10 hours ago, Galong said:

You didn't seem to miss anything. The FBU in Manila and the SSA in the US are being dreadfully unhelpful. It's as if they have no idea what they're doing. A simple 'official' statement would end all of our concern/anxiety. This is so disappointing.

I flip-flop between filing a blank form (with a cut-and-pasted barcode from last year's form on the cover page) and simply waiting. 

What are your plans given what little we know at this moment?

I 100% agree.  IMO - they don’t have any idea that they’re doing (either deliberately or incompetently).  I’m tending towards waiting until it’s closer to the time when the “second” letter would usually be received, and then if that doesn’t arrive, I will send two - one with the barcode and another blank one filled in.  Because at that point, I feel like I’d have nothing to lose.

 

As I’ve never received the “second” form (because my June one always arrived safely), does anyone know what the timing is for the second form.  When do they usually send it?

Look folks, if they NEVER send the form to anyone, it probably would mean one of two things.

They's so incompetent and short staffed that they just won't be doing it this year and won't be cutting off anyone.

Or something really sinister.

Again, I favor no action at all at this point.

8 minutes ago, MJoe said:

 

 

As I’ve never received the “second” form (because my June one always arrived safely), does anyone know what the timing is for the second form.  When do they usually send it?

See paragraphs A, B, and C of below SSA regulation regarding 7162 timing.

https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0302655010

I’ll never forget my SSA letter last year.  We had heavy rain the week before and the day it arrived.  The letter got wet in the mailbox.  The barcode got smudged.

So I called SS to report it.  The agent assured me it was OK, just fill it in, include a note about the bar code smudge.  So I sent it back.

Three month later, I got a “last chance letter”, since I failed to return the first one.

Always check your bar code for smudges.

19 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

I’ll never forget my SSA letter last year.  We had heavy rain the week before and the day it arrived.  The letter got wet in the mailbox.  The barcode got smudged.

So I called SS to report it.  The agent assured me it was OK, just fill it in, include a note about the bar code smudge.  So I sent it back.

Three month later, I got a “last chance letter”, since I failed to return the first one.

Always check your bar code for smudges.

Wow - helpful information.  Thanks!  What month did you receive the “last chance letter”?  What does it tell you to do?

26 minutes ago, MJoe said:

Wow - helpful information.  Thanks!  What month did you receive the “last chance letter”?  What does it tell you to do?

October ... didn't receive, and to return the enclosed one.  Basic & simple.

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Look folks, if they NEVER send the form to anyone, it probably would mean one of two things.

They's so incompetent and short staffed that they just won't be doing it this year and won't be cutting off anyone.

Or something really sinister.

Again, I favor no action at all at this point.

 

Or DOGE fired the executive in charge of flipping the switch and there is now nobody left with the authority to do anything. So they're all just going to sit there and watch everything crash.

14 minutes ago, John Drake said:

 

Or DOGE fired the executive in charge of flipping the switch and there is now nobody left with the authority to do anything. So they're all just going to sit there and watch everything crash.

That is what I believe (or some equivalent of) but it seems to be an unpopular opinion here. 🙏

Just now, MJoe said:

That is what I believe (or some equivalent of) but it seems to be an unpopular opinion here. 🙏

 

It makes sense. You've got a lot of irritated overworked SSA employs who probably can see the car crash coming, but at this stage they are going to sit on their hands.

31 minutes ago, John Drake said:

 

Or DOGE fired the executive in charge of flipping the switch and there is now nobody left with the authority to do anything. So they're all just going to sit there and watch everything crash.

That would one of the possibilities in the "sinister" category.

I don't doubt that there are a lot of miserable federal workers these days.

In fact, it's an open and stated policy of DOGE to make their work atmosphere miserable and to devalue them.

Very dystopian and intentionally so.

In any case as far as the masses of expats eventually expecting the letters, it's all black box. We just don't know and it's not exactly a burning issue with the media to bother to look into. 

3 hours ago, MJoe said:

Ah thanks.  I see now where you posted that above.  I’m sure this will be another unpopular opinion, but I don’t feel any reason to trust what the representative said that these will be sent in September.  As we have received so much contradictory information from representatives so far, why would we believe this representative?  They say what’s easiest to get the person off the phone IMO.  I’d feel differently if we were getting consistent information from reps in Baltimore and Manila but we are not.

Of course I agree, you can't take the word of yet another peon and the US rep I called didn't even know the forms were late; however, Pib's experiences as he posted support the likelihood that forms w/o barcodes are not accepted until probably Jan/Feb. That leaves only one choice and that's to wait it out. Again, you could use the barcoded form as a template to fill in a new signature and date, but I did that 4 July and it has yet to be posted. That's up to you, but I'm not going to get in a lather over it until late October. If there's no form and my 4 July form not received, I'll of course send in another to Wilkes-Barre and start making more calls to express my concerns. I'm too far away to have attended the FBU meeting here in Chiang Mai, but it's a good sign that they made that effort. It seems unlikely Trump would cut off expats from SS, but certainly recent politics erode confidence in the system. My son was so upset about it that he left a $100k job in SLC and moved to Europe. I wish he hadn't done that, but I understand why people are excited.

