Att: U.S. Citizens... S.S. 'Are you alive?' letters are out.

[Grubster]

On 6/10/2017 at 5:07 PM, ubonjoe said:

I see no reason to mail it it by EMS the first time since you will get another one in about 3 months if they don't get 1st one.

The last 3 years I have sent it by regular international mail without a problem. One time I only got the 2nd notice and sent it by EMS to be sure it got there.

 

It says on the letter that if you don't respond within 60 days they will stop payments. That scares the hell out of me as my lawyer back home told me if they cancel payment it will take a year minimum to get back up and going. They will make retroactive payment but that would be a lean year.

[flexomike]

5 hours ago, ubonjoe said:

Just got mine a few minutes ago. Will be in the mail tomorrow.

Got my first one today also, off to the Post office in the morning

 

[Grubster]

23 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

I understand.  I have my SSA account but have not withdrawn anything yet.  In this electronic day and age, where one can open bank accounts, transfer hundreds of thousands of dollars, relying on physical mail is just archaic.  Just like voting online.  Silly to me that we can't or are not willing to come up with a secure usable system.  Voter response would easily double.  Many people just don't vote because it is effort to find the time in a busy day.  Instead one could log on to on'es account and securely vote. 

Remember Y2K, the last trillion dollar software scam, Well the next one is going to be about the phony hacking scam. When they are done taking a few trillion to fix that one you will be able to do all on the net.

[Grubster]

4 hours ago, rickb said:

I used EMS the first time I received this questionnaire many years ago.  Then it cost 600 baht.  Now I send it regular registered mail for about 90 baht and have never had a problem.  

I agree with that, I have never had a SS or VA letter not make it but many personal letters must have hit the G file.  I think when they see its government they get it through.

[ubonjoe]

10 hours ago, Grubster said:

It says on the letter that if you don't respond within 60 days they will stop payments. That scares the hell out of me as my lawyer back home told me if they cancel payment it will take a year minimum to get back up and going. They will make retroactive payment but that would be a lean year.

It does not say exactly that. Also they don't stop the payments until February if they don't get a report from you.

If they don't get the first one back they send another one with a 2nd notice message (I have gotten one) written at the top of the form. Same for sending the report and them not receiving it. That is why I have said if you don't get the first one by September you should contact the SSA in Manila.

The also send a 3rd notice but is comes as  a nasty letter informing you that your benefits will be cut.

It should not ever take a year to get your benefits started again. People have had them cut and got it sorted out in less than month.

I scan my report and save it so I could send it by email to Manila in case there was a problem. This years report is already stored on my computer and Google drive.

 

[Pib]

12 hours ago, Grubster said:

It says on the letter that if you don't respond within 60 days they will stop payments. That scares the hell out of me as my lawyer back home told me if they cancel payment it will take a year minimum to get back up and going. They will make retroactive payment but that would be a lean year.

Get a new lawyer...he's just trying to scare you to keep you as a customer or he giving an example of some extreme case where the SSA had some serious doubts about the individual's status.  Go to below weblink to see a Feb 17 real life story on how long it took a person in Costa Rico to get his pension benefits reinstated after failing to get/respond to the dead or alive requests...took just a few weeks.

https://goinglikesixty.com/2017/02/suspended-social-security-form-gotcha/

 

You (and your lawyer) might also want to look at the two Social Security Program Operations Manual System (POMS) at below weblink which describes the Foreign Enforcement Program (FEP) which drives the mailing/processing of the dead or alive form.   POMS is a SSA's fancy name for their procedures/regulations they follow.  At the weblink just click the Next button at the top left of the page to read the five or so short sections talking FEP. 

http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0302655000

 

 

 

 

[pmarlin]

mailed it back Monday morning using registered mail / Cost 84 baht. Checked tracking this morning and it has left Thailand and on the way to the U.S. EMS is a waste of money for this purpose.

[Pib]

It really don't ask if you are dead or alive, but for most folks three basic questions asking: 1) have you changed you citizenship or now live in another country, 2)  has your marriage status changed, and 3) did you work for someone/have a self employed business.   If you can answer No to all three question you are done...flip the form over....sign and date it...mail it back.  Only a person still alive could do that.  How you answer these question could determine where you are still eligible for benefits.

 

But if you answer Yes to any of the three questions then you have to answer up to four more questions/provide more data on the back of the form which once again would have an affect on your benefits eligibility, to determine if you paid any required social security taxes due, etc.

 

So why do people living outside the U.S. have to complete the form every year or two while people living in the U.S. do not?   It's simply because within the U.S. information being requested would automatically flow to the Social Security Agency in various federal, state, and local ways.   Like federal taxes returns, marriage records, tax reporting/payments, law enforcement records, death records, etc....the many govt and private IT systems/databases that are cross feeding information.

