US Social Security

[bobonzo]

I applied for US Social Security benefits back in September.  I followed progress on the SS website and everything seemed normal.  I got to the last step and nothing was happening.  I enquired as to further progress on the Help area and a few days later I got an email from them saying they wanted to do a phone interview.  It’s been scheduled for next month.  
 

my question is has anyone else gone through this phone interview. I assume it’s to ensure I’m actually a human and not scamming the system ? 

[lopburi3]

Can not answer question but are you in Thailand or USA?  If in Thailand did you use Manila SS office for your contacts with SS?  

[bobonzo]

I’m in Thailand and yes I used the office in PI.  The email I received was from the PI office.  

[Skipalongcassidy]

11 minutes ago, bobonzo said:

I applied for US Social Security benefits back in September.  I followed progress on the SS website and everything seemed normal.  I got to the last step and nothing was happening.  I enquired as to further progress on the Help area and a few days later I got an email from them saying they wanted to do a phone interview.  It’s been scheduled for next month.  
 

my question is has anyone else gone through this phone interview. I assume it’s to ensure I’m actually a human and not scamming the system ? 

Thanks to the number of people trying to scam the SSI system they have been scheduling these phone calls randomly especially for recently eligible retirees and also to overseas retirees.  No worries just answer your call when scheduled. 

[lopburi3]

In that case would not worry - suspect it is just part of the current processing. 

[bobonzo]

Thanks for the responses.  It’s what I suspected.  

[EVENKEEL]

For something as important as SS benefits I made appt in US for a face to face meeting.

[retarius]

It is 8 years since I went through the process, but it was very straightforward, easy and quick. Having said that they have stopped my payments twice.....last year it was three months before I noticed, and it was very difficult to have it restarted and they were extremely slow and uncommunicative. It took about a further 3 months to have the payments restarted, so I was 6 months without the payments.

I think they must have had changes, staff cuts or whatever, but what was great easy service is now very poor from the PI office, for example you used to be able to call them easily, now you can only call on a short window two mornings a week. I still don't know why they stopped the payments, despite asking repeatedly. 

[lopburi3]

1 minute ago, retarius said:

I still don't know why they stopped the payments, despite asking repeatedly. 

• Gender:Not Telling

[gamb00ler]

4 minutes ago, retarius said:

I think they must have had changes, staff cuts or whatever, but what was great easy service is now very poor from the PI office, for example you used to be able to call them easily, now you can only call on a short window two mornings a week. I still don't know why they stopped the payments, despite asking repeatedly. 

Service from FBU Manila is dreadful.  When I send an email asking more than one question I receive an answer that is somewhat relevant to the first question but not exactly what I asked.  Any other question in the email is ignored completely.

 

I turned 70 in August '23 so I applied online on May 7 for my benefits to start in September.  I got the phone call on June 2.  Then complete radio silence until the middle of December when they said they referred my application to a supervisor.  The application was approved on Dec. 27.  The benefit was determined to be about $350 less than the detailed SSA calculator showed.  I immediately emailed Manila and on Jan. 3 my benefit was corrected to match SSA's calculator.

 

My wife's entitled to SSA on her own US work record and her application is proceeding even more slowly than mine did.  Her application submitted online early July '23... and finally she has been scheduled for the phone call Jan. 16 '24.  Her application is simpler than mine.

 

I am pretty sure that Manila does nothing more complicated than checking over the applications and then forwarding them to the Baltimore office for the real work.  If I ask them anything more complicated than the status of my application, their answer is lacking in detail and accuracy.

[retarius]

2 hours ago, EVENKEEL said:

For something as important as SS benefits I made appt in US for a face to face meeting.

Wise move I think. You flew to the US specially for the meeting? Do you have your benefit paid over there? I assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that if you wanted your payment made at BKK Bank here in Thailand you have to apply through PI. I'm sorry I used PI now. It avoided dealing with the time difference in the US or travelling there. 

[EVENKEEL]

3 hours ago, retarius said:

Wise move I think. You flew to the US specially for the meeting? Do you have your benefit paid over there? I assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that if you wanted your payment made at BKK Bank here in Thailand you have to apply through PI. I'm sorry I used PI now. It avoided dealing with the time difference in the US or travelling there. 

I started with deposits paid in US bank and switched to Bangkok Bank. But yeah I flew to US just to set things up for SS.

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

The phone call from Manila SBU only takes about 10 minutes or so and they just ask questions to verify that it is really you. I was also instructed to fill out and submit an application for a new SS card although I still had the card I was issued some time back in the 1960s.

