Form 7162 Reminder from SSA

[racyrick]

Has anybody received a reminder letter for Form 7162 from the SSA?

 

This would be a new form to remind you that SSA never received your form that was sent in June.

[ubonjoe]

Normally they do not start arriving until October.

They do not start sending them out until 30 days after the 60 day allowance for them to be received ends.

[Pib]

The wife didn't receive her initial form in June....contacted Manila...Manila said wait for the Sep/Oct 2nd mailing....if she doesn't get one from the 2nd mailing then contact Manila again.   

 

The wife has not rec'd an 2nd notice yet.  If not receiving it by the end of Oct we will then start beating on Manila's doors as they requested.

[Migz]

I just got the second notice today, Oct. 24.  The form specifically indicates "Second Request" at the top of the form and was dated Oct. 02, 2019.  It was accompanied by a note that says they sent me this second notice because they did not receive a reply from the first request they sent.  The truth is I never got the first one in the first place.  Anyway, I'm mailing this back via private courier service to their street address just to make sure they get it, even if it'll cost me quite a bit.  

[longball53098]

14 hours ago, Migz said:

I just got the second notice today, Oct. 24.  The form specifically indicates "Second Request" at the top of the form and was dated Oct. 02, 2019.  It was accompanied by a note that says they sent me this second notice because they did not receive a reply from the first request they sent.  The truth is I never got the first one in the first place.  Anyway, I'm mailing this back via private courier service to their street address just to make sure they get it, even if it'll cost me quite a bit.  

I just received my notice in Thai mail yesterday. Mailed October 4th. Mine also indicates it is a second notice and I also never received the first. I will mail back using International airmail registered from Thai Post today

[gk10002000]

ha. Sounds like "second notice" is misused a bit by the SSA  !  I wont start my benefits until the end of next year, but it is good to read about experiences from Expats, living out of the USA, address issues etc.  I will definitely keep a valid USA address one way or the other. 

Edited October 25, 2019 by gk10002000

[tatom]

Received my "second notice" today. When I received the first letter back in June, I sent it back the following day, Been awhile so, I thought I was all set.

 

I went to the post office today and sent it back EMS to be sure. 880 bt !!

 

Is there a cheaper way to send it with tracking?

 

PS  Had to make a trip back home to get my ID.

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, tatom said:

Is there a cheaper way to send it with tracking?

Registered mail costs about 104 baht. But the tracking after it gets to Wilkes Barre is not reliable.

I sent mine on June 7th. It took 20 days to arrive at customs in NY as shown USPS website. Then it showed on the 7th of July that it was in route to Wilkes Barre from Scranton, PA.

No more updates unit it showed delivered on September 10th. Apparently it was in Wilkes Barre but not scanned until then.

Got the 2nd notice last Thursday.  Sent a email that evening with a copy of the 7162 I sent a copy of all the tracking in shown on Thai post and USPS to Manila asking them what I should do. No reply from them yet.

 

[Pib]

My wife still hasn't got the Jun/1st or Oct/2nd notice as of 25 Oct/today.  But Oct is not quite over yet so I will wait until 1 Nov before I start beating on Manila's door (per their earlier guidance/request).  We get mail from the US no problem to our Bangkok address....arrives in less than two weeks.  The exact same address that's on-file with the SSA....and her address on file matches my SSA on file address exactly.  I got my 7162 in June and immediately mailed it back....no Oct notice (yet) so hopefully my reply arrived.

 

It just shouldn't be this hard for SSA to get mail to a person.  My gut is telling me a dead or alive form was never mailed for whatever reason.

 

Regarding how long it takes plain old airmail and registered air mail from Thailand to arrive the US destination address, based on three tests I did earlier this year plain old airmail arrived in 10 to 14 days and registered airmail took around a month.  The registered mail would go completely missing in action/lost in space for weeks on the USPS and Thai Postal System tracking system.  And would spend times (days) clearing customs on the US end in New York.  Two of the three registered airmails never showed as being delivered on the US or Thai postal tracking systems but all three did indeed arrive.

[racyrick]

Thanks for all the replies. I did not get one, so hopefully all is well. I will still hold my breath for another week.

I sent mine by regular air mail and sent a backup form also by regular air mail a week later, so hopefully at least one of them got thru to them.