1 hour ago, MJoe said:

That is what I believe (or some equivalent of) but it seems to be an unpopular opinion here. 🙏

 

Very early on in this thread, I posed something about this delay being related to DOGE's chainsaws. Can anyone help me find that post or help me figure out why I can't?

Of course its related to the regime.

1 hour ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

 

Very early on in this thread, I posed something about this delay being related to DOGE's chainsaws. Can anyone help me find that post or help me figure out why I can't?

https://aseannow.com/topic/1362688-2025-ssa-form-7162-hello-are-you-dead-yet-forms/page/2/#comment-19906078

 

4 hours ago, Isaan sailor said:

I’ll never forget my SSA letter last year.  We had heavy rain the week before and the day it arrived.  The letter got wet in the mailbox.  The barcode got smudged.

So I called SS to report it.  The agent assured me it was OK, just fill it in, include a note about the bar code smudge.  So I sent it back.

Three month later, I got a “last chance letter”, since I failed to return the first one.

Always check your bar code for smudges.

Smudge?

 

I don't think my form would be smudged if I would be able to receive it. It would be totally drenched and covered in nasty slimming mud.

 

Trying to recover from the recent flood in Nan... 😢 

 

Something new regarding MySocialSecurity online account:  

 

Coming Soon: Enhanced Security Authentication PIN (SAP) for Online Accountholders – below is the link.

 

https://blog.ssa.gov/coming-soon-enhanced-security-authentication-pin-sap/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery#com

6 hours ago, KhunLA said:

https://aseannow.com/topic/1362688-2025-ssa-form-7162-hello-are-you-dead-yet-forms/page/2/#comment-19906078

 

That’s not the post I’m referring to. It had the word "chainsaws" in it.

1 hour ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

That’s not the post I’m referring to. It had the word "chainsaws" in it.

https://aseannow.com/topic/1362688-2025-ssa-form-7162-hello-are-you-dead-yet-forms/page/3/#comment-19906239

 

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

https://aseannow.com/topic/1362688-2025-ssa-form-7162-hello-are-you-dead-yet-forms/page/3/#comment-19906239

 

 

Thanks. Must have missed it. Or perhaps it was on vacation for a while.

3 minutes ago, Etaoin Shrdlu said:

 

Thanks. Must have missed it. Or perhaps it was on vacation for a while.

No need to troll through all the pages, just use the search box in upper right corner of thread...

 

Just now, KhunLA said:

No need to troll through all the pages, just use the search box in upper right corner of thread...

 

 

Thanks. 

 

12 hours ago, MJoe said:

Wow - helpful information.  Thanks!  What month did you receive the “last chance letter”?  What does it tell you to do?

I got my last chance SSA letter late October.  It gave me 30 days to respond—but typically the letter arrived three weeks late.

I also recommend you put tracking on your response correspondence.

Im quite late to this thread. I'll be filing Q1 2026.

 

IDMe has my address in Thailand. SS site I guess as well. My bank is US for SS payments. I will receive the dread form correct?

 

When should I expect this form annually? Correlation to birthday?

Filling out two blank forms and mailing separately seems like a winning strategy. I assume nothing preprinted on forms mailed. Where can I get blank forms?

 

Is there a webpage that summarizes well?

 

Anything I should know stepping into this? Iive in Bangkok and mail is pretty good from US - about two weeks

 

# Manila is worthless. They should just shut that thing down.

26 minutes ago, DarkBrandon said:

IDMe has my address in Thailand. SS site I guess as well. My bank is US for SS payments. I will receive the dread form correct? When should I expect this form annually? Correlation to birthday? Filling out two blank forms and mailing separately seems like a winning strategy. I assume nothing preprinted on forms mailed. Where can I get blank forms? Is there a webpage that summarizes well?  # Manila is worthless. They should just shut that thing down.

Form is supposed to be mailed by early June but this year not and no official explanation. Blank forms w/o barcode are not accepted until probably Jan after 7162 not received. Nothing to do with birthday.  I had to file by phone with Manila, know your mom's maiden name. Mailed forms have barcode. Try this, but it won't be of any use before 2027. Hopefully, we will get our forms by late September this year. https://www.ssa.gov/foreign/ssa7162ocrsm.pdf    *** If I remember correctly, you won't get a 7162 if you haven't been here six months, but then your address is already Thailand, so safe to assume you must get a form in. A friend was here less than six months and did not get a form but was mistakenly cut off SS in February, so think that over. A few phone calls to US did get it straightened out, but it was 3-4 hours of frustration. Manila is your FBU and usually pretty good at providing timely answers but sometimes it takes a few tries or waiting for an email response.

