OneZero

13 minutes ago, Captor said:

OK, thank you very much!

Yes, thank you Pib for your tireless assistance to many many people.

1 minute ago, OneZero said:

PIB, thank you for your lengthy & well explained reply. 

If Boi will indeed accept self-insure by a ROTH acct held by Schwab in US, then I can self-insure.  However, if anybody identifies what TRICARE documentation BOI will accept, and how we can easily /readily access such documentation, then please pass this information on to the rest of us.  Self-insuring increases the amount of money we must lock-up from 800K THB to 100K US$ (roughly 3 million THB).  Ridiculous.

 

Do you think it would be acceptable to BOI if I provide two Schwab status statements, one at start & one at end of a selected 12 month period, with that selected period ending as close as possible to the date I upload documents to BOI?

 

PIB,

My Schwab held ROTH is not holding cash. It is an ETF of stocks valued at over $100K.  Perhaps that is not acceptable to BOI.  What do you think?

3 hours ago, Pib said:

IMO the 1095B or DFAS letter saying you are receiving receiving retirement wouldn't hack it with BOI as evidence you have the required health care coverage.   But that's only my opinion.  

 

Now even the Tricare enrollment/coverage benefits letter you can get from DEERS does not mention coverage amount or coverage area but it does say you are enrolled in Tricare.  And per my emails and face-to-face meeting with BOI, Tricare is now accepted since around the Dec 2022 timeframe as I posted about on page 57 of the other LTR thread.

 

And I hear you about the DS Logon acct which allows you access to milConnect/DEERS as it's very easy to get locked out of DS Logon.  From years of experience of using DS Logon I would only recommend using it to connect to websites that "only" allow connection via DS Logon....that is, you got no other choice.   Instead, if you can connect another way then use that other way because once you connect to a certain website via DS Logon that website will then only allow you to use DS Logon vs a separate logon acct you may have had.   milConnect also use to allow connect via DFAS credentials but I don't think that's allowed anymore...now I think it just DS Logon or active duty CAC ID card. 

 

Keep in mind there are three ways to satisfy the LTR medical coverage requirement.  1) Thai or foreign medical insurance policy providing at least $50K coverage, 2) Thai social security medical coverage, and 3) self insure by having $100K in a bank acct for 12 months--and I'm not sure if it means the balance had to be at least $100K for at least 12 months OR it might possibly mean the acct(s) just needed to be open for at least 12 months although the balance may have be less than $100K over those 12 months...BUT, it's probably the former of the bank statement needing to show at least $100K over at least the past 12 months.

 

Note:  BOI seems to be flexible on the $100K in terms of it not necessary needing to be in a bank acct(s) as people have also been approved to self ensure using their 401K/IRA/TSP type accts which had at $100K....and I don't mean on an exception basis but quite a few people.      So, self insuring might be an option if you can't get the Tricare benefits letter.   P.S. I know it can be a pain to get confirmation of certain benefits provided by the U.S. govt/military due to the generic nature sometimes of their benefits letter, maybe no enrollment card, etc....you know what I'm talking about.

 

Snapshot from LTR website regarding medical coverage proof.

 

 

PIB, thank you for your lengthy & well explained reply. 

If Boi will indeed accept self-insure by a ROTH acct held by Schwab in US, then I can self-insure.  However, if anybody identifies what TRICARE documentation BOI will accept, and how we can easily /readily access such documentation, then please pass this information on to the rest of us.  Self-insuring increases the amount of money we must lock-up from 800K THB to 100K US$ (roughly 3 million THB).  Ridiculous.

Do you think it would be acceptable to BOI if I provide two Schwab status statements, one at start & one at end of a selected 12 month period, with that selected period ending as close as possible to the date I upload documents to BOI?

Sorry, but I have unintentionally oversimplified the problem of proving TRICARE coverage for US military retirees.  The complication arises because at age 65 military US military retirees will lose their overseas TRICARE benefits unless they make Medicare part B contributions (approx $170/month, minimum), which can be deducted from Social security pension.. Since Medicare does not cover US citizens overseas, some military retirees will be tempted to not make those payments, and thus forego TRICARE coverage.

All we need is a few bad apples getting BOI approval for TRICARE, to later be caught without coverage, and BOI would perhaps throw up their hands and not want to be bothered with the TRICARE approval headache.

What is needed is a simple way for US military retirees to get downloadable documentation that their TRICARE coverage is indeed CURRENT.  I can not access the the DS Logon milconnect site because it no demand from me a US address & ph# for enhanced identity verification.