 

On another note that is a little off topic, I did get a notice from the IRS saying they received Form1040X which is an amended return however, I never filed or sent one. If it's not one thing, it's another. Hope there was no identity theft and someone trying to get a big refund or employer milking the system.

[longball53098]

21 hours ago, tatom said:

Received my "second notice" today. When I received the first letter back in June, I sent it back the following day, Been awhile so, I thought I was all set.

 

I went to the post office today and sent it back EMS to be sure. 880 bt !!

 

Is there a cheaper way to send it with tracking?

 

PS  Had to make a trip back home to get my ID.

Yes I sent my using Thai Post International Airmail registered cost 113 baht. I will track it and see how it goes

[George Bowman]

I also received my 2nd notice and jumped through the hoop one more time. 

[CALSinCM]

On 10/25/2019 at 11:19 AM, ubonjoe said:

Registered mail costs about 104 baht. But the tracking after it gets to Wilkes Barre is not reliable.

I sent mine on June 7th. It took 20 days to arrive at customs in NY as shown USPS website. Then it showed on the 7th of July that it was in route to Wilkes Barre from Scranton, PA.

No more updates unit it showed delivered on September 10th. Apparently it was in Wilkes Barre but not scanned until then.

Got the 2nd notice last Thursday.  Sent a email that evening with a copy of the 7162 I sent a copy of all the tracking in shown on Thai post and USPS to Manila asking them what I should do. No reply from them yet.

 

Same here.  Just got my second notice today. 

I mailed my original 7162 on June 17 via registered mail and it showed up in New York July 1st.  The last time I checked it at the end of July it had fallen into the USPS Blackhole for SSA Forms 7162, but somehow escaped to be delivered to Wilkes Barre on September 14 - almost two and a half months after arriving in New York to be delivered in Wilkes Barre.  Given there is more than just one of us experiencing the exact same problem with USPS and their handling of SSA Form 7162 document sent via registered mail from Thailand, you have to wonder -- why?  Why is USPS sitting on important, time-sensitive documents that are sent via registered mail?  And yet, quite obviously, they are! 
This doesn't look to be a "one-off" problem.  It looks more like standard operating procedure.

 

Given that my original mailing has been supposed received on September 14th which must have been after second-notice mailing processing cutoff date, I'm thinking I'll just send this second notice by regular mail and see what shakes come Feb 2020. 

Ubonjoe.  If you get a reply from SSA Manila it would be interesting to know what they advise.

Thanks!

 

 

 

[Pib]

Just FYI.   The postman just made made mail delivery on my soi for 31 Oct.  My family member drawing SSA did not receive a 7162 during the June/July or September/October mailing.  I sent an email to Manila stating such and requesting action/next step on the 7162 non-receipt.  Below is the  automatic response I got which talks contacting Manila, non-receipt of 7162, and other issues.  Note that Manila now says do follow-up if not receiving a response unless you do not get a response from them in "10" business days; that use to be 5 business days earlier this year.  

 

 

Quote

 

Thank you for contacting the Federal Benefits Unit at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. We will respond to your inquiry within ten (10) business days. Please do not follow-up on your inquiry unless you have not received a response within ten (10) business days.

 

To assist us in answering your inquiry, we may request additional information from you. Providing this information is optional; however, we may not be able to assist you without the following information:

·         Last Name:

·         First Name:

·         Date of Birth:

·         Place of Birth:

·         Last four digits of Social Security Number (SSN):

·         Address:

·         Contact Number:

 

Apply Online for Benefits – It’s fast and easy!

 

You can apply for the following benefits online:

1.    Retirement at www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement

2.    Disability at www.socialsecurity.gov/applyfordisability

3.    Medicare Only at www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare

 

If you have a U.S. or APO/FPO/DPO mailing address, you can also apply for your own personal mySocialSecurity account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount. At this time, no other online services are available outside the United States.

 

Our online hours of operation are:

·         Weekdays     5:00 AM – 1:00 AM Eastern Time (ET)

·         Saturday       5:00 AM – 11:00 PM ET

·         Sunday         8:00 AM – 11:30 PM ET

·         Holidays        5:00 AM – 1:00 AM ET

 

Form SSA-7162 / SSA-7161 (Report to the United States Social Security Administration)

 

Form SSA-7162 is sent from Wilkes-Barre, PA and must be completed by all beneficiaries according to the schedule below. If a beneficiary has a representative payee, Form SSA-7161 will be sent to the representative payee for completion.