 

My benefits started within a month or two and for some reason I also received about three months' backdated payments even though I did not request it.

 

This was six years go.

[bobonzo]

17 minutes ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

The phone call from Manila SBU only takes about 10 minutes or so and they just ask questions to verify that it is really you. I was also instructed to fill out and submit an application for a new SS card although I still had the card I was issued some time back in the 1960s.

 

My benefits started within a month or two and for some reason I also received about three months' backdated payments even though I did not request it.

 

This was six years go.

That sounds outstanding ! Thanks 

[Pib]

@bobonzo

 

If I understand your post right you applied "online" in Sep 2023 and then processing of the application seemed to standstill....move at a snail's pace.  And on your application you identified your physical/residential address as Thailand.  Then you got notice that the "Manila SSA office" wants to do a telephone interview.   

 

If above is correct this is not uncommon at all as the Baltimore SSA office which is the headquarters office "for all SSA applicants/beneficiaries residing outside the U.S." and is the office that "first" reviews each online application will routinely handoff part of the application review/processing to the SSA office which oversees the foreign country you reside in.  That office will do a review/telephone interview and the send the application back to Baltimore for final review/approval.

 

The Manila SSA office is responsible for approx 40 countries in this part of world to include Thailand.    When I say "not uncommon" I mean it happens to a lot of applicants especially if they are a Naturalized U.S. Citizen...or a non-U.S. citizen who still happens to be eligible for U.S. SSA benefits.   Heck, it can even happen to a U.S. born citizen to where they want to do a telephone interview.  

 

Now once Baltimore handoffs/relays your application to Manila (all done online) the Manila office will schedule a phone interview and notify you of the date/time they will call you.  And that interview could be almost two months down the road from when they notify you of the interview.  And that telephone interview will only last 10 to 15 minutes basically asking you to confirm the info you put on your online application.   Name, address, place of birth, date of birth, email address, phone number, spouse info (if you have)....etc....etc....etc....just all that info you already put on your online application. 

 

Near the end of the interview they will tell you the estimated amount of your pension (as they did advance work/calculation on your application before they called you) and tell you what additional docs/forms they may want you to provide.  If a Naturalized Citizen they will probably want you to send your them your "original" US passport and/or Naturalization Certificate OR a "certified" copy.  Also maybe a SS card application form even thought you already have a SS card....and maybe another form or two.

 

After the interview Manila will also immediately send you an email telling you once again what they still need from you and how to send them. If you do need to send some important doc(s) to Manila via mail like your passport I highly recommend you DO NOT send your original but instead get a certified copy from the US Embassy - Bangkok/or Chiang Mai who will provide certified copies "for free" at time of your appt with them...free certified copies  like a US Passport, Naturalization Certificate, just whatever doc the SSA Manila asked for in their email.  The US Embassy will note code the certified copies "for federal benefits application purposes"....that's also why the certifications are free.    You can also get certified free copies by using the embassy's Certified True Copy by mail method...see their weblink below.

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/notaries-public/certified-true-copies-of-u-s-passport/

 

Once Manila receives whatever docs they asked your for they will then forward your application back to HQ Baltimore SSA (all done online) for final review/approval.  Final approval should occur within two weeks.

 

I hand-walked three dual US-Thai citizens (neighbors) thru this SSA pension application process over the last few years....latest hand-walk occurred in the last half of 2023....he got his first payment 3 Dec 2023 which was actually for two months as it included one month's worth of back-payment...got his 2nd normal amount payment on 3 Jan 2024....he's a happy camper.

 

Don't sweat your upcoming interview...it's just to verify the information you put on your application, probably ask for another form or two, etc.  Each person's SSA application is different as each person's application is different, each person has a different work history, and various other factors can come into play.  That's why on the internet you can find horror stories of regarding one some people's applications and nothing but easy-peasy stories for another applicants.  

 

Good luck...hopefully your SSA pension will approved shortly after your telephone interview and you will then officially become an "Ol' Geezer" in the eyes of the U.S. govt.   

 

[Pib]

4 hours ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

The phone call from Manila SBU only takes about 10 minutes or so and they just ask questions to verify that it is really you. I was also instructed to fill out and submit an application for a new SS card although I still had the card I was issued some time back in the 1960s.

 

My benefits started within a month or two and for some reason I also received about three months' backdated payments even though I did not request it.

 

This was six years go.

 

Whatever date you put on your application that you wanted your benefits to begin is the date you are paid from.  Of course it can't be benefits begin date for many, many moths ago....has to be within a window of plus or minus 3 months I think of your application submittal date.

 

Say you submit your application 1 March and on the application you said your want your benefits to begin 1 May.  But it takes say till Sep before your application is approved for whatever reason.  Once approved the SSA will issue backpay pay for May, June, July, and Aug....4 months of backpay.  And then you get paid for Sep in early Oct which gets you all paid up.    

 

 

Edited January 13 by Pib

[Etaoin Shrdlu]

8 minutes ago, Pib said:

 

Whatever date you put on your application that you wanted your benefits to begin is the date you are paid from.  Of course it can't be benefits begin date for many, many moths ago....has to be within a window of plus or minus 3 months I think of your application submittal date.

 

Say you submit your application 1 March and on the application you said your want your benefits to begin 1 May.  But it takes say till Sep before your application is approved for whatever reason.  Once approved the SSA will issue backpay pay for May, June, July, and Aug....4 months of backpay.  And then you get paid for Sep in early Oct which gets you all paid up.    

 

 

 

You're correct. I checked my SSA correspondence and 1099 form and I did not receive backdated payments. My mistake.

 

[bobonzo]

Great information.  Thanks for the effort and responses.   

[Dcheech]

I did a phone interview with the Manila office. Not a big deal ... HOWEVER

 

They deliberately dropped a scheduled phone interview.

 

Let me state that again

 

They deliberatrly missed a phone interview.  -------- They had called me ten days prior to set it up, verify the number and then on the day, never called. I waited too long and when I called back the Manila office was closed. I was the last interview that day or something.  If they do not call you give them 15 or 20 minutes and then you start calling them! Get on their Backsides! 

 

When I did get back in in touch to reschedule I was told they had a wrong phone number, so sorry  (they had the right one ten days before when they called me to schedule uhmm) If I am pissy about it. That is because when you rescheduled,  you have another three week wait until the next phone interview and what fun. That after the months of waiting after filing etc.

 

The Manila office.   Right. Don't take any guff from the swine. 

 

.. 

[lopburi3]

1 hour ago, Dcheech said:

 

 

The Manila office.   Right. Don't take any guff from the swine. 

 

.. 

Would point out that the Manila office, as all of the PI, have been a mess for the last 3 years due to Covid restrictions and expect that has had a major negative effect on the local staff providing SSA service.  One could not ever cross the street in some areas - every block had their own rules with virtually no oversight and changing every few days.  Most such rules are now gone so with a bit of luck improvement might happen (but then there is the mess back home in the US of A).

[exant]

SSA.GOV International Operations is  out of control, USA SSA has no top down management for problem resolutions.

 

The brain dead Baltimore children are not allowed to think outside their metal desk, continue piling up SSA papers.

 

SSA Internastional follow the "old goat" internal USA corrupted  SSA.GOV labor system offering 130,000 USD pay

checks to Baltimore labor who refuse  problem solutions. education to reduce waste, over head, imptove and adjust servicing USA Internatioal citizens service.

 

The facts are SSA,GOV USA shall run out of money, the facts are the source of fraud and waste is from forged disability and Medicare medical SSA.GOV claimed payments and not from basic simple SSA.GOV earned taxed benefit payments.  You alone decided to live and die as a retired USA citizen inside Thailand have no USA Medicaid Insurance ypu must pay for this out of your pockets while the monkeys at Social Security International Operations pocket the

zero Medicaid etc benefits inside their Baltimore dark hole.

 

SSA.GOV International is responsible for SSA.GOV benefit payments and there are no Medical Medicare Disability payments outside the USA borders unless the USA citizen has forged their address as inside the USA not as living outside the USA...

 

Why must old age, retired, USA citizens suffer and be tortured by inexperienced SSA.GOV paoid children annual salary of 130,000 USD to shuffle piles of SSA form papers wasting SSA.GOV budgets

run down year 2033..  The facts are that all USA citizens are already

digitized and recorded and filed under their Social Security number

printed on a color business card with name and number,,,

 

The facts are the USA International Operations is is a sand box under zero management un productive parasite purposes such as collecting tax from a foreign USA citizen worker paid in a foreign country by  a foreign owned business... A USA business inside a foreign country reports and files W2 IRS and SSA tax forms so why

or what is the purpose of this Social Security International Operations parasite overhead waste of benefits money...

