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Posted

So many people say get a job. Not that easy. Age 64 (or there abouts), heart condition, no recent employment history, no address. Most applications will be ignored. And an alcoholic. I found it damn difficult to find a job when i was just 55 and recently made redundant. The only job i could get involved some lifting and physical work, i ended up at the chiropractor (not free) or in Physiotherapy every few months. In my last year of work i was signed off on sick leave more than 50% of the time. I gave up, took early retirement and came to Thailand.

 

Fortunately i have survived here for 13 years without any major issues and have enough pension money to live comfortably if not lavishly. But major surgery like the OP would wipe me out.

 

Reality - getting somewhere PERMANENT to live is an issue. Rents have gone through the roof. He would be dependent on help from his local council, if he can find one which will take him on (you have to prove a connection to the area). Also because he has been living outside the UK, no automatic benefits (JSA, universal credit, etc.) will be paid for 3 months. Those first 3 months will be a struggle. Some financial assistance may be found, but not a given thing. Yes, the local council has a responsibility, but they are hopelessly overstretched.

 

Do not know how much the OP has left in cash or what monthly income he has if any, but if he cannot survive 3 months it will be a struggle. A van, if he can afford it, is a possible thing.

 

As for living on the streets, even in the summer temperatures can fall below 10 degrees Centigrade in summer; i remember night fishing some years ago and 3-5 a.m. it was COLD even in summer. I doubt if the OP would survive 6 months with his age and health.

 

I feel sorry for the OP, but he has some tough decisions to make.

 

My advice to everyone - circumstances change, and you need to maintain a lifeline to your home country if it has a decent social system. 3 important things to maintain....

1. A bank account. You cannot open a UK bank account without an address and utility bills, and without one you cannot rent accommodation.

2. Maintain an address - either with relatives or friends, it helps (with point one, for instance).

3. Keep enough money there to survive 3 months - if you have been living abroad, you are a non-person for those first 3 months (my son experienced this TWICE on returning to the UK, after living abroad for over 6 months).

 

 

  • Like 2
Posted
21 minutes ago, rickudon said:

A van, if he can afford it, is a possible thing.

I have a home to go to but if I were in the OPs shoes , even getting a van can be expensive these days, When I left the UK many years ago a reasonable old banger with MOT could be had for 500 pounds. These days , very hard to find one at that price. Will need considerably more plus a bit of spare cash in case it breaks down. More affordable would be a good tent, mattress and sleeping bag for some stealth camping. Even this only possible in the summer.

Posted
23 minutes ago, Denim said:

I have a home to go to but if I were in the OPs shoes , even getting a van can be expensive these days, When I left the UK many years ago a reasonable old banger with MOT could be had for 500 pounds. These days , very hard to find one at that price. Will need considerably more plus a bit of spare cash in case it breaks down. More affordable would be a good tent, mattress and sleeping bag for some stealth camping. Even this only possible in the summer.

But you can't insure the van or get a driving license without an address, 

Posted
42 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

But you can't insure the van or get a driving license without an address, 

That's  a bummer for anyone who has absolutely  no relatives, friends or contacts.

  • 4 months later...
Posted
On 6/26/2023 at 8:17 AM, sapson said:

One problem you have to dodge is the HRT, habitual residence test, if youve been out of the country for a few years you have to wait three months on your return to then be eligible to claim universal credit the weekly allowance and housing benefit both would only start from month four.

 

Unless you dont tell them youve been abroad so long, then they require previous address employment etc so its difficult but possible. You must also show intent to make Uk now your permanent home.

 

However if you are deported not recommended you dont need the HRT test and qualify for immediate claiming of benefits. not sure if simply coming to the end of a visa soon and having to leave before illegal status imprisonment would work although its common sense not always noted by computer says no DSS new claims call center in Mumbai. 

 

Wish you the very best of good fortune!