 

·         Beneficiaries with addresses in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, and APO/FPO/DPO receive the form every two years.

·         Beneficiaries in countries not mentioned above receive the form every year.

 

The form is mailed to beneficiaries in May and a follow-up letter is mailed in September. If the completed form is not received by the end of the year, benefits are suspended beginning with the February payment of the following year.

 

To avoid the suspension of your benefits, please complete the form as soon as you receive it and mail it back using the enclosed business reply envelope. Do not submit the completed form to the Federal Benefits Unit in Manila or to a U.S. Embassy/Consulate.

 

IMPORTANT: If you do not receive the form by November, contact us right away, preferably by e-mail.

 

Sincerely,

 

Social Security Administration – Federal Benefits Unit

Embassy of the United States of America | Manila, Philippines

Inquiry Line: (+63 2) 301-2000, Option 9 – NOTE: Effective October 6, 2019, our new phone number will be (+63 2) 5301-2000

Telephone Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays - 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM (Manila Time), except U.S. and Philippine Holidays

Public Hours: Monday through Friday - 8:00 AM  to 12:00 PM, except U.S. and Philippine Holidays and the first Wednesday of every month

 

For additional information regarding the Social Security Administration, please visit www.ssa.gov.

 

 

[racyrick]

1 hour ago, Pib said:

Just FYI.   The postman just made made mail delivery on my soi for 31 Oct.  My family member drawing SSA did not receive a 7162 during the June/July or September/October mailing.  I sent an email to Manila stating such and requesting action/next step on the 7162 non-receipt.  Below is the  automatic response I got which talks contacting Manila, non-receipt of 7162, and other issues.  Note that Manila now says do follow-up if not receiving a response unless you do not get a response from them in "10" business days; that use to be 5 business days earlier this year.  

 

 

 

Thanks for always keeping us informed and updated.

It is greatly appreciated!!

[tatom]

Sent my form in by EMS, 7 days ago. The tracking shows it's been received by the recipient, "D Kosin". Would that just be someone who works for the SSA?

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, tatom said:

Sent my form in by EMS, 7 days ago. The tracking shows it's been received by the recipient, "D Kosin". Would that just be someone who works for the SSA?

I assume it would be somebody working for the SSA. Same name as shown on the one I sent by registered mail.

[Pib]

As mentioned in my earlier posts a family member never rec'd the dead or alive form....not from the Jun/Jul or Sep/Oct mailings.  I fully expect SSA never mailed the form as we get mail to our Bangkok address (Bangkok address is on-file with SSA) from the US all the time...no problem...like from US govt agencies (even other docs from SSA)...family/friends....in around 8-14 days by plain ol' USPS first class mail costing around $1.15 in postage.  

 

An earlier email to Manila basically resulted in a response saying if the form is not rec' by 1 Nov to contact them again for guidance.  Fair enough.   However, the form was not rec'd by 1 Nov so Manila was emailed again last week and today Manila responded by saying below (partial quote) and providing a blank dead or alive form to complete and mail back to Wilkes Barre.

 

The form has been completed and mailed back today plain ol' airmail "and" also registered airmail....approx Bt141 total to mail both envelopes.  Sorry, not going to do ExpressMail...too durn expensive...up around Bt1,000.   Yeap, two copies heading toward Wilkes Barre to hopefully ensure at least one copy arrives.   I expect the regular airmail will arrive weeks before the registered airmail based on mailing tests I've done.  Manila did not say mail two copies...that's just me doing that to help ensure "one" copy arrives within a few weeks to a month since SS payments are a pretty important thing and we are getting close to the payment suspension notices which would be mailed in January if no dead or alive form is rec'd by then.

 

Based on three test mailings over several months I did earlier in the year where each test mailing consisted of a regular airmail envelope and a registered airmail envelope mailed at the same time from Bangkok to Houston, the plain ol' airmail envelopes took 11 to 14 days to arrive and the registered airmail envelopes took 21 to 33 days to arrive....the registered airmails took roughly two to three times as long as plain ol' airmail.   Seems registered airmail just takes longer to get to the US entry point (typically New York City for mail from Thailand) and then can gets stuck in U.S. Customs for 2 to 10 days maybe because the registered envelopes are probably in the same container as registered "packages" which are likely to undergo inspection/import duty checks which slows down the release of all mail in the container  

from Customs back to USPS for continued delivery. 