 

Like in the U.S. if you croak, your death gets automatically reported upstream via police, hospital, local coroner, other ways, whether any of your family/friends report your death or not to the SSA.  This info makes it to the SSA who will then terminate benefits although family/friends should have called the SSA to report your passing.  And recovering any over-payments is much easier under U.S. laws.

 

However, overseas (especially 3d world nations like Thailand), your death could go unreported/unknown for years.   Say like in Thailand you croak, your Thai spouse takes you to the local temple to have you barbecued, but the spouse does not report your death to local authorities and/or U.S. Embassy.  Well, the SSA does not get word of your death and continues to send pension payments until they somehow they discover your death and then may have a much harder time than in the U.S. in recovering the pension payments made/possibly froze in some overseas back account, dealing with another countries laws, etc.    At the least the annual/biennial SSA 7162 form (attached below) which is affectionately nick named the Dead or Alive form helps to reduce such payments, fraudulent pension payments, etc. 

 

Blank Deal or Alive Form (actual form arrives in the mail with pre-printed info in several blocks, bar codes, envelope to mail back...you just need to answer some questions, sign and return)

G-SSA-7162-OCR-SM-1.pdf 

Edited June 14, 2017 by ubonjoe
delted quote of a removed post

[George Bowman]

My first SS check doesn't even get here until August, but I got my form in the mail today. They must not trust my genetics. 

[gk10002000]

1 hour ago, Pib said:

It really don't ask if you are dead or alive, but for most folks three basic questions asking: 1) have you changed you citizenship or now live in another country, 2)  has your marriage status changed, and 3) did you work for someone/have a self employed business.   If you can answer No to all three question you are done...flip the form over....sign and date it...mail it back.  Only a person still alive could do that.  How you answer these question could determine where you are still eligible for benefits.

 

But if you answer Yes to any of the three questions then you have to answer up to four more questions/provide more data on the back of the form which once again would have an affect on your benefits eligibility, to determine if you paid any required social security taxes due, etc.

 

So why do people living outside the U.S. have to complete the form every year or two while people living in the U.S. do not?   It's simply because within the U.S. information being requested would automatically flow to the Social Security Agency in various federal, state, and local ways.   Like federal taxes returns, marriage records, tax reporting/payments, law enforcement records, death records, etc....the many govt and private IT systems/databases that are cross feeding information.

 

Like in the U.S. if you croak, your death gets automatically reported upstream via police, hospital, local coroner, other ways, whether any of your family/friends report your death or not to the SSA.  This info makes it to the SSA who will then terminate benefits although family/friends should have called the SSA to report your passing.  And recovering any over-payments is much easier under U.S. laws.

 

However, overseas (especially 3d world nations like Thailand), your death could go unreported/unknown for years.   Say like in Thailand you croak, your Thai spouse takes you to the local temple to have you barbecued, but the spouse does not report your death to local authorities and/or U.S. Embassy.  Well, the SSA does not get word of your death and continues to send pension payments until they somehow they discover your death and then may have a much harder time than in the U.S. in recovering the pension payments made/possibly froze in some overseas back account, dealing with another countries laws, etc.    At the least the annual/biennial SSA 7162 form (attached below) which is affectionately nick named the Dead or Alive form helps to reduce such payments, fraudulent pension payments, etc. 

 

Blank Deal or Alive Form (actual form arrives in the mail with pre-printed info in several blocks, bar codes, envelope to mail back...you just need to answer some questions, sign and return)

G-SSA-7162-OCR-SM-1.pdf 

yes yes all fine and good I get it.  But it should still be doable on line.  There are many ways to verify a document electronically with digital signatures, prior account log in and password setup, etc.  I don't object to the yearly checkin. The process is antiquated and can only go wrong, as often has been reported

[Pib]

No doubt it could be done on online but I expect other issues would be at play like ensuring the person doing the online submission is really you just like how many, many fraudulent/identity theft federal tax returns are filed each year.   Reminding/notifying people to do the annual submission...yes, the thought of the payment being suspended if forgetting would motivate most folks but some others (especially old folks) would still forget or just hate using computers for anything especially when really getting up in age (but sign and mail back a form they can still do)...cause additional workload for the person and SSA in getting the identity confirmed and payment going again.  I'm sure a long list of pros and cons for both the SSA and person could be made as to which method, online or paper, would be the overall best.    

 

Normally the govt goes to online submissions to reduce their workload while also maintaining/improving customer support, but I guess the Foreign Enforcement Program (the official program name for this Dead or Alive process) hasn't reached that point yet.

