Will update as events unfold.

63 days and counting since the application for benefits was submitted.

Shortly after I sent my last update yesterday, I received an email from FBU Manila requesting my phone number and day/times for a call so that they could call me to assist me - "Kindly provide your contact number, available time and day so that we can assist you."

Stay tuned !

@Skeptic7 Thanks. Good to know I am not alone .....

@Pib Thank you for that info. 

A quick update on my status. As previously noted, I applied on Aug 10. At that time, the SSA website indicated 2-4 week processing time for "MOST" people. 4 weeks went by on Sept 7. I sent an email on Sept 10 requesting a status update. Got an automatic response stating  "Thank you for contacting the Federal Benefits Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Manila.  Due to public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the Philippines, operations in the Federal Benefits Unit may be limited; however, we typically respond to inquiries within 15 business days.  We respectfully request that you avoid sending multiple emails, as this may cause further delays. " 

15 business days ends this coming Friday. However, I plan on calling them this Thursday ( which would be 7 weeks from  application submitted) as the Manila FBU office only takes calls on Tuesdays and Thursdays according to their website. If I fail to connect, then will use the link @Pib sent to submit an online inquiry. 

I requested benefits start in December and this may be a reason why my submission may be delayed as they might be prioritizing applicants that have benefits starting earlier. Will post as I know more.

Thai immigration does it for free ... just did it a couple of months ago to renew my Thai driving license. But it takes a few days to get it. You can get it done at the US embassy via an affidavit as others have mentioned but then it costs US$50.

@JimGant Agreed. I just might do that if it gets complicated.

As an aside, 3 weeks and counting and have not heard back from SSA on status of application. The site says it usually takes between 2-4 weeks to process applications so will wait till the end of this week to follow up with a call to the Manila office.

@PibUnderstood.

Thanks everyone for your very helpful comments. I will update the group here as and when I have updates as a guide for others that may be starting to take their benefits.

@PibThank you very much for your helpful comments. I apologize if this is taking too much of your time but it truly is much appreciated.

- On the 2 methods you mentioned, clearly the IDD route would not be preferable for me since the transfers would be in baht. 

- I currently send US$ from my bank in the US to Bangkok Bank (Bangkok based account though I live outside Bangkok). I send this money using Bangkok Bank's swift code and my account number. As far as I know, I get charged US$4 at the US side and approx US$6 on the Thai side which ties in with the $10 you cite. However, this is not a special/restricted account as I am able to conduct transactions (mostly US$ to Thai baht conversions) online. When I need baht in the province I live in, then I transfer it from the Bangkok THB account to my local branch THB account and there are no charges associated with this transfer.

- Can I not use this same method with my social security payments ??? It is in direct contradiction to what you have said where swift cannot be used to transfer US$ because my transfer receipts for the US$ transfer clearly shows a swift routing code - 

I have read other threads in this forum on the ACH vs swift issues but I never did dig into it because I never had any issues with direct transfers and the whole issue was complicated.

I'm probably getting ahead of myself here since I am not even at the first call stage.

With respect to the mailing methods, I will check on the inter embassy transfers when I go to the embassy for notarizing the documents.

Thank you very much.

@Skeptic7 My preference is into my Thai bank account. I did state this in my online application although the online form did not have a drop down selection choice for Thailand. I later, in the comments/remarks box at the tail end of the application, specifically stated that I wanted a direct deposit into my Thai bank account assuming no incremental charges over that of depositing into my US bank account and made note of the fact that while the drop down choices did not show Thailand, I had read through expat forums that direct deposit into Thailand was now possible.  As an aside, I am going to request US$ deposits into my Thai bank FCD account as opposed to a Thai baht deposit. I prefer to control when I transfer into Thai baht.

@Pib Thank you very much for your detailed comments. With regard to submitting "originals", I would rather not send originals such as passports etc via postal or courier services. I will do, as you suggest, get notarized copies from the US embassy. I would like to know though, how one would usually send these notarized documents over to the Manila office - via Thai post regular mail, EMS or carriers such as Fed-ex etc. Or can I send them via the US embassy ? I will check the US embassy site later for any info on this service. Thai post EMS has become quite expensive now. I just sent some documents over to the US and the charge was THB1550 via Thai EMS.

What about the form 7162 ? How are those mailed ? Via EMS as well ? Via the US embassy ? I am presuming that one would need some certainty that the form was delivered to avoid the hassles of benefit interruptions.

Thanks again for all the useful information.

Quick update. Just logged in to my social security account and saw this notification - my application is currently being reviewed by a representative in the Philippines office and the review process normally takes between 2-4 weeks.  It moved pretty quick from Baltimore to the Philippines since I submitted the application Thursday morning Thai time.

@Skeptic7Thanks for the link. Tons of really good info there.

@PibI applied online using the "my Social Security" account I had signed up for many years ago.

In that account, I list my address as the mail forwarding service address that I use to forward all my mail from the US to wherever I am. All my mail goes to this mail forwarding service address. The service alerts me to any incoming mail and I can then choose to forward (or hold or delete) that mail or a bunch of mail to wherever I want to send them at a time I choose.

However, when I filled out the online form for claiming my social security benefit, I listed my mailing address as the one for my mail forwarder (which is in my social security account) and also indicated on the form that this is not where I reside. There is a little box which you tick to indicate that this is not your residential address. I then provided my residence address where it is asked for in the next section - my Thailand residence address.

As an aside, I am paying for Medicare and Medicare sends their bills to my mail forwarding address (which is the address used on my social security account). My tax returns show my Thailand address.

I am a naturalized (not by birth) US citizen. My work history/earnings is not complicated.

I am hoping this not going to cause any confusion or delays. 

Thank you everyone for the very useful info and comments and the links. Lot to learn.