In order to not further highjack this thread, and to keep pertinent TRICARE replies focused in one central location, the special/unique problem for US military retirees to prove TRICARE coverage deserves it's own dedicated thread. 

Sorry, but I have unintentionally oversimplified the problem of proving TRICARE coverage for US military retirees.  The complication arises because at age 65 military US military retirees will lose their overseas TRICARE benefits unless they make Medicare part B contributions (approx $170/month, minimum), which can be deducted from Social security pension.. Since Medicare does not cover US citizens overseas, some military retirees will be tempted to not make those payments, and thus forego TRICARE coverage.

All we need is a few bad apples getting BOI approval for TRICARE, to later be caught without coverage, and BOI would perhaps throw up their hands and not want to be bothered with the TRICARE approval headache.

What is needed is a simple way for US military retirees to get downloadable documentation that their TRICARE coverage is indeed CURRENT.  I can not access the the DS Logon milconnect site because it no demand from me a US address & ph# for enhanced identity verification.

In order to not further highjack this thread, and to keep pertinent TRICARE replies focused in one central location, the special/unique problem for US military retirees to prove TRICARE coverage deserves it's own dedicated thread. 

4 hours ago, OneZero said:

Pib,

Thank you, & I apologize for not doing full homework reading the ASEANOW and BOI links before asking questions.  Yes, I am going to apply for the LTR (Wealthy Pensioner) and am assembling documentation.  My only concern about that is satisfying proof for my TRICARE coverage.  I read your comments on pg57 above link, that BOI will accept TRICARE coverage, but currently there is still uncertainty about what evidence /proof is definitely acceptable to BOI.  If & when the TRICARE issue firms up, I will be eager to hear about it.

 

To compound the TRICARE proof issue for me: I can't even get the one-page DEERS letter you referenced, because I can't get into a DS logon milconnect account I thought I had established years ago. 

 

However, at https://mypay.dfas.mil military retirees are able to download a 1095B proving (to IRS & anybody else concerned) that DOD did indeed sponsor medical coverage for the Prior Year (But not the current year). Wish I knew if that will be acceptable to BOI because it is all I have at the moment.

2022 Form 1095-B (irs.gov)

 

Sorry I got two threads going.  I'm considering copying and pasting these comments to the lengthier thread.

 

 

 

The following letter addressing the Current Year is also available at mypay website:

DEFENSE FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING SERVICE
Retired and Annuitant Pay 8899 E 56th Street - Retired Pay
Indianapolis, IN 46249-1200 https://www.dfas.mil/RetiredMilitary/

January 29, 2023

NAME & ADDRESS OF SUBJECT INDIVIDUAL

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Reference is made to your request for certification regarding receipt of Military pay in the 
account of      subject individual.

This is to certify that the member is on the Retired rolls of this Center and is currently entitled 
to pay at the gross monthly rate of  $x,xxx.00 which is normally payable during his/her lifetime.

Sincerely,

Retired Pay Department
 

DEFENSE FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING SERVICE
Retired and Annuitant Pay 8899 E 56th Street - Retired Pay
Indianapolis, IN 46249-1200 https://www.dfas.mil/RetiredMilitary/

January 29, 2023

NAME & ADDRESS OF SUBJECT INDIVIDUAL

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Reference is made to your request for certification regarding receipt of Military pay in the 
account of      abcdefg

This is to certify that the member is on the Retired rolls of this Center and is currently entitled 
to pay at the gross monthly rate of  $x,xxx.00 which is normally payable during his/her lifetime.

Sincerely,

Retired Pay Department
 

The https://mypay.dfas.mil site will also provide a current year letter for military pay to include the statement as follows: ...."normally payable during his/her lifetime."  Unfortunately there is no similar TRICARE letter.

Perhaps if BOI were "Educated" they would accept the current year military pay letter as evidence that a military retirees TRICARE benefit would also tag right along with the military pay "during his/her lifetime".
 

Edited DFAS Verify Pay CY2023.pdf

On 1/16/2023 at 5:18 PM, Pib said:

 

Update: I contacted BoI via their online contact form asking about the info in Misty's post regarding Tricare ...........But unfortunately, as I have Tricare as a military retiree of many years, I do not know what document they are talking about which shows the Tricare insurance will renew annually.   The only document I'm aware of you can get saying you are enrolled in Tricare is a one page benefits letter you can download from the military "DEERS" system which stands for Defense Eligibility Enrollment Reporting System if you have a milConnect online acct.  