Edited June 14, 2017 by Pib

[JimGant]

Still have to use a VPN to log into my SSA account..... Another thread discussed this awhile back, and I recall not everyone required a VPN to reach a SSA site (also couldn't get into the SSA link Pib mentions above). I've got 3BB. Anyone else unable to get into Pib's SSA link ?   http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0302655000

 

I updated my online SSA account when I moved full time to Thailand. You must have a US address, so I provided my mail forwarding address. I left unchecked the box that asks, "This is also the address of my residence."

 

I filed for SS benefits while still in the US, so there's no foreign trail by having gone thru Manila. I would think, however, that by not checking that residence box, the SSA would also send me the "are you alive" form to see if I would indicate I now live outside the US. So far, haven't received anything (which is fine with me). Maybe they're afraid of overload from all the RV cowboys, who live in RV parking lots, and who also would not check that residence box. We'll see.....

 

Update: I see their sites will shut down at noon Thai time for maintenance.

Edited June 14, 2017 by JimGant

[Pib]

I don't need to use VPN to access my SS online account from Thailand. I'm with AIS Fibre.

[kokesaat]

I've read through the SSA 'living overseas' pages.  I don't see anything that talks about penalties for not registering as living overseas.   So, my question:

Although I initially registered through Manila, later, during a stateside visit, I registered for medicare through a stateside address.  I asked the lady to update the system with a new address (our daughter's).  She did.  That was about 3 years ago.  No problems since....and no annual letter from SSA.  Does anyone know of a legal requirement that would prevent me from using my daughter's stateside address?  

Also, of the 20+ Americans I've known who have died in my area over the years, all were reported to the American embassy either through the hospital, tourist police, or embassy wardens.  

[NancyL]

9 minutes ago, kokesaat said:

I've read through the SSA 'living overseas' pages.  I don't see anything that talks about penalties for not registering as living overseas.   So, my question:

Although I initially registered through Manila, later, during a stateside visit, I registered for medicare through a stateside address.  I asked the lady to update the system with a new address (our daughter's).  She did.  That was about 3 years ago.  No problems since....and no annual letter from SSA.  Does anyone know of a legal requirement that would prevent me from using my daughter's stateside address?  

Also, of the 20+ Americans I've known who have died in my area over the years, all were reported to the American embassy either through the hospital, tourist police, or embassy wardens.  

No, I'm not aware of any specific "penalty" about continuing to use your daughter's address as your own.  However, if there is an issue where you have to communicate with your "local" SS office, your daughter's office would be considered as your own.  From a practical standpoint, I can't think of any specific "issues".

 

You probably were able to sign up for more than just Medicare Part A and B by claiming your daughter's address.  We'd very much like to sign up for more, whatever they call it, the medigap stuff but we've been out of the U.S. so long and don't own property, never had kids, and use a commercial mail forwarding address in a state we haven't visited for 50 years.  It would be nice to have the security of knowing we could return to the U.S. at a moment's notice and be covered, but we don't have that now.

 

Be aware that you can tell SSA that you live here in Thailand and still have your monthly benefit deposited to a U.S. bank account.  That's what we do.  No problem.  But, Hubby does receive that annual "are you still alive" mailing that people in the U.S. don't receive.

 

And about your final paragraph.  It's impossible for a foreigner to die here without their death being reported.  We stick out like sore thumbs and the Thai people love to gossip about us.  There is no right to "patient privacy" at hospitals and I've seen nurses post photos of themselves with their foreign patients on their Facebook pages, something that would never be done in the U.S. So why does SSA require us to show up in person to sign off for our monthly pension?  Who knows?  

[Pib]

1 hour ago, kokesaat said:

I've read through the SSA 'living overseas' pages.  I don't see anything that talks about penalties for not registering as living overseas.   So, my question:

Although I initially registered through Manila, later, during a stateside visit, I registered for medicare through a stateside address.  I asked the lady to update the system with a new address (our daughter's).  She did.  That was about 3 years ago.  No problems since....and no annual letter from SSA.  Does anyone know of a legal requirement that would prevent me from using my daughter's stateside address?  

Also, of the 20+ Americans I've known who have died in my area over the years, all were reported to the American embassy either through the hospital, tourist police, or embassy wardens.  

Oh, I expect their are penalties as living aboard can affect payments for some people and in some countries among other things.  Like below snapshot for the SSA booklet titled "Your Payments While Living Aboard"

 

[Pib]

Below partial quote is from SSA website.

https://blog.socialsecurity.gov/reporting-changes-is-your-responsibility/

 

Quote

 

If you receive benefits from Social Security, you have a legal obligation to report changes, which could affect your eligibility for disability, retirement, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. You must report any changes that may affect your benefits immediately, and no later than 10 days after the end of the month in which the change occurred.