 

Manila's Partial Quote

Quote

 

Since you have not received the Annual Questionnaire (Form SSA-7162), you may print and fill out the attached.

Please mail the original signed form to the address below.

 

Social Security Administration

PO Box 7162

Wilkes Barre PA 18767-7162

United States of America

 

 

Blank Dead or Alive Form

SSA-7162 FEQ Self.pdf

 

 

 

[Pib]

Got another email from Manila today from a different rep providing the same blank form but asking for it's completion, scan, and "email back to Manila.   I'll do that also. 

 

So, one rep sends me the blank form and says to complete and mail to Wilkes Barre.....but a second rep says complete/scan/send it back to Manila.   Nothing like getting varying guidance.  

[Migz]

10 hours ago, Pib said:

Got another email from Manila today from a different rep providing the same blank form but asking for it's completion, scan, and "email back to Manila.   I'll do that also. 

 

So, one rep sends me the blank form and says to complete and mail to Wilkes Barre.....but a second rep says complete/scan/send it back to Manila.   Nothing like getting varying guidance.  

I think both reps may be correct.  I got this from Dominican Republic US Embassy website:

 

"If you do not receive the questionnaire by mail, you can obtain it from our web page, specifically in the link FOREIGN ENFORCEMENT QUESTIONNAIRE (FEQ) – SSA-7161 AND SSA-7162.

You can print it and send a copy via email to [email protected]. Send the completed form to the appropriate address below:

• Submit Form SSA-7161 to: Social Security Administration, P.O. Box 7161, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18767-7161.
• Submit Form SSA-7162 to: Social Security Administration, P.O. Box 7162, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18767-7162"

 

[Migz]

I wonder why the US Embassy in Manila does not provide similar guideline on their website.  Here's another set of instructions from FBU Sto. Domingo if SSA Form 7162 was never received:

 

"If you do not have the form we mailed to you, then you can download the forms here: SSA-7161 (PDF -175kb) or SSA-7162 (PDF – 164kb), print it double sided, email a copy to [email protected] and mail the original directly to Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Where to mail your questionnaire:

Form SSA-7161 mail to:
Social Security Administration
P.O. Box 7161
Wilkes Barre, PA 18767-7161

Form SSA-7162 mail to:
Social Security Administration
P.O. Box 7162
Wilkes Barre, PA 18767-7162"

[Pib]

Maybe....but in their automated reply when emailing Manila in that automated reply is a statement saying mail the form back to Wilkes Barre..."Do Not" submit to Manila.  But for that statement they are really referring to the mailing back the 7162 a person should have got in the mail.  Then Manila has the IMPORTANT note in saying if your don't get the 7162 the contact Manila by email where they will give further guidance. 

 

So far the guidance I got from one Manila rep was here the blank form, fill it out, and "mail to Wilkes Barre."  Then guidance from another Manila rep saying here is the blank from, fill it out, scan it, and "email it back to Manila."   I shall follow the guidance of both reps. 

 

Then if my family member's benefits still get suspended starting the 3 Feb 2020 payment because of no 7162 being receive back by mail, email, Pony Express rider, etc.,  I'll be able to seriously scream at Manila. ????

 

Partial Quote from Manila Automated Reply

Quote

 

To avoid the suspension of your benefits, please complete the form as soon as you receive it and mail it back using the enclosed business reply envelope. Do not submit the completed form to the Federal Benefits Unit in Manila or to a U.S. Embassy/Consulate.

 

IMPORTANT: If you do not receive the form by November, contact us right away, preferably by e-mail.

 

 

[Sheryl]

On 10/25/2019 at 11:19 AM, ubonjoe said:

Registered mail costs about 104 baht. But the tracking after it gets to Wilkes Barre is not reliable.

I sent mine on June 7th. It took 20 days to arrive at customs in NY as shown USPS website. Then it showed on the 7th of July that it was in route to Wilkes Barre from Scranton, PA.

No more updates unit it showed delivered on September 10th. Apparently it was in Wilkes Barre but not scanned until then.