 

 

Maybe i was lucky

I returned after 28 years away HRT test took place a job centre i was confirmed UK resident a week later universal credit and rent payment  stated within a month

i was honest told them i had run out of money come back to work till my pension kicked in October 2024 when i would return to home in Thailand

Nationwide opened  bank account no problems

qualified for NHS check up free eyes tests meds  now awaiting small hernia op on NHS (12 weeks ) then time for the off

Plenty of well paid  jobs around so moving back ahead of schedule

 

  • Thumbs Up 1
Posted
On 7/6/2023 at 10:47 AM, rickudon said:

So many people say get a job. Not that easy. Age 64 (or there abouts), heart condition, no recent employment history, no address. Most applications will be ignored. And an alcoholic. I found it damn difficult to find a job when i was just 55 and recently made redundant. The only job i could get involved some lifting and physical work, i ended up at the chiropractor (not free) or in Physiotherapy every few months. In my last year of work i was signed off on sick leave more than 50% of the time. I gave up, took early retirement and came to Thailand.

 

Fortunately i have survived here for 13 years without any major issues and have enough pension money to live comfortably if not lavishly. But major surgery like the OP would wipe me out.

 

Reality - getting somewhere PERMANENT to live is an issue. Rents have gone through the roof. He would be dependent on help from his local council, if he can find one which will take him on (you have to prove a connection to the area). Also because he has been living outside the UK, no automatic benefits (JSA, universal credit, etc.) will be paid for 3 months. Those first 3 months will be a struggle. Some financial assistance may be found, but not a given thing. Yes, the local council has a responsibility, but they are hopelessly overstretched.

 

Do not know how much the OP has left in cash or what monthly income he has if any, but if he cannot survive 3 months it will be a struggle. A van, if he can afford it, is a possible thing.

 

As for living on the streets, even in the summer temperatures can fall below 10 degrees Centigrade in summer; i remember night fishing some years ago and 3-5 a.m. it was COLD even in summer. I doubt if the OP would survive 6 months with his age and health.

 

I feel sorry for the OP, but he has some tough decisions to make.

 

My advice to everyone - circumstances change, and you need to maintain a lifeline to your home country if it has a decent social system. 3 important things to maintain....

1. A bank account. You cannot open a UK bank account without an address and utility bills, and without one you cannot rent accommodation.

2. Maintain an address - either with relatives or friends, it helps (with point one, for instance).

3. Keep enough money there to survive 3 months - if you have been living abroad, you are a non-person for those first 3 months (my son experienced this TWICE on returning to the UK, after living abroad for over 6 months).

 

 

Good post.

 

4. Maintain ID's. Without valid ID you can't get the bank account, rental address or any type of financial services. Can get a safe deposit box at a bank before you move with your birth certificate, ID's, some cash, etc. Cheaper then a storage unit. It's always there if shtf. 

  • 6 months later...
Posted

Hi everyone. 

 

Thank you for some useful information, and my apologies for not replying. 

 

I have been "out of the loop" for a while, with an added anxiety issue of being robbed at knife point in my condo. It scared the life out of me!

 

I have been searching for accommodation that I could just about afford, but have not found anything yet. Roughly £500 a month totally unfurnished, which would mean all the extra expenses of buying a bed, tv, kettle, and so on! Not possible with the small amount of money I would have. 

 

I have emailed social services in the UK and waiting for a reply. 

 

I have been to an alcohol rehabilitation centre in chiang rai, for 1 month, costing me 800,000 baht, and I have got my extreme alcoholism sort of under control, but I admit that I have relapsed on occasions. The alcohol rehabilitation centre did tell me that I would need to stay there for at least 6 months to achieve abstinence, which I couldn't afford. But they have given me advice and guidance on reduction and maintenance, and that has helped me. 

 

I will be getting my UK pension from 29th May (but the 1st payment will not be until about mid July), but I don't know how much I will actually receive. The government gateway shows that I should get the full new state pension, but there is a conflict between my NI contributions, and the government gateway, because I note that I only have 32 qualifying years, and the full state pension needs 35 qualifying years. I have contacted the overseas pension centre, but they were no real help and only advised me to wait for the letter from the international pension centre, which given the Thai postal system could be a 6 month wait! Of course I will know how much I will actually receive, in mid July, when I see what goes into my Thai bank account. 

 

I should be able to manage on that in Thailand, obviously, because I lead a fairly frugal lifestyle here in Thailand (I don't go to bars or restaurants).

 

But!

