Pib

Manila's telephone interview is pretty painless as they ask very basic questions, name, address, SSN, date of birth, some questions about any unrecorded income, married/single/divorced, bank acct info to sent benefits to, etc. They basically cover the questions/info needed for an online application. A Manila telephone interview was how the wife and I signed up years ago. I only have one recommendation for the interview and it regards the "Benefits Begin" Date (month) which is the date you want to start earning benefits with the first payment occurring on the 3rd of the following month. Like if you want the Benefits Begin date to be Nov 2022 then you start earning a pension on 1 Nov and then paid for the month of Nov on 3 Dec. And that recommendation is double, triple check with the SSA rep during that interview that they correctly recorded the date you want the benefits to begin. While they got my begin date correct during my application/interview for the wife's they messed up her requested begin date (they made a typo) and started the pension several months earlier due to a typo the Manila rep made. By starting the benefits earlier than requested over the years it added up to some significant money....plus the SSA had to recall those early payments before being able to correct to the requested date. All due to the Manila rep;s error/typo, which they admitted to,....and it took the SSA Baltimore Int'l Ops around 4 months to get corrected in their system as correcting the Benefits Begin date after payments had been made turned out to not be an easy task in their system. Manila couldn't make the correction; only the Baltimore main office could. But it did get corrected after around 4 or a little more months of numerous follow-ups (many emails and phone calls). So, just be sure they get your Benefits Begin date correct if you have a specific desired month as many people plan years in advance in wanting to start their SS benefits "on a specific month" for various reasons. At least when a person does an online application if the Benefits Begin date gets entered wrong its due to the individual and not a SSA rep.

Bang Sue is not hard or that expensive to get to from within Bangkok. That location along with individual govt health clinics seem to be the focal points for jabs within Bangkok right now...Bang Sue seems to be the main site the govt is pushing for Bangkok residents right now. Or if you wanted to go just outside of western Bangkok a few kilometers to Mahidol University a person can make a vaccine appt at the Kanchanaphisek Medical Center (a govt medical center) which is part of the university complex. It's where we took the wife's mom for her third jab. But you need to make an appt at their webpage....easy to do....but the earliest appt right now seems to be 17 Aug when I looked a minute ago...and the monthly appts fill-up pretty fast. Go to below link and about halfway down click on the icon/link titled Register 18 yrs and Older. https://www.gj.mahidol.ac.th/main/pr_covid/ Google Translate is your friend on this appt website....but it easy to do when appts are available. Walk-ins not allowed to the best of my knowledge. More info for the medical center....will have link to a google map. https://www.gj.mahidol.ac.th/main/pr_covid/

I expect Bangkok Bank can produce multiple versions of a 12 month statement....each will look very similar (but not identical) and one carry a signature and one not. It's that way with Bangkok Bank credit advices (a.k.a., advice of credit or credit note) forms. One version is printed on a "half page" with bank officer signature in lower right hand corner and the other version is printed on a full A4 size sheet without signature. But the full A4 sized version includes a statement at the bottom that states "This is a computer generated advice...No authorized signature is required" probably because there is no block for a signature.

The last time I got a 12 month bank statement around a year ago from my Bangkok Bank branch here in Bangkok it came with bank official signature block and signature.

As already mentioned with Bangkok Bank there is the 12 month bank "statement" that takes about 3-5 days to get (comes with bank official signature block & signature).....not to be confused with the unsigned statement you can quickly get using the bank's app. And then a formal bank "letter" with bank official signature block & signature that takes only 15 minutes or so to get but just confirms you have an acct and the current balance. Two different animals.

But that statement does not have a bank officer signature block & signature which may not satisfy some immigration officers.

My last two extenson have been marriage extensions at CW since I switch from a retirement extension. No 12 month bank statement required......just have the required minimum of Bt400K in the bank for 2 months before applying for the marriage extension. But in each of those extension the immigration officer did look/scan further back than 2 months in my bank passbook....maybe just to see what balance was maintained outside the 2 month period.....I couldn't really say why the officer took 15 seconds or so to look further back in the passbook. But keep in mind an immigration officer could always ask for a 12 month statement even if using the money in bank method vs monthly income method if they have some concern there is something dodgy about your application, income, passbook, etc.. Not that they would be looking to see if you have at least 400K for each of the 12 months (which is not required) if using the money in bank method, but just to give them a better idea of your available income throughout the year "if for some reason" they have income concerns with your extension application. I would think them asking for such a letter when using the Bt400K in bank method would be rare and only in those cases were immigration thinks something dodgey is going on and they are just digging to find a reason to not approve the extension.