Changes you need to report range from a change of address to traveling outside the United States for 30 consecutive days. To get a list of reporting responsibilities under disability, please read our publication What You Need to Know When You get Social Security Disability Benefits, and for SSI, read What You Need to Know When You Get Supplemental Security Income. If you’re receiving retirement benefits, What You Need to Know When You Get Retirement or Survivors Benefits is also helpful...

 

 

[JimGant]

Quote

If you receive benefits from Social Security, you have a legal obligation to report changes, which could affect your eligibility for disability, retirement, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.

Yeah, moving out of the US may effect your status for receiving SSI or disability SS payments. However, no way does it effect your eligibility for receiving your retirement SS check. So, piss up a rope SSA.

[Pib]

18 minutes ago, JimGant said:

Yeah, moving out of the US may effect your status for receiving SSI or disability SS payments. However, no way does it effect your eligibility for receiving your retirement SS check. So, piss up a rope SSA.

It does if you move to certain countries (just for one example) as talked about in the SSA booklet "Your Payments While Living Aboard" referenced earlier.

[gk10002000]

10 hours ago, Pib said:

Oh, I expect their are penalties as living aboard can affect payments for some people and in some countries among other things.  Like below snapshot for the SSA booklet titled "Your Payments While Living Aboard"

 

You will receive?  Really should read "we will mail a questionnaire to whatever address we have on file".  They can't and don't guarantee you will receive anything. 

[chaz2]

Social Security 'Are you alive' letter.  And mail problems

 

I have been completely gone from the USA for 24 years and am 80 years old but have never received an ‘are you alive letter’ from USA Social Security nor anything else from them except the annual notices showing how much my monthly benefit will increase.

 

I am a USA citizen and pay IRS tax there every year.  Am not a permanent resident of Thailand.  I only have a non-immigrant visa with annual extensions of stay.  And when in Malaysia all I had was a ‘Malaysia My 2nd Home’ visa.  So, Thailand is only my de facto address.  I use a family member’s USA address as my home address for Social Security, my retirement plan, and other important business.  And my benefits are direct deposited into my USA bank account.

 

My mail is forwarded to my Thailand P.O. Box approximately once a month - if there is anything important.  In a plain manila envelope too large to be conveniently slipped into somone’s pocket.  Addressed with a pen and sticky glued closures sealed with real glue or tape.  I DO NOT EVER use the self addressed return envelopes that are included in business correspondences.  I use plain envelopes with real glue and a ball point pen and write the address in a way that it will not appear like a business or office that might be receiving money, a check, or important info from me.  With those precautions I have had good luck about mail not disappearing.  The important thing is to not flag your mail to look like somthing that somone along the way might want.

[chaz2]

A word about registered mail.  It does not guarantee anything but it does prove that you mailed something - if the post office clerk was not too lazy to list the consignee's name and address on your receipt, in English.  And was not too lazy to put ink in the printer - always read your receipt, unreadable ones seem to be a big problem in Thailand.

 

If mail is lost, being registered does not necessarily mean it will be found.  It only determines the last place it was recorded as passing thru, there is no clue where it went after that.  Australia used to be notorious about mail disappearing and 10 years ago so was Thailand.  Thankfully it is better now but still a long way from being consistently reliable.

[Pib]

8 hours ago, chaz2 said:

I am a USA citizen and pay IRS tax there every year.  Am not a permanent resident of Thailand.  I only have a non-immigrant visa with annual extensions of stay.  And when in Malaysia all I had was a ‘Malaysia My 2nd Home’ visa.  So, Thailand is only my de facto address.  I use a family member’s USA address as my home address for Social Security, my retirement plan, and other important business.  And my benefits are direct deposited into my USA bank account.

Preaching to the choir I'm sure but you don't receive the Are You Alive Letter because you have a U.S. address registered with SS (i.e., the family member in the U.S. address).  But per SS policy you are suppose to notify them of your actual address (where your body resides), but you haven't done that....so, they assume you still live at your U.S. address therefore no Are You Still Alive letter.

[JimGant]

Quote

 But per SS policy you are suppose to notify them of your actual address (where your body resides), but you haven't done that..

Their policy -- as best I can tell -- is reflected in the following:

Quote

" If you receive benefits from Social Security, you have a legal obligation to report changes, which could affect your eligibility for disability, retirement, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. "

Moving to Thailand affects your eligibility for disability and SSI benefits. Ergo, with these forms of payment, you have a "legal obligation" to report your new residence as Thailand. But, moving to Thailand doesn't affect your eligibility for your SS retirement check. Thus, no legal obligation to report.

 

Furthermore, the on-line SSA account (and most efficient) avenue for reporting address change doesn't provide for notifying of a new physical address. Go here, and look at Step 6:

https://www.quora.com/Should-a-change-of-address-be-notified-to-the-Social-Security-office

 

It asks only for your mailing address (it has to be a US address), which certainly invites having a mail forwarