OneZero

Rotweiler, Check on this thread in the Visa section of aseannow. Adv008 said that as of his visit to Mae Sai bordrer today (22Feb2023) the border was not open to foreign passport holders. I have no idea if either he or I are misinterpreting something.

Rotweiler, Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a thorough reply of your experience.

Pib, I know that when the first year is up for the early enrollees, we will get reports back about the address reporting process. But based upon what you may already have learned, will the process be the same as 90 day reporting at local immigration office, with ability to do two weeks ahead or 7 days after? Also, will the reporting date be fixed, like the Visa Issuance date is fixed, or will the address reporting date be shifted (like 90 day report) to 365 days after the day you just reported?

Rotweiler thank you. -Can you remember any other specific actions /passport entries by you, Thai Immigration, or Burmese Immigration? For example, dates in passport to: cancel re-entry permit, date enter Burma, date re-enter Thailand (old TM6), etc? - Did you fill out any forms giving your address? Were any hardcopy dated papers given to you? - Was Thai Immigration officer recording anything into a computer (passport data, address, etc)

Rotweiler, Thank you for that information. I apologize again for not being able to answer your specific question, and for then querying you for something else that you may know about the past use of that, quote, "mini-Visa that was obtained from the Myanmar Immigration police at the border". Question: Do you know how Thai Immigration treated /stamped the returnees passport, and potentially /possibly record the return from a foreign country in Immigration computers? I ask because I am wondering if past use of the then mini-visa, with an overnight stay at a hotel, and therefore return from a foreign country, was also able to serve to re-set the returnees 90 day window for Thai Immigrration address reporting.

Sorry I can't answer your question. Perhaps someone who can answer your question can also answer my related questions. 1. Can foreigners (I'm a US citizen with Thai Non-O visa) cross through Tachileik to spend a few days in the country side or nearby small cities? 2. If the answer is Yes, what is needed (Burmese visa, Thai re-entry permit, etc)?

I submitted my application 03Feb and got full approved endorsement today 17Feb. I did submit my 2022 tax form 1040 and also 3 pensions in my name to back it up. The only request I got for more documentation concerned my self-insuring health care. Concerning that, what follows is cut & paste info that I posted to the BOI thread addressing TRICARE coverage for US military retirees: An update. I checked on the STATUS of my application, STEP 4, ACTION /View and noted that a document review screener made the following comment ref self-funding medical insurance, quote: "Financial evidence showing a deposit of no less than 100,000 USD which has been held for no less than 12 months at the time of application. For this one, it must be cash only. Do you have TRICARE Overseas health insurance?" My DFAS pension may have alerted them to the possibility that I had TRICARE coverage. So, I successfully uploaded my Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) letter proving my current coverage. Note that after I had already submitted my original application, I went back and tried to upload that same letter before, prior to being asked for it, and the already submitted application would not successfully upload any new documents. Once a screener specifically asked me for it, the screener also provided a location for me to upload what they asked for. The DMDC letter was all I uploaded, and my application was endorsed within an hour after that.

The DMDC letter comes with a password to open it. I named the DMDC letter I uploaded the same as the password. The screener caught on that the name of the document was also the password.

Yes, indeed that was the case for me. When requested the DMDC letter was all I uploaded, and my application was endorsed within an hour after that. The screener was aware I was a military retiree. That is probably why the screener specifically asked me if I had TRICARE coverage without me first asking the screener if TRICARE was acceptable.

An update. I checked on the STATUS of my application, STEP 4, ACTION /View and noted that a document review screener made the following comment ref self-funding medical insurance, quote: "Financial evidence showing a deposit of no less than 100,000 USD which has been held for no less than 12 months at the time of application. For this one, it must be cash only. Do you have TRICARE Overseas health insurance?" My DFAS pension may have alerted them to the possibility that I had TRICARE coverage. So, I successfully uploaded my Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) letter proving my current coverage. Note that after I had already submitted my original application, I went back and tried to upload that same letter before, prior to being asked for it, and the already submitted application would not successfully upload any new documents. Once a screener specifically asked me for it, the screener also provided a location for me to upload what they asked for.

Culture is indeed slow to change. A root cause is that corruption is fostered by the heavy influence of Patronage in Thai culture. The Patronage aspect of Thai culture starts at the top. The very very top. I think you know what I mean without saying so (Les majeste you know).

Just reporting on the timeframe to receive my emailed TRICARE current coverage verification letter: 34 hours (from call Thai time Mon 2130 to email receipt Wed 0730 hrs). Well done TRICARE.

If 90 day report folks are waiting outside, and renewal can go in the exit door, then what are the long ques for?

Using Skype free call to a US toll free number, I called TRICARE +1-800-538-9552 at 9:15 pm Thai time. Smooth as silk, as Pib has already described. Within 5 minutes the lady put in the order to email me the TRICARE Current Coverage verification letter. She said it could take 2 to 3 days to arrive. Since Pib got his within 8 hours, I'm guessing that I will also. I'll update this post stating how many hours it took to arrive. Painless and cost free. How easy once one has established exactly how to do it. Hope the word spreads to everybody needing such a letter.

Using Skype to call US is free for a toll-free number (800, etc) I tried it & got a recording which I expected with office closed. So, M-F next week I will call back 5am-5pm Pacific Coast Time. Using Skype the number has a "+1" prefix, so: +1-800-538-9552. But Skype automatically adds the "+1" itself when you ID on pull down screen that you are calling the US. This will help many people looking for proof of TRICARE coverage. Thanks for your knowledge & experience Pib.