Untrue. Tell "someone" they are 100% wrong. Or better yet, ask "someone" for some additional proof and that "someone" will probably then say another "someone" told them.

If you are talking that you now need a SSA MyOnline acct to apply online for benefits/pension that only applies if you will be using a U.S. address on the applications. If you live outside the U.S., like in Thailand, you do not need a SSA MyOnline acct to apply for benefits. But if having a U.S. address/using a U.S. address on the application they want you to create an SSA MyOnline acct which now means identity verification via ID.me or Login.gov for new SSA online accts where a U.S. mobile number may be needed during the identity verification process. Like shown in the first two snapshots below if you select you do "not" have already have a SSA MyOnline acct and select you live outside the U.S. when your click Next (Snapshot 1) the next screen shown (Snapshot 2) is the first part of the application. But if selecting you already have a SSA MyOnline acct they don't ask where you live now (Snapshot 3) and when clicking Next it takes you to the MyOnline login screen where you logon or start the create acct process by creating an acct on ID.me and/or Login.gov where a U.S. mobile number can come into play. See snapshots below to include the additional info/notes I included on the top of some snapshots. Snapshot 1 below Snapshot 2 below....after clicking Next in above snapshot...it takes you right to page 1 of the applications. Snapshot 3 below...you say you already have a SSA MyOnline acct which changes the online application process where you need to log onto your SSA MyOnline acct. Snapshot 4 below..after clicking Next in above snapshot...here you either logon to your MyOnline acct if you already have one "or" create one via ID.me or Login.gov identity verification to continue the online benefits application. Now with ID.me you can obtain identity verification without having a U.S. phone (requires upload of some identity docs and probably a online video chat with an ID.me rep where that rep looks at you, takes a snapshot of you holding your ID document like passport next to your face, and asks a few simple questions....I've done this process). But with Login.gov you'll probably require a U.S. drivers license/State ID and a U.S. phone number.....Login.gov does not have video chat verification capability. ID.me has more capability to verify U.S. folks who live outside the U.S. than Login.gov.....and ID.me does allow foreign mobile numbers and VOIP numbers (like Google Voice) for Two Factor Authorization (2FA)/logon....I know that for sure since I use my Thai mobile and GV numbers for 2FA login with ID.me. However, even with Login.gov it's the online acct provider (SSA in this case) that dictates the Identity Verification requirements (which vary among the govt agencies) and what type of phone numbers are allowed for 2FA login, such as a VOIP number. I also have a Login.gov acct for a govt agency and while I could not use my GV number when getting ID verified thru Login.gov, "after that verification" was completed I was then able to use my GV number or Thailand DTAC number for 2FA to that govt agency online acct thru Login.gov. Basically, although a U.S. number may be required with some Identity Verification agencies (like login.gov) "during the identity verification process, after that process VOIP numbers and/or foreign numbers may be allowed for 2FA login....there is no standard answer.

And besides Bang Sue I just got some crossfeed on a LINE group I'm part of it....the crossfeed is basically a poster/flyer saying on Saturday/today/23 July from 1pm to 4pm at the 69 govt health centers in Bangkok walk-in vaccinations/booster are available. Just bring your Thai ID card or foreign passport. Lots of options to get free jabs in Bangkok although finding out where and when seems to be by social media grapevine/crossfeed.

And besides Bang Sue I just got some crossfeed on a LINE group I'm part of it....the crossfeed is basically a poster saying on Saturday/today/23 July from 1pm to 4pm at the 69 govt health centers in Bangkok walk-in vaccinations/booster are available. Just bring your Thai ID card or foreign passport. Lots of options to get free jabs in Bangkok although finding out where and when seems to be by social media grapevine/crossfeed.