Got the 2nd notice last Thursday.  Sent a email that evening with a copy of the 7162 I sent a copy of all the tracking in shown on Thai post and USPS to Manila asking them what I should do. No reply from them yet.

 

 

I sent mine on June 17th. Reached the US wihtin a few days but then stayed in "out for delivery status" for months! Did nto get delivered until 17 Octotber. I have no idea why.

 

meanwhile I received a second notice (dated Oct 4, don't kniw when it arrived as I just returned from Cambodia yesterday) .

 

To  be completely safe I will send that back as well and this time by EMS.

 

When will they join the modern era and let us email these back?

[ubonjoe]

21 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

meanwhile I received a second notice (dated Oct 4, don't kniw when it arrived as I just returned from Cambodia yesterday) .

To  be completely safe I will send that back as well and this time by EMS.

I have not gotten a reply back from Manila yet. Sent 2nd email a over a week ago and still no reply.

I have decided to wait it out and see if I get the last notice.

The cover letter states if you have sent the 1st one recently not to send another one. I assume the September 10th delivery would be recent.

[Jingthing]

Mi

36 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

I sent mine on June 17th. Reached the US wihtin a few days but then stayed in "out for delivery status" for months! Did nto get delivered until 17 Octotber. I have no idea why.

 

meanwhile I received a second notice (dated Oct 4, don't kniw when it arrived as I just returned from Cambodia yesterday) .

 

To  be completely safe I will send that back as well and this time by EMS.

Bb

When will they join the modern era and let us email these back?

I reckon they won't. Think of the money they save by stopping benefits and some people just giving up. 

 

Here’s an even more extreme case. 

 

I sent my first one in June registered mail. 

 

Several weeks later it made it to Wilkes Barre post office. 

 

Then never delivered  until NOVEMBER 8!

 

I never got a second notice. 

 

What the fudge is goin' on?!? 

[Sheryl]

26 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

I have not gotten a reply back from Manila yet. Sent 2nd email a over a week ago and still no reply.

I have decided to wait it out and see if I get the last notice.

The cover letter states if you have sent the 1st one recently not to send another one. I assume the September 10th delivery would be recent.

Joe

 

Do you think they mean do not send as in, will cause a problem, or just "no need to send"?

 

I'm a little paranoid, had a screw up last year that took months to get my benefits restarted and I am still trying to get double payment of Medicare Part B refunded as a result of it. Don't want to go throigh that again.

[Pib]

2 hours ago, Sheryl said:

When will they join the modern era and let us email these back?

I've thought about why SSA does not use  electronic/e-correspondence methods to confirm with overseas beneficiaries whether they are deal or alive.  And based on my own family member and on several other SSA beneficiaries I know here in Thailand, when it comes to the "technology" of email, e-correspondence, uploading stuff, computer use, smartphone use, etc., that is all magic to them.....simply above their full understanding or desire to understand in most cases.  Sure my family member and some some others know how to view Youtube videos on the phones, look at Intragram pictures, use LINE at a very basic level, but beyond that they still live in the pen and paper, telephone call world of technology.  They are perfectly happy with and definitely want the "mail" method.   

 

I expect SSA knows they are primarily dealing with old people....many beneficaries who don't understand much English....don't understand/use a lot of current day communications technology...and therefore continue to rely on "the snail mail method."  

 

 

I expect the snail method will be the way for years to come but it sure would be nice for SSA to also offer an alternative electronic means to confirm whether a person is dead or alive.  This snail mail method just sucks since many never get the notification via mail and/or the completed form takes so long to get back/be processed by Wilkes Barre.

 

 

 

[ubonjoe]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

Do you think they mean do not send as in, will cause a problem, or just "no need to send"?

It says "you don't have to do anything else".

I don't think it means it would be a problem if you sent it.

My mail has been dependable so not really worried about not getting the last notice if they send one.

Problems occur when they do stop payments.

[Sheryl]

On 11/2/2019 at 10:17 AM, tatom said:

Sent my form in by EMS, 7 days ago. The tracking shows it's been received by the recipient, "D Kosin". Would that just be someone who works for the SSA?

Mine was signed by the same person!

 

 

[ubonjoe]

3 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Mine was signed by the same person!

Same for mine.

I am hoping that my first email was forwarded to somebody at the SSA to find out what the problem is. I attached plenty of proof of how long it was in transit from Scranton to Wilkes Barre.