 

More research to do I guess....maybe even go visa BoI in the near future  see if they would show me a redacted version of the letter they are talking about....the type of letter they are satisfied with.   I'm sure there are many military retirees with Tricare coverage monitoring this thread.  So, if you know what Tricare coverage letter BoI is referring to that says your Tricare coverage renews annually (versus some general info Tricare website/booklet that talks such) then please share that info. 

 

Pib,

Thank you for your research & comments ref TRICARE.  I will apply for LTR (Wealthy Pensioner) & 

am assembling documentation.  My only concern about that is satisfying proof for my TRICARE coverage.  If & when the TRICARE issue firms up, I will be eager to hear about it.

To compound the TRICARE proof issue for me: I can't even get the one-page DEERS letter you referenced, because I can't get into a DS logon milconnect account I thought I had established years ago. 

However, at https://mypay.dfas.mil military retirees are able to download a 1095B proving (to IRS & anybody else concerned) that DOD did indeed sponsor medical coverage for the Prior Year (But not the current year). Wish I knew if that will be acceptable to BOI because it is all I have at the moment.

2022 Form 1095-B (irs.gov)

6 minutes ago, Pib said:

If you are seriously interested in the LTR visa be sure to review the BOI LTR website and also read the AseanNow LTR topic/thread.  DrJack54 gave the weblink to the thread in his post above...but at the bottom I listed it again.     .... as you read thru the "entire" thread and the LTR Visa website I expect durn near all of your questions will be answered.....and answer questions you didn't think of asking yet.   ..........

 

 

Pib,

Thank you, & I apologize for not doing full homework reading the ASEANOW and BOI links before asking questions.  Yes, I am going to apply for the LTR (Wealthy Pensioner) and am assembling documentation.  My only concern about that is satisfying proof for my TRICARE coverage.  I read your comments on pg57 above link, that BOI will accept TRICARE coverage, but currently there is still uncertainty about what evidence /proof is definitely acceptable to BOI.  If & when the TRICARE issue firms up, I will be eager to hear about it.

To compound the TRICARE proof issue for me: I can't even get the one-page DEERS letter you referenced, because I can't get into a DS logon milconnect account I thought I had established years ago. 

However, at https://mypay.dfas.mil military retirees are able to download a 1095B proving (to IRS & anybody else concerned) that DOD did indeed sponsor medical coverage for the Prior Year (But not the current year). Wish I knew if that will be acceptable to BOI because it is all I have at the moment.

2022 Form 1095-B (irs.gov)

Sorry I got two threads going.  I'm considering copying and pasting these comments to the lengthier thread.

1 hour ago, Captor said:

Service unavailable on all links...

They work for me.  Perhaps (?) because the BOI website recognizes that I have already opened /registered a BOI account.  If one wants to follow-up. perhaps the first thing they should do is go to BOI website & registers online.  Then the following link is helpful:  LTR Visa Thailand - Contact (boi.go.th)

We thank you for your inquiry on LTR visa. As we are currently receiving a lot of email inquiries, please allow us 1 to 3 working days to send you a reply. Our working days and hours are Monday to Friday, 8.30-16.30 hrs. (BKK time). E-mails received on weekends or public holidays will be reviewed on the next business day.

Meanwhile, please visit our website https://ltr.boi.go.th for information which may help answer some of your questions.

Particularly you can find out on our website;

The criteria https://ltr.boi.go.th/index.html#type

Required documents https://ltr.boi.go.th/page/required-documents.html

Application process https://ltr.boi.go.th/index.html#app

Furthermore please submit your application online at [email protected] by clicking "To apply" button on the top right of the home page or Then you'll need to register for an LTR account first and sign back in in order to fill in the application online and upload required documents for the LTR visa type which you have eligibility.

We apologize for this inconvenience and very thankful for your patience and understanding. For urgent matters, please call +66(0) 2209 1100 ext. 1109-1110 or 1141-1149 or email at [email protected]

F groenen, thank you for your helpful input.

I woke up to the BOI links late, but they answer many of my questions.  First thing one should do is go to BOI website & registers online.  Then the following link is helpful:  LTR Visa Thailand - Contact (boi.go.th)

14 minutes ago, F Groenen said:

In case the visa is not renewed after 5 years, the cost is 10K/year since the 50K fee is non-refundable.

F Groenen, thank you for your experience.  Further specific questions for you

1.How did you forward your application to BOI, by physical paperwork taken to BOI office or by an online application emailed to BOI?

2.When did you pay the 50,000 THB: to BOI when applying or at Immigration after BOI approval?

3.After taking BOI approval to Immigration, what month did Immigration make your new LTR visa effective/start, at time/month of you going to Immigration, or at month when your then current visa (retirement or whatever) was due to expire?