Yes...it open....jabs are offered by appt "or walk-in." Go to Gate 2 where they will ask whether you have a appt or are a walk-in. Depending on which you will be directed a certain way for your jab....people with appts one way...walk-ins another way. You will fill out one simple form available in English or Thai and be asked whether you want Pfizer or Moderna jab. The wife and I got our 4th jab (2nd booster) at BangSue last week....we had an appt but tons of people showing up as walk-ins. We choose a Moderna jab.....we had about a 30 minute queue wait time for the jab....then a 20 minutes after jab wait time to ensure you are OK and then out the door we went. Although a LOT of people was there getting jabs the process moved everyone along pretty fast.....total of approx 50 minutes for our jabs. The Bang Sue Grand Station is easy to drive to and plenty of parking under/around the facility. And our jabs appeared in our Mor Promt records the next day. Worked out well. https://www.thaipbsworld.com/free-covid-booster-shot-on-offer-for-all-at-bang-sue-vaccination-centre/

You can file directly online at the main SSA website....no need to directly apply thru Manila. What address you provide on that govt benefits application where you are suppose to be truthful will be up to you. However, if in your application you say you are living in Thailand then HQ SSA may get the Manila SSA Office involved in the review/approval of your application....and of course the address you put on the application will be the address the SSA puts on-file for you. Each person's life story is different when it comes to applying for SS benefits....if you apply directly at the SSA main website whether SSA will need to get the Manila SSA Office involved will vary....no involvement may be necessary...or it may be. But if you don't live in Thailand then you should apply directly at the main SSA website or at the nearest SSA office where you live....like if you lived in Las Vegas just for example you should apply at the Las Vegas office if you didn't want to apply directly online at the main SSA website. However, just because you live in Thailand does "not" mean you must apply directly with Manila---as mentioned earlier you can apply directly at the main SSA website. SSA encourages people to apply online versus going to their local office which is just basically going to help them complete the same application while setting in front of a SSA employee. Plus, the Manila SSA Office is responsible for SS beneficiaries living in this part of the world...around 40 or more countries I think. So, when you do need assistance with a SS matter (either before or after benefits begin) if you are living in this part of the world (i.e., Thailand or thereabouts) but you don't want to tell Manila you are living in this part of the world, well, Manila probably will not offer any significant help simply because you are saying you don't live in this part of the world they are responsible for. It would kinda be like me living in Bangkok wanting to get SS benefits help from the Las Vegas, Atlanta, Denver, etc., local area SSA office. Regarding which bank account you use, even when living outside the U.S. you can use a U.S. bank account....many, many most beneficiaries do. I do although I have my Thailand address onfile with the SSA. Summary: using the Manila SS office is optional but if you had a problem with benefits Manila would be easier and faster to deal with than trying to deal with the main international office in Baltimore. Yea, I'm sure you've read many negative comments about the Manila office, but it still better/faster to deal with them on most problems than trying to deal directly with the main office back in the U.S.

Whether or not you file a tax return each has no bearing on whether the SSA will send you an Are You Alive letter. Although the Are You Still Alive In A Foreign Country letter primary purpose is to help confirm you are still kicking it also asks several other questions related to possible change of citizenship since you are living overseas, any changes to marriage/divorce status, possible employment, other issues that may affect your benefits. Many people do not file tax returns simply because they don't have to because of income level or just choose to not to.....to each his own when dealing with Uncle Sam. Plus govt agencies like the SSA and IRS really don't share a lot of info.

Assuming our forms were mailed at the same time since they were generated on the same date (27 June) that means your form took around two weeks longer to reach you in Jontiem compared to mine reaching me in Bangkok. If your envelope was like mine there are no mailing date on the envelope; only the generation date on the form. That's a BIG difference "if" the SSA did mail our forms at approximately the same time based on the generation date. Could only mean foreign mail going to Jontiem takes a lot longer than if going to Bangkok.....OR, the SSA mailed the forms at different dates although having the same 27 June generation date. Which one applies will probably remain a postal mystery.

At the top of the form what date is shown?.....that's the day the form was generated for mailing. The forms for the wife and I were generated on 27 June and we received in Bangkok on 8 Jul.