I did try to repair the ding only at B-quik. They had a device that could repair small dings but the location of the ding close to the edge of the screen made it impossible to use that device. Apparently, if it is too close to the edge of the screen the process of fixing that ding has a chance of causing a crack - they pointed that out to me before attempting to fix the ding but then discovered that the ding was too close to the edge for the device to get to.

@rwill Thanks. I'm going to see what happens when I get a response back in the next week or so.

Hello,

I just submitted my application to start social security benefits. I have read some prior posts on this topic before and I remember that benefits for expats in Thailand would normally be handled out of the Manila office.

I was a little surprised when I received an email stating that my application would be handled out of the Baltimore, Maryland office even though my application clearly states that I live in Thailand.

Has anyone experienced their applications being handled out of the US instead of out of Manila ?

Any advice appreciated. TIA

All, Apologies. I thought I had replied to your messages but it looks like that message never posted. In any event, thought I would update the group on current status. Thank you for your helpful comments.

I did replace the windshield and it cost (parts & labor) 8500 for the windshield and 1500 for the film on the interior side of the windshield.

I did have first class insurance but I was in the process of switching between insurers. It was a minor ding on the windshield that was probably caused by a pebble bouncing off the road and hitting the windshield. Nothing more than a small ding but no cracks. I thought I would do it later but then forgot about it and then switched insurance carriers. The new carrier did a vehicle inspection and noted the ding and told me they would not cover the windshield until I first repaired the windshield - which is why I ended up having to pay for it ..... 

Hello,

I am currently looking to replace my windshield on my Ford Everest and am wondering if anyone in this forum has any experience with this.

Specifically, I am looking for the cost of replacing the windshield - cost of windshield + labor.

I have been quoted a range from 10,300 to 14,500 from various dealers / repair shops here in Korat. This includes film applied to the inside of the windshield.

Am wondering if these prices are roughly the norm for a Ford Everest ? Would appreciate any input. TIA

@burlapMy apologies ... I hadn't logged in here for a while and did not see your question. The answer to your question is  NO. That said, you will need to state in your letter that you will cover all of the caregiver's expenses for the duration of the trip including airfare, housing and meals etc.

The way I have done it is to set a new email in Thailand. Then on your Iphone under settings, click on your name and log out from your US apple ID. The login with your Thai ID. Then go to the app store and download the app that is only available in the Thai store. (don't remember if you have to turn off and on the phone after changing the apple ID for the setting to take - if it doesn't work, try turning your phone on and off after changing your apple ID email. ). Once downloaded, you can then switch back to your US apple ID. I've never had any problems with any of my US or Thai apps working but I don't use Cashapp so I can't speak to that particular app but I do use other US banking apps. Good luck !

Just go to the Kumon's in your area and ask. Kumon started out with math and English initially but they added Thai a few years ago. My son had been going to Kumon for a while and I got to know the Kumon teacher there pretty well after a year or so whenever I went there to check on my son's progress. After my son started Thai in Kumon, and a few months later, I asked if I could sign up for Thai lessons as well. She agreed and that's how I got in. I am not sure if all Kumon's have Thai as a subject but you have to ask around. Each Kumon center needs to be certified by Kumon HQ to teach a subject and that means having teachers get certified by Kumon first. If they are not certified, they can't teach the subject. Just for reference, the fees in Kumon used to be 1500/month/subject for kids under 15 I think and 1600/month/subject. When I joined she offered 1500 per month for me. This was in June 2019. As a benchmark I remember taking Thai lessons in Bangkok almost 20 years ago and they charged 6000/month. I did that for 5 months and then stopped but it gave me basic conversational Thai. Kumon is much more intensive.

I would go to Kumon class once a week usually on a Saturday (along with my son) but once Covid hit, I did weekly video lessons. I got to level C1 (the levels if I remember correctly, start with level 5, 4, 3, 2 ,1 , then A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, D2, E1, E2, F1, F2, G1, G2, H1, H2, I1, I2, K1 and K2, From about B1 onwards, you do a lot of reading and answering questions in Thai.  I took a break after finishing C1 but intend to continue perhaps early next year but I am revising my earlier lessons in the meantime to keep the vocabulary fresh. After C1, you can pretty much read most emails and texts sent to you along with understanding a lot of what is being said on radio or TV. There will be words you will not know but then I turn and ask my wife what the word means. Most times now, I reply to emails and text back in Thai but occasionally I will use Google translate to make sure I got the spelling right. Kumon worked for me but I can't say it will work for everyone. As a poster mentioned earlier, people learn differently. Kumon though is a commitment - daily homework that never stops. It is at least a 1 hour daily commitment. Good luck !

Just for reference - applied for Thailand Pass at 11.27 am May 16 and received approval via email at 12.18 pm May 16. - 51 mins later ! Email included the QR code to be either printed out or used in the phone. Hope this helps. 

On my last 2 visits to Korat Immigration in the last 6 months, I was told that the back of the Thai ID should not be copied as it contained sensitive information and that only the front should be copied. Going forward, I will only submit copies of the front of the ID. However, that said, knowing how things can change on a whim, I keep a copy of both the front and back with me just in case. For what it's worth. 

Here in Korat, at a local no name pharmacy, I get Atorvastatin 10 mg 30 tabs for 510 baht - 17 baht/tab. Lipitor runs 1250 for 30 tabs - about 42 baht/tab.  Not what you are looking for but thought I would give you an idea of pricing. As other posters have recommended, do check the local pharmacies. While living in Bangkok, I used to go to the pharmacies opposite Siriraj Hospital and I found that generally they do have the best prices on most medications and you can find almost any medication there. There are a lot of pharmacies there on one side of the street. Just walk down that street and ask for prices.