2 hours ago, F Groenen said:

The LTR visa is renewed after 5 years. According to current statements by BOI, there will be no fee. So it is 50,000 THB for a 10-year visa.

There is an annual reporting requirement, instead of the 90-day reporting. This reporting has been free of fees. The annual report should also be free.

As with anything, things can change. I will find out in November what the annual reporting is.

If I do not qualify for renewal in 2027, I will have paid 10K per year for this visa.

Your 1,900 THB/year for renewal is a better deal. Lucky you.

Thank you for this helpful information about Fees.  Other posters have commented on the expected ease of reporting /renewal & that also helped answer my questions of the visa's value to me.

I was especially interested in total 10 Yr Fees required, and your input about currently No 5 Yr renewal Fee and No Fee at the annual reporting rqmt clarified that.  So, 50,000 THB/10 Yr=5,000/Yr.   However, it is even less when considering I currently pay 1,900 THB/Yr.  The net cost to me would be 3,200 THB/Yr, with my primary benefit being only reporting once per year (with potentially priority service).  It's beginning to look not so bad.

However, you calculated that it cost you 10,000/Yr.  Why is that?  I am guessing that perhaps you paid a Visa service 50,000 THB to assist you with the application.  Is that correct?

7 minutes ago, RedArmy said:

You are already on Retirement extensions & it is working for you.

Why change a winning formula ???

Ya, I'm converging on the same conclusion.  But playing devil's advocate to get all potential unknowns answered.

3 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

There is a 57 page thread on this topic..

Check it out. 

Thanks, I'm sure there is a lot of helpful information in those 57 pages, and hopefully I will find the time to read all 57 pages (wherever the thread is).  But I was hoping for reportable first hand experience on two specific questions.  Thanks again.

I qualify for Subject 10 Yr LTR Visa, which has a 50K Baht up front Application Fee.  The LTR visa is annually renewable, for an additional Annual Renewal Fee, of course.

Currently I pay 1,900 Baht per year to renew my normal retirement visa.  My guess is that the LTR annual renewal fee will also be 1,900 Baht.

Request anyone with experience of the LTR Process & Renewal Fee to please share. 

I currently use my monthly pensions (not 800K tied up in a bank) to annually qualify for the normal retirement visa, and the bank/paperwork process is straight forward.  Therefore, I am not sure if the annual LTR renewal process would be much less of a headache or not.  Perhaps with the LTR visa there would be less chance of getting caught up in a lengthy que.  Anyone with experience on the LTR Renewal Process itself, please share.   

Airport fast track service and exemption from re-entry permits is no real benefit for me.  Perhaps my only real benefit of the LTR visa would be an annual reduction of three 90 day reports (from 4 to 1, I assume done at the same time as annually renewing the LTR visa). 

50K Baht for that seems a bit expensive.

18 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

You have to go and get an appointment first. Apparently the depth perception test is broken or removed, for now anyway

Out in the middle of nowhere and they make you make a trip just to schedule when to come back again.  That doesn't seem very user friendly does it.  Well, perhaps the scheduled appointment eliminates a lot of otherwise long que waiting.

The game:  \

Round 1: She is just establishing herself (temporarily) that "She is Different".

Round 2: This "nice girl" needs money for something or other.  

23 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

AFAIK, if an American is living overseas, all purchases of U.S. mutual funds are not allowed, whether it's via an IRA account or any other brokerage account.

 

AFAIK, that restriction on U.S citizens living abroad only applies to mutual fund purchases and not other kinds of U.S. investment holdings.

 

 

Out of Curiosity--What might be the USG claimed rationale for that dichotomy?

This Sukhothai naval disaster should be a nail in the coffin of Chinese Submarines.  But it doesn't seem to be ringing such alarms.  As yet, I am unaware of any officials in a position to do so addressing the Chinese Submarine issues with respect to the extremely high life cycle costs of an undersea vessel (Safety, Logistics, Operational Effectiveness).

Plus, even such a Cost and Operational Effectiveness Analysis does not address the Strategic Military and Foreign Policy implications of being susceptible to CCP blackmail and CCP personnel stationed on Thai soil.

Jomtien Palm Beach on Jomtien Beach Road near Tappraya, beach front.

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Jomtien Palm Beach Hotel & Resort - Google Maps

14 hours ago, Lacrimas said:

usual wrong statistics. That's only Mueang Chiang Mai included but nowadays Sansai, Hang Dong, Saraphi and other areas should be included as well and that brings Chiang Mai to be the second biggest in Thailand.

Plus Samut Prakan & Nonthaburi could (perhaps should) be included in the Bangkok metropolitan area.