You have just been lucky Bangkok Bank has not spotted your monthly payment as a U.S. govt payment. Around a dozen years ago I changed my military retirement pension to go to my regular Bangkok Bank acct....that monthly pension flowed fine for a few months. Then one month it was late....it was in July.....by the 10th or so it hadn't posted to my acct and I had decided I would call Bangkok Bank about it the next day. But next morning a letter from Bangkok Bank show up in my mailbox saying my July payment was on-hold as it was a reocccuring U.S. govt payment via ACH and I must setup a restricted/special acct for the payment. My branch is on Silom Rd in Bangkok. Once doing this the payment that was on-hold would be transferred to the new acct and I would need to notify the military pension agency of the new acct for future payments. I had two weeks to come setup the new acct or Bangkok Bank said they would send the payment back. I went in...setup the new acct....notified mil pension folks of the new acct and payment began flowing no problem again. But I later stopped using that method as I switched to other methods. Yeap...you'll just been lucky (so far)...be thankful your local branch has allowed it which goes against Bangkok Bank policy. Frankly, I'm surprised HQ Bangkok Bank has not spotted it since incoming foreign transfers flow them them on to the local branch. See the Bangkok Bank weblink below where it talks U.S. Govt Agency Direct Deposit via ACH (i.e., using the Bangkok Bank NY branch ACH/ABA routing number)....it describes the requirement for a special/restricted acct for reoccurring U.S. govt payments. And this is not unique to Thailand....it ditto for some banks in the Philippines which also have ACH receiving capability. https://www.bangkokbank.com/en/Personal/Other-Services/Transfers/Transferring-Into-Thailand/Transfer-money-from-US-to-Thailand-via-Bangkok-Bank-NewYork-branch

OP, Other than being new info to you there is nothing new about the annual/biennial SSA mailing of "Are You Still Alive" forms (form number 7161 or 7162) if you have a foreign address on-file with the SSA. This has been occurring for decades. It's formal name is called the Foreign Enforcement Questionnaire (FEQ) Program...readup about it at below SSA weblink. https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0302655000e And no new law....nothing new about being required to use a special/restricted Bankgok Bank acct "if", repeat, if you have your SSA benefit paid through the Bangkok Bank New York Branch (ABA routing number 026008691) using that branch's ACH/ABA routing number to send to your in-Thailand Bangkok Bank acct special/restricted acct. Or said another way you pension is being paid through the U.S. Automated Clearing House (ACH) system. Bangkok Bank is the only Thai bank with the ability to receive payments via the ACH system and to receive reoccurring U.S. govt payment it had to be to a special/restricted account. Nothing new....been used for decades. Additionally, in 2019 the U.S. Treasury Department implemented a new rule requiring all U.S. banks to utilize the "International ACH Transfer (IAT)" transfer format for funds leaving the U.S.....like a person initiating a transfer from their U.S. bank acct to their Bangkok Bank acct. Since very, very few U.S. banks offer ACH "IAT" transfer format (because they use the standard/domestic ACH format) this pretty much stopped all "personal transfers" going from U.S. banks to Bangkok Bank. HOWEVER, U.S. govt payments like SSA payments which still use the standard/domestic ACH format are waived for now from this Treasury requirement as the SSA and other U.S. govt agencies develop ACH IAT transfer capability in their financial systems. BUT, in 2019 the SSA also began International Direct Deposit (IDD) to Thailand which uses the SWIFT versus ACH transfer system. You now have two methods to have U.S. govt pensions paid to Thailand....ACH and IDD. If having your SSA pension sent via IDD you can have it sent to "any Thai bank and to a regular saving acct"....no restrictions...not special....to any Thai bank...to include a Bangkok Bank regular acct which has zero restrictions....no need to personally visit a branch to withdraw/transfer money. The SSA/U.S. Treasury does the exchange on their end and send baht instead of dollars. Other U.S. govt agencies also offer IDD. The IDD exchange rate averages out to be about 0.25% lower than the Bangkok Bank TT Buying Rate used for incoming foreign funds like a SSA payment made in dollars. But the IDD method has lower fees....only one fee of Bt100 which is a BAHTNET system fee if you live in the metro Bangkok area. If living outside the metro area and depending on your Thai bank there may be another inter-province fee of around Bt75. Total IDD fees are less than the total ACH method fees where Bangkok Bank NY branch typically takes a $5 or $10 slice and your in-Thailand Bangkok Bank branch takes a 0.25% (Bt200 min, Bt500 max) receiving fee. Considering exchange rate and fees if your govt pension is approx $1150 or more you will get more baht in your acct if using the ACH method but as mentioned earlier only Bangkok Bank offers the ACH method which requires the special/restricted acct. But if you receive less than approx $1150 then you will be better off using the IDD method in terms of most baht in your acct....and you can have the pension sent to any Thai bank regular acct.....even a Bangkok Bank regular acct. Also, you will receive different coding on your Thai bank acct....for ACH Bangkok Bank will issue FTT/International Transfer Coding; for IDD Thai banks including Bangkok Bank will issue Local/BAHTNET coding which makes it appear the funds came from within Thailand versus originating outside Thailand....this coding may be of concern for those using the monthly transfer method for extension of stay purpose. Yeap, nothing new....no new law.

