MJoe

Oh - that’s great I did the same, so fingers crossed I’m safe as well! I don’t have an online account, so your response is super reassuring. Thanks so much!

Did you mail your 7162 to Wilkes Barre in the States? Or did you do the “phone attestation”?

Folks! My social security is paid monthly into my Bank of America. I have to wire a substantial amount (over $100k) from this BofA account in the States to my personal account over here. I’ve heard horror stories about US bank “freezing” / “closing” accounts when they find out you live abroad. Super appreciate folks’ experience and advice with this - thanks!

Folks! It was my understanding that if they cut us off due to the 7162 fiasco, it will be the February not the January payment that defaults. Is that correct?

Agreed. Expecting the worst is sadly the most prudent thing to do.

Hey Guys, Does anyone have an update on the Proof of Life for 2025? Any evidence (other than that one email from some random officer in Manilla). Anything official that they are waiving the manual forms for 2025? Do we have to do the phone attestation? Or do we have no idea? I sent the manual form but didn’t do phone attestation….

Thanks so much again for the info. It’s a relief you were able to do the phone attestation, with your manual form not arriving. They sure love stressing us out!

Thanks so much for the info - you are super helpful! What do you mean “I missed DOB and place of birth” — did they ask for that? Also, when you say they “insisted there was no reason to doubt”, do you think the agents were inferring they believe the phone attestation will actually be successful in getting the form processed? Not sure if I’ve missed something, but I thought all the agents were really able to do is complete the form and email it to another department and hope that department processes it? Or does the agent actually process it themselves and confirm that?

Thanks for the info - much appreciated. Do you have to give your passport as ID? I wonder if these few remaining SSA reps who have a clue, will be gone come the end of September.

Thanks for the info - much appreciated. Do you have to give your passport as ID? I wonder if these few remaining SSA reps who have a clue, will be gone come the end of September.

I’m thinking of doing this. Could you be awesome and outline how they ID you, and what questions they ask?

OMG - thanks for sharing. From talking to these SSA reps this year, is your “gut feel” that one would be naive for assuming our mailed 7162 forms are going to be processed?

Is this nightmare going to end?! Are you saying that in the past, you called SSA around a month (or whatever) after having posted, and they confirmed they had received and processed your 7162. However this year you called SSA, and they are saying they haven’t received and processed it your 7162?

Thanks. You have been sooooo helpful through this nightmare! I would prefer to send it Express, but don’t want to send it back in a different envelope than the one SSA provides. But it seems like a fair chunk of folks in Thailand are regularly sending it back in a different / larger envelope for EMS, and it is safely getting processed by SSA? (I’m definitely not doing tracking or registered.)

Good news, mine arrived today. When you guys use EMS in Thailand, are you able to still use the specific return envelope provided by SSA, or does the post office make you put it in a different envelope? If I want to return mine Express from Australia, they put it in a different envelope. Bottom line is — is it risky to return the form in a different envelope than the actual return envelope specifically provided by SSA?

Mailing advice please! Good news folks, mine arrived today. When you guys use EMS in Thailand, are you able to still use the specific return envelope provided by SSA, or does the post office make you put it in a different envelope? If I want to return mine Express from Australia, they put it in a different envelope. Bottom line is — is it risky to return the form in a different envelope than the actual return envelope specifically provided by SSA?

I am in Australia and haven’t received it yet. For the past 10 years (except Covid) I have always received it by 2nd week in June (point being always faster than Thailand). Obviously they mailed it second half of July this year, but mail is so quick to Aus that if I was going to get it I would have got it by now. Can folks please advise what I should do? What action should I take? And when should I do it? Thanks so much in advance!

SSA-7161 is for “representative payees”. I am disabled, but they have always sent me SSA-7162. I appreciate your question though, because I haven’t received mine yet and I usually receive it much earlier than folks in Thailand. I wonder if they purposefully didn’t send it to the disabled? Seems unlikely they would be THAT detailed, to sift the disabled out, but who knows. Are you in Thailand?

100%. Why are we talking about mail delivery options for a form which hasn’t been sent, and in my opinion is not going to be sent at all.

That is what I believe (or some equivalent of) but it seems to be an unpopular opinion here. 🙏

Wow - helpful information. Thanks! What month did you receive the “last chance letter”? What does it tell you to do?

I 100% agree. IMO - they don’t have any idea that they’re doing (either deliberately or incompetently). I’m tending towards waiting until it’s closer to the time when the “second” letter would usually be received, and then if that doesn’t arrive, I will send two - one with the barcode and another blank one filled in. Because at that point, I feel like I’d have nothing to lose. As I’ve never received the “second” form (because my June one always arrived safely), does anyone know what the timing is for the second form. When do they usually send it?

Ah thanks. I see now where you posted that above. I’m sure this will be another unpopular opinion, but I don’t feel any reason to trust what the representative said that these will be sent in September. As we have received so much contradictory information from representatives so far, why would we believe this representative? They say what’s easiest to get the person off the phone IMO. I’d feel differently if we were getting consistent information from reps in Baltimore and Manila but we are not.

Appreciate you calling them. Not surprised they unfortunately didn’t have a clue! On what basis are we expecting the forms to show up in September? Did I miss something?

Thanks for all your super advice. How do I find the BIN and COC?