34 minutes ago, DarkBrandon said:

Im quite late to this thread. I'll be filing Q1 2026.

 

IDMe has my address in Thailand. SS site I guess as well. My bank is US for SS payments. I will receive the dread form correct?

 

When should I expect this form annually? Correlation to birthday?

Filling out two blank forms and mailing separately seems like a winning strategy. I assume nothing preprinted on forms mailed. Where can I get blank forms?

 

Is there a webpage that summarizes well?

 

Anything I should know stepping into this? Iive in Bangkok and mail is pretty good from US - about two weeks

 

# Manila is worthless. They should just shut that thing down.

Good luck. I filed back in Feb. I agree Manila is useless. So far the application for retirement at 62 is still pending. However it took only 4 months to get my 4 minute and 15 second phone call from Manila.  After the phone call nothing has changed. 

1 hour ago, sqwakvfr said:

Good luck. I filed back in Feb. I agree Manila is useless. So far the application for retirement at 62 is still pending. However it took only 4 months to get my 4 minute and 15 second phone call from Manila.  After the phone call nothing has changed. 

 

I signed up first with IDMe. I was able to successfully log in to SS site. I've been in a few times. Sign up seems straight forward. If encourage you to do same.

 

Not related to thread: I am a bit concerned with the process, verifications.... I've not worked in years. Self supporting.

 

Good luck. Try the website!

1 hour ago, cusanus said:

Form is supposed to be mailed by early June but this year not and no official explanation. Blank forms w/o barcode are not accepted until probably Jan after 7162 not received. Nothing to do with birthday.  I had to file by phone with Manila, know your mom's maiden name. Mailed forms have barcode. Try this, but it won't be of any use before 2027. Hopefully, we will get our forms by late September this year. https://www.ssa.gov/foreign/ssa7162ocrsm.pdf    *** If I remember correctly, you won't get a 7162 if you haven't been here six months, but then your address is already Thailand, so safe to assume you must get a form in. A friend was here less than six months and did not get a form but was mistakenly cut off SS in February, so think that over. A few phone calls to US did get it straightened out, but it was 3-4 hours of frustration. Manila is your FBU and usually pretty good at providing timely answers but sometimes it takes a few tries or waiting for an email response.

 

Manila is a disaster for me. They send some copy paste rubbish every time I ask a question via email. Takes three weeks to respond.

 

-----------------

 

So, if I need to call SS I call Manila? Especially in this case of this form?

 

Do I understand you correctly that the forms with bar code go out to everyone in June. I cannot mail a blank form until ?? January?? I mail the blank form assuming I'd not rec'd the bar coded form.

 

I presume they get mailed to US not Manila?

 

I also presume there's no verification of receipt? Even in SS website?

53 minutes ago, DarkBrandon said:

 

Manila is a disaster for me. They send some copy paste rubbish every time I ask a question via email. Takes three weeks to respond.

So, if I need to call SS I call Manila? Especially in this case of this form? Do I understand you correctly that the forms with bar code go out to everyone in June. I cannot mail a blank form until ?? January?? I mail the blank form assuming I'd not rec'd the bar coded form. I presume they get mailed to US not Manila? I also presume there's no verification of receipt? Even in SS website?

When I applied over 15 years ago I called Manila and had to give my mother's maiden among other things. I started getting benefits by my 62nd birthday June 22 in 2010. Sometimes I don't get a timely or helpful response from Manila but often I do. Yes, the forms go out early June with barcode and return envelope, without fail except this year after all the dogey business. If they do not receive it WITH barcode by late August, they send another. The blank form is if you never got the barcode form in your mail and must act before Feb when your benefits are suspended. Mail it to both Manila and Wilkes-Barre. Right, there's no validation so you have to call Manila or the states (or email) and ask 3-5 weeks later. Some use tracking, but I advise against courier service. Save (make copy) your form w/ barcode. At times I've used the barcode form as a template, put 2025 at top, signed and dated for 2025 and it worked. I did this on 4 July this year but they haven't logged it yet. Probably went into the round file, but I'll call again in a couple of weeks. I expect (hope) the form will arrive sometime in September this year.

It appears that with as many folks worrying and complaining nobody took a trip to listen to or express their concerns to the Manila FBU when they were recently in CM.

 

.....And yet some claim to actually live in CM or nearby (Lamphun).

 

Too friggin funny.

 

You just can't make this chit up.

 

TIT

2 hours ago, cusanus said:

Some use tracking, but I advise against courier service. 

If I recall somewhere (maybe the form, not sure) it's states not to use a courier service. 

 

And as Pib (I believe) posted back to me once, tracking doesn't work. That was exactly true for me last year as I sent it normal mail through Thai post with tracking and the tracking stopped at incoming International mail at JFK.