 

I will have that "what if" I fall seriously ill in Thailand always in my mind, and don't have enough money to pay for hospital treatment. 

 

In conclusion, I am still weighing up the pro's and cons. 

 

I am currently not in a desperate situation, so I have time to consider everything. 

 

I know that my original post may have been a bit misleading, because I would actually have enough money to rent somewhere for the 3 months before I would be entitled to any financial assistance in the UK. I did put "no money " in my original post, but that is not strictly true. 

 

The actual truth is that I would not have enough money to pay a hospital bill if I fell seriously ill in Thailand. 

 

Of course, there is no guarantee that I would even survive a serious illness in the UK. With the NHS in such a mess, it could take a long time to get treatment. I am also fully aware that mental health issues are at the bottom of the list, as is alcoholism, 

 

There is also the saying that when it is your time to go, that is up to fate!

 

The guy who robbed me could easily have killed me! That meat cleaver that he had would have taken my head off if he chose to use it.

 

I realise that a lot of people want to live as long as possible, those people who have family, but I don't have anyone. Nobody would know or care if I died in Thailand or in the UK. 

 

Taking everything into account, including the stress of moving back to the UK, I have more or less decided to live my remaining life in Thailand. 

 

Something that I have not mentioned, is that I actually still have a joint ownership house in the UK. I used to rent it out, but the mortgage became due 3 years ago, with a large negative equity, and I stopped paying the rent to the housing association, and mortgage, because I had expected the mortgage company to automatically reposses the house, which never happened. I tried for nearly 2 years to contact the mortgage company, without actually being able to talk to someone. 6 months ago I actually managed to contact them, and they are now in the process of a voluntary surrender. Officially, I could actually move back in, but there are a lot of problems involved in doing that. The locks have been changed by the previous tenants, and the keys were never returned to the letting agent, so I would need to pay for the locks to be changed before I could gain access. The housing association have contacted me and told me that the house is in a bad state of repair, and asked me to pay someone to get it sorted out. I have no idea how bad the house is (they did not give me any details). Of course there would be no gas or electric or water. Being realistic, returning to my house is not an option. It would probably cost a lot of money to make it habitable, and I would eventually be evicted when the mortgage company reposesses it. I would also be left with a very large debt to both the housing association and mortgage company for arrears, and a large negative equity from the eventual sale of the house. 

 

That does sway my decision to never return to the UK. 

 

What a mess eh?

 

 

 

 

  • Like 1
Posted
37 minutes ago, Terry2905 said:

The government gateway shows that I should get the full new state pension, but there is a conflict between my NI contributions, and the government gateway, because I note that I only have 32 qualifying years, and the full state pension needs 35 qualifying years.

You may know this already but you can top up by buying the missing NI contributions, in your case 3 years, usually It's wise to do that and a good return, then you'll get the full pension

  • Agree 1
Posted
On 7/6/2023 at 6:22 AM, Denim said:

That's  a bummer for anyone who has absolutely  no relatives, friends or contacts.

 

or has them, but they don't want to help.

Posted
1 hour ago, Terry2905 said:

 

 

I have been to an alcohol rehabilitation centre in chiang rai, for 1 month, costing me 800,000 baht,

 

 

  What kind of place charges that amount 

27 000 Baht a day !!!!!

You should have used that money to go back to the UK and sort your house out .

   Pay off any debts , refurbish the house and get tenants in . 

You could get the  800 000 Baht money back every year in rental payment 

Posted
1 hour ago, Terry2905 said:

Taking everything into account, including the stress of moving back to the UK, I have more or less decided to live my remaining life in Thailand. 

 

This.

Posted
6 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

You may know this already but you can top up by buying the missing NI contributions, in your case 3 years, usually It's wise to do that and a good return, then you'll get the full pension

Hi.

 

My NI contributions page on the government gateway does show that I can make 2 contributions, at just over £1,700. That would give me an extra £6 a week on my pension. Doing the rough calculation, it would take me 6 years to recover that shortfall. To be honest, I don't think it is worth the money!

  • Agree 1
Posted
5 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

  What kind of place charges that amount 

27 000 Baht a day !!!!!

You should have used that money to go back to the UK and sort your house out .

   Pay off any debts , refurbish the house and get tenants in . 

You could get the  800 000 Baht money back every year in rental payment 

Sorry, but I made a small error about the cost of alcohol rehabilitation centres in Thailand. It was actually 400,000 baht a month, but that was with a 50% special discount, in chiang mai. Normal price would have been 800,000 baht a month. I gave the total cost of alcohol rehabilitation, because I actually attended 2 alcohol rehabilitation centres. I know that I mentioned chiang rai, and that was the 1st centre I attended, which charged me 400,000 baht. It was an awful place with almost zero support, so I moved to another centre in chiang mai, who were excellent, but also charged me a discounted 400,000 baht.

 

I will briefly mention that I did actually return to the UK 1st, on crutches due to the peripheral neuropathy caused by my alcoholism, unable to walk unassisted, and was turned away by the NHS. I returned to Thailand because the NHS refused to treat me.

 

As far as your comment about using the money to do up my house in the UK is concerned, and rent it out again, I did explain in my previous post that the house is under a repossession order, so I can't rent it out!

 

 

 

 

 

Posted
6 hours ago, it is what it is said:

 look for a job with accommodation, the hospitality industry?

Hi.

 

And who precisely would employ a 65 year old person, with physical and mental health issues?

 

 

Posted

Hi everyone. 

 

After I posted an update earlier today, and reading some of the latest replies, I will give a further update/review of my recent and current circumstances. 

 

The 2nd alcoholic rehabilitation centre that I attended in chiang mai, and not the 1st rehabilitation centre I attended in chiang rai, were excellent. They got me back on my feet, able to walk now unassisted. 

 

I am still suffering with extreme anxiety issues, which the local psychiatrist has not been able to help me with. 

 

I am on a very slow road to recovery. 

 

I don't know or understand when my acute alcoholism took over my life?

 

2 years ago I was extremely fit and healthy, going small dinghy sailing for 3 to 4 hours nearly every day. 

 

My Father passed away in April 2022, and 2 months later I was diagnosed with an 80% blocked heart main artery which needed an urgent stent. Of course I was unable to go sailing, which was my passion, and I guess I turned to drinking heavily at that point! 

 

It just crept up on me!

 

I basically lost everything that I enjoyed doing, and lost the 1 remaining family member I had any contact with, which was my Father. 

 

My long term Thai g/f also left me at the same time. 

 

So it was a triple whammy in a very short space of time. 

 

So please be a little bit sympathetic with my circumstances 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted
8 hours ago, it is what it is said:

 

or has them, but they don't want to help.

Yeah. You are right. 

 

No friends or relatives who give a damn. 

Posted
4 minutes ago, Terry2905 said:

Yeah. You are right. 

 

No friends or relatives who give a damn. 

I returned to OZ with my Thai wife, bankrupt no family in OZ just someone we knew helped us for accommodation managed to work for a while till I got my OAP never regret it. My wife makes good money (being a nurse) we live under different addresses for tax reasons but all in all we are still a couple. 

Posted
3 hours ago, Terry2905 said:

Hi.

 

My NI contributions page on the government gateway does show that I can make 2 contributions, at just over £1,700. That would give me an extra £6 a week on my pension. Doing the rough calculation, it would take me 6 years to recover that shortfall. To be honest, I don't think it is worth the money!

ok at least you checked, depends how long you think you may live

Posted
7 hours ago, Terry2905 said:

Sorry, but I made a small error about the cost of alcohol rehabilitation centres in Thailand. It was actually 400,000 baht a month, but that was with a 50% special discount, in chiang mai. Normal price would have been 800,000 baht a month. I gave the total cost of alcohol rehabilitation, because I actually attended 2 alcohol rehabilitation centres. I know that I mentioned chiang rai, and that was the 1st centre I attended, which charged me 400,000 baht. It was an awful place with almost zero support, so I moved to another centre in chiang mai, who were excellent, but also charged me a discounted 400,000 baht.

 

I will briefly mention that I did actually return to the UK 1st, on crutches due to the peripheral neuropathy caused by my alcoholism, unable to walk unassisted, and was turned away by the NHS. I returned to Thailand because the NHS refused to treat me.

 

As far as your comment about using the money to do up my house in the UK is concerned, and rent it out again, I did explain in my previous post that the house is under a repossession order, so I can't rent it out!

 

 

 

 

 

So if I understand correctly.

You  flew to the UK and then returned to Thailand.

Enrolled on 2 Alcohol rehabilitation courses at a  total cost 800,000 baht . 

 

Seems that the OP was just not misleading but at best a fabrication of your financial situation.

 

Posted
1 hour ago, cleopatra2 said:

So if I understand correctly.

You  flew to the UK and then returned to Thailand.

Enrolled on 2 Alcohol rehabilitation courses at a  total cost 800,000 baht . 

 

Seems that the OP was just not misleading but at best a fabrication of your financial situation.

 

The OP previously claimed that the health insurance cancellation was due to failure of reporting an operation carried out in a Pattaya hospital, not an undiagnosed illness

Posted
2 hours ago, cleopatra2 said:

So if I understand correctly.

You  flew to the UK and then returned to Thailand.

Enrolled on 2 Alcohol rehabilitation courses at a  total cost 800,000 baht . 

 

Seems that the OP was just not misleading but at best a fabrication of your financial situation.

 

Hi.

 

It was not intended to be either misleading, and it was never a fabrication. 

 

I originally missed out a couple of probably salient points, which I hope I have corrected in my follow up post last night. 

 

Of course I have the mandatory 800,000 baht locked away in my Thai bank account, for my annual visa extension. 

 

I have never understood that legal requirement. 

 

But that is not unusual. I know that Portugal has a legal requirement for a resident visa for medical insurance. 

 

I have explored all my options. 

 

I apologise to you if you think I have been misunderstood. 

 

I am in a very difficult situation and it is not easy for me to fully disclose every single detail. 

  • Like 1
Posted
1 hour ago, cleopatra2 said:

The OP previously claimed that the health insurance cancellation was due to failure of reporting an operation carried out in a Pattaya hospital, not an undiagnosed illness

Yes. I accidentally ticked the wrong box in the 2 page questionnaire. 

 

I did appeal to the health insurance company, but the matter was never resolved. 

 

I have learned a lesson that the local insurance companies do have ful access to all your medical history. 

 

 

Posted
8 hours ago, still kicking said:

I returned to OZ with my Thai wife, bankrupt no family in OZ just someone we knew helped us for accommodation managed to work for a while till I got my OAP never regret it. My wife makes good money (being a nurse) we live under different addresses for tax reasons but all in all we are still a couple. 

Hi.

 

It was nice to read a positive outcome. 

 

Some good news for a change. 

 

I wish you and your wife a long and happy future. 

Posted
5 minutes ago, Terry2905 said:

Yes. I accidentally ticked the wrong box in the 2 page questionnaire. 

 

   Was that an "accident" or was it deliberate ?

It would be rather dishonest of you if you tried to commit insurance fraud and are now lying about it 

  • Sad 3
Posted
8 hours ago, Terry2905 said:

Hi everyone. 

 

After I posted an update earlier today, and reading some of the latest replies, I will give a further update/review of my recent and current circumstances. 

 

The 2nd alcoholic rehabilitation centre that I attended in chiang mai, and not the 1st rehabilitation centre I attended in chiang rai, were excellent. They got me back on my feet, able to walk now unassisted. 

 

I am still suffering with extreme anxiety issues, which the local psychiatrist has not been able to help me with. 

 

I am on a very slow road to recovery. 

 

I don't know or understand when my acute alcoholism took over my life?

 

2 years ago I was extremely fit and healthy, going small dinghy sailing for 3 to 4 hours nearly every day. 

 

My Father passed away in April 2022, and 2 months later I was diagnosed with an 80% blocked heart main artery which needed an urgent stent. Of course I was unable to go sailing, which was my passion, and I guess I turned to drinking heavily at that point! 

 

It just crept up on me!

 

I basically lost everything that I enjoyed doing, and lost the 1 remaining family member I had any contact with, which was my Father. 

 

My long term Thai g/f also left me at the same time. 

 

So it was a triple whammy in a very short space of time. 