NPLs means less profit/loss for the banks....that all the Thai Bankers Assn is really worried about,

That has been Manila's standard policy for years and similar wording use to be posted on their website before their website got revised/slimed down. And this policy is in accordance with HQ SSA instructions (see quote/link at bottom) which instructs FBUs like Manila to forward the Foreign Enforcement Questionnaires (FEQ....i.e., 7162, 7161, etc) on to Wilkes Barre if the beneficiary sends it to the FBU instead of Wilkes Barre as instructed the 7162 mailing. It can take too long to get back to Wilkes-Barre when mailed directed from Thailand....routing it thru the Manila FBU ain't going to improve time to Wilkes-Barre. Basically FBUs do "not" want to get involved in the Are You Dead or Alive process until 1 Nov which is after May/Jun first mailing from Wilkes-Barre and the 2nd follow-up mailing in mid Sep from Wilkes Barre. Since the 2nd mailing is suppose to happen approx mid Sep and it gives a beneficiary 45 days to respond, that adds up to 1 Nov. If the beneficiary didn't receive a 7162 from Wilkes Barre by 1 Nov then the FBU will happily provide (preferred by email) a blank FEQ to complete and email back to the FBU for further processing. Personally, I would not want to send my FEQ to Manila "before 1 Nov" since HQ SSA instructions basically tells them to avoid involvement before 1 Nov as HQ SSA wants the Wilkes Barre process to run its course....the desired/standard process for the annual Are You Dead or Alive FEQ process. And when I have queried Manila in the past about not getting a FEQ their response was always inline with the one khwaibah posted a few posts up. But come 1 Nov they will happily get into the FEQ process if you didn't receive one. https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0302655007

Yea, go back to the hospital along with any jab document they may have given you on that day and tell them it never updated....show them your Mor Promt app info. Hopefully, they will resubmit for you versus directing you to some govt health organization. And yea, the password must be six numbers I think....more like a PIN versus a password.

The reason you don't see many buffalo in Thailand anymore is not due to farm machinery replacing them but because the buffalo were slowly got killed-off in road accidents....some buffalo accident pile-ups at intersections were horrific.....tough beef all over the road! ????

Did you ever create a Mor Promt account? During that regristration process you will create a password which you need to remember. After registering an acct and logging on you will not need to enter your ID and password again unless you select Logout. That is, the app stays logged on

Has she querried the Manila SSA FBU to confirm her correct address is onfile with the SSA? And for the IRS they would use the address from her last federal tax return unless she mailed them separate correspondence with her new/latest.

Doubtful. I say that because the wife and I with a last name beginning with a letter halfway thru the alphabet got ours at the same time as a neighbor whose last name begins with a letter very early in the alphabet. Our and the neighbor's 7262s were generated on the same date/27 June and they all arrived 8 July here in our Bangkok moobaan...so it doesn't appear last names affected the actual mailing date. The 7162s could indeed be going out in batches maybe based on countries, social security numbers, or "gosh knows what." And I expect address/location in Thailand can have a very significant affect.