 

The facts are the International SSA Operatrions do not report alive or dead or foreign married or foreign birth or help vote or help IRS filing or issue passports THIS WAS and IS THE JOB OF THE GLOBAL USA STATE DEPARTMENT OPERATED CITIZENS SERVICES available at every USA Consulate or Embassy as a walk in secured face to face bio metrics process, yjat Baltimore dark hole Office Of International Social Security Operations farmed out and paid psychopath children software programmers create International nightmares

 

Just what the fuk are you protecting outside the USA  living in  a foreign country having no SSA.GOV medical, no SSA.GOV Medicaid,

no SSA.GOV LEGAL Disability, etc. etc, all you got is a SSA.GOV benefit IDD deposited with the permission of the foreign government I mmigration and the police and monitored every 90 days with a proof of validated USA passport      

 

The huge trouble created by psychotic USA children software programmers paid to protect a piece of paper with a number and and name as your SSA.GOV identity access to all financial medical networks inside the USA but not and has no real  purpose outside the USA borders...  

 

The only function your SSA number and purpose is to communicate with federal agency inside the USA borders and also to file for earned SSA taxed benefits you want delivered to a foreign bank 

that was foreign Immigration aproved and permited and use of a valid passport,  monitored every 90 days that  you paid for...  

 

The untrained Baltimore SSA.GOV paid  monkeys have not retired and have no expert intelligent process of all the international government Immigration and police and banking financial networks that are in control that must give permissions and then  monitor, as  the digitized and reported USA citizens financial banking

security inside the foreign country..  

 

The "old goat" security systems was designed and is tested inside the USA under the control of a printed color name and SSA number

on a business card, having zero  bio metrics security, but granted fully as inside USA access to your financial and medical data.

 

It is a disgrace that USA citizens who are living outside the USA borders are blocked access, water boarded, interrogated, ignored when indeed they need and want to connect with their SSA.GOV account using a foreign country telephone number and a foreign country address. USA citizens are monitored and supervised over and beyond the zero security financial bank access inside the USA with a SSA printed copy of a  business card name and numbert

 

The trouble started when the USA State Department International global USA citizens services walk in office was farmed out to a SSA paid metal desk in Manila, Manila in charge of ASIA from Australia to China.  You read the Manila

SSA.GOV .web site explain we do not record birth or deatrh,

we do not assist voting, we do not assist taxes, we only do SSA.GOV 2 hours a week from Australia to China so fuk you and wait one year EVERY TIME YOU ASK FOR HELP  

 

The USA Embassy Citizens Services continue to assist USA citizens birth, death, taxes, voting, etc. etc. and also in the past 2017 did SSA.GOV paid USA Dollars paper checks delivery every month... It worked in a timely and organized passport secured. face to face, SSA  customer service, today

taking extremely long delays,  intercepted at and by a metal desk in Manila in charge of ASIA from Australia to China....

 

I am working with a lady that was destroyed by MANILA FBU refusal to assist, gtoss negligence, failure of fiduciary duties, that was and is the purpose of USA SSA.GOV walk in face to face customer services help with benefits application, instructions, process completion never available at the  FBU MANILA metal desl in charge of Australia to China from a single desk available 2 hours a week randomly scattered answers to a few USA citizens

 

Some people make things happen, some people watch thinhs happen, some people never know what happen.. the NEW SSA.GOV Chairman of the board is a MR Omalley ellected to clean out the "old goat" swamp last year and asked for feed back, advice, help, has had no time to investigate SSA.GOV Office Of International Operations troubled problem customer service solutions...

 

This is old ramblings, digest it or throw it up as you are to live. get old in ASIA, how ever some people make things happen, some people watch things happen, the rest never know, do not care what happen... 2033   predicted 20 percent SSA.GOV benefits reduction

 

 

 

 

[jas007]

Just to clarify a few things:  If a person receives Title II Social Security Disability (those are benefits based on a person's work record), that person can continue to receive those benefits if living outside the USA, so long as the benefits are not being sent to a country on a small list of countries to which the Treasury will not remit money. If the residence abroad continues for more than six months, then the benefits can usually be continued with the filing of some additional paperwork. 

[Pib]

18 minutes ago, jas007 said:

Just to clarify a few things:  If a person receives Title II Social Security Disability (those are benefits based on a person's work record), that person can continue to receive those benefits if living outside the USA, so long as the benefits are not being sent to a country on a small list of countries to which the Treasury will not remit money. If the residence abroad continues for more than six months, then the benefits can usually be continued with the filing of some additional paperwork. 

Yes

 

https://www.ssa.gov/international/payments_outsideUS.html

[Pib]

Now if you drawing "SSI" then No.

 

SSI helps those who have limited income and resources. If you receive SSI, it is not possible to continue drawing benefits while you live abroad. The SSA will not continue your check if you are in another country. Once you are outside the United States or one of the territories for 30 days, your benefits will stop. After returning to the United States and remaining in the country for at least 30 days, you can request your benefits again.