 

So please be a little bit sympathetic with my circumstances 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having smoked all of my adult life, until a cardiologist sent me to a local hospital for an angiogram, where I was told that 1 of my main arteries was totally blocked, 1 was ok and the 3rd one needed a bypass urgently. I gave up smoking immediately. This was back in May 2000, I was 56 and living in France. A few years later, my cardiologist, during a routine examination found that I had an abdominal aneurysm, which needed treatment a couple of years later. A local surgeon told me that a regular op carried 40% risk, due to the scar tissue from the bypass, so I was sent to Monaco for endovascular surgery. The aneurysm needed 4 operations and was successfully repaired. The bad news was that I had to have something like 15 to 20 scans and the coloured dye that I had to swallow has almost totally fcuked my kidneys. To prepare for the surgery I had to have various tests, which resulted in me having to have a stent on my last good artery

I am telling you all of this, because there should be no reason for you not to go sailing, especially since not sailing has turned you into an alcoholic. I'm 80 years old and I swim and exercise in the pool twice a day and I don't spend a day of my life feeling sorry for myself.

My advice is, pull yourself together, get out and about, make some friends and go sailing. Just remember we're a long time dead, there's no rush!

 

 

 

 

Posted
1 minute ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

   Was that an "accident" or was it deliberate ?

It would be rather dishonest of you if you tried to commit insurance fraud and are now lying about it 

It was a 2 page questionnaire, and I declared everything since childhood. It was not deliberate. 

 

I did not declare a mental health problem, because I have never been diagnosed with a definite answer. 

 

But my undiagnosed potential mental health issues, from the psychological doctor in Bangkok hospital, varied from anxiety, to depression, and even possibly bipolar. But I was never actually diagnosed with any official mental health issues. 

 

So I didn't declare it on the questionnaire, because I have never been diagnosed with a mental health issue. 

 

I did declare my alcoholism. 

 

I did declare my recent stent operation. 

 

I even declared having a hemorrhoid removal operation 7 years ago. 

 

But yes, the questionnaire did say if I had visited a doctor within the last 10 years. 

 

I did not declare visiting the psychiatrist, because I was not diagnosed with any mental health issues. 

 

Why declare that I visited a doctor with a possible mental health issue, which was undiagnosed?

 

We have all been through the process of going to see a doctor, when there was nothing actually wrong. 

 

In my 30 plus years of visiting Thailand, I have had 1 operation to remove a heammaroid. 

 

I declared everything to the insurance company, as far as I was concerned!

 

1 of the mind blonging question was if I had ever suffered a headache in 10 years!

 

We all know that insurance companies will use any excuse not to pay!

 

 

 

  • Thumbs Up 1
Posted
7 minutes ago, Terry2905 said:

It was a 2 page questionnaire, and I declared everything since childhood. It was not deliberate. 

 

I did not declare a mental health problem, because I have never been diagnosed with a definite answer. 

 

But my undiagnosed potential mental health issues, from the psychological doctor in Bangkok hospital, varied from anxiety, to depression, and even possibly bipolar. But I was never actually diagnosed with any official mental health issues. 

 

So I didn't declare it on the questionnaire, because I have never been diagnosed with a mental health issue. 

 

I did declare my alcoholism. 

 

I did declare my recent stent operation. 

 

I even declared having a hemorrhoid removal operation 7 years ago. 

 

But yes, the questionnaire did say if I had visited a doctor within the last 10 years. 

 

I did not declare visiting the psychiatrist, because I was not diagnosed with any mental health issues. 

 

Why declare that I visited a doctor with a possible mental health issue, which was undiagnosed?

 

We have all been through the process of going to see a doctor, when there was nothing actually wrong. 

 

In my 30 plus years of visiting Thailand, I have had 1 operation to remove a heammaroid. 

 

I declared everything to the insurance company, as far as I was concerned!

 

1 of the mind blonging question was if I had ever suffered a headache in 10 years!

 

We all know that insurance companies will use any excuse not to pay!

 

 

 

I am confused

How could you declare the stent operation whent is this operation that the insurance declined.

Secondly a previous post you stated you did not declare the hemorrhoid operation and it was this non disclosure led to insurance calculation.

 

Also can you clarify if the NHS refused you treatment or requested you to visit the health authority where you are registered.

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