I should have added: I will use SKYPE on my pc or laptop, not on my mobile phone (using Skype, I don't know if that would make any difference or not).

Learn something every day. I have Skype already. So, does that means that as long as I have some money in my Skype account, I can use the keypad to dial the TRICARE landline? Assuming Yes, which number would I use: 800-538-9552 or 1-800-538-9552 or some other prefix-800-538-9552? I'd test it out myself right now, but I have to top up my Skype account first. I'm traveling for a couple weeks & purposely left my US credit card at home because I didn't think I'd need it.

Aha, I didn't know that. I guess I have "TRICARE For Life" (TFL) plan. I see the monthly costs are roughly equivalent to Medicare Part B ($170/Mo range), which "Select Overseas" doesn't have to pay. But "Select" cost start much earlier in Life. Is "TFL" not available to everyone, or are there other reasons a person would choose "Select" instead of "TFL" plan?

Pib, Excellent explanatory post, thank you. I'm not sure where you find the time to be so continually up to date and helpful on a myriad of issues. I will try the options in the links for calling US when I'm back from traveling. How does one become enabled to a US VOIP number (excuse my ignorance).

That's exactly the number I called on my mobile, actually twice: 18005389552 and also just 8005389552. Both times I got a Thai recording saying in English that the number does not exist. I just tried again with the same recording. What could I be doing wrong?

Excellent Pib, Thanks. For all readers future reference, exactly what phone number did you use?

Hi Pib, I tried calling an 800 number shown at the bottom of letter TRICARE sent you (pg 57 long thread that you referred me to. Couldn't get through. I'm completely locked out of milconnect/DSLogon now. Out of extreme frustration (perhaps due to own ignorance) I said to hell with it and filled my application with BOI using the self insured option just like you did. If BOI refuses that I'll start the TRICARE letter exploration dilemma all over again later BTW, your pg57 long thread discussion of BOI approving TRICARE now was very good, thank you for that; and thank BOI as well.

I have already applied for the BOI LTR 10 Yr Visa (Wealthy pensioner), using the $100K reserve self-funding method. However, it is worth continuing research to answer the question of how to obtain approval for TRICARE coverage. Pib has reported that BOI is “Sympathetic” to approving TRICARE for a LTR 10Yr visa if US Military Retirees can prove their TRICARE coverage is consistently current year to year. BOI will likely want an annual official TRICARE document explicitly certifying TRICARE coverage is Current. How can US military retirees easily access such proof annually? One issue is that BOI could become “Unsympathetic” at any time in the future if they change their minds about the adequacy of documentation retirees are able to obtain from official TRICARE sources /milconnect - DMDC websites. A second issue is that it is currently difficult, if not impossible, for retirees to Logon /gain access to those unfriendly websites, because they now demand a US address & phone# for enhanced security /identity verification. A third issue: Military retirees under age 65 are entitled to free overseas TRICARE health care funding, but at age 65+ TRICARE coverage stops if they do not voluntarily pay SSA Medicare “Part B Insurance” premiums. Even though they are still entitled to lifetime military retired pay, retirees will indeed lose TRICARE coverage if they don’t voluntarily pay. We don’t want anybody who has lost TRICARE coverage to represent themselves to BOI as still having it, based solely upon the DFAS document (1 below) certifying current /lifetime receipt of military retired pay. If mis-representation is discovered, BOI could become unwilling to consider granting approval for true TRICARE covered recipients In light of the above issues, it is very doubtful, but perhaps worth asking BOI to accept the following 2 documents (edited copies attached): (1) An easy download DFAS letter that certifies a named individual is on the lifetime military Retired pay Rolls. (2) An easy download “SSA Benefit Verification Letter” proving Medicare “Part B Insurance” payments are current. Having both letters is implicit evidence, but not Explicit proof, the individual currently has TRICARE coverage. If in future anybody identifies what specific TRICARE documents BOI will accept, & how US military retirees can easily annually access such documents, please share that information in this or a new thread, & unburied in other threads. Quote Pib 31Jan2023: “IMO the DFAS prior year 1095B or DFAS letter saying you are receiving retirement pay wouldn't hack it with BOI as evidence you have the required health care coverage. But that's only my opinion. Yes, the 1095B is just fine to prove prior year health care coverage for U.S. tax law purposes, but I seriously doubt it would be accepted by BOI since it does not provide any details on the coverage such as the name of the insurer (e.g., Tricare), amount of coverage, whether coverage applies to Thailand, etc.” “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.” It's very easy to get locked out of DS Logon milconnect. I would only recommend using DS Logon if you have no other choice 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 used to allow a connection 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.” “I would recommend you call the Benefits Support phone number at milConnect to see if you can request a Proof of Health Care Coverage Letter via phone....like the example I gave in the other thread.. Humans are supposedly at that number (after going thru the interactive prompts) from 5am to 5pm "Pacific Time" Mon-Fri. You may be able to request the letter that way and they would hopefully mail it to you. https://milconnect.dmdc.osd.mil/milconnect/ “ Unquote Pib. (My edit: if anyone tries this, please report back outcome) Edited 2023 SSA Benefits Ltr Verifies Medicare++.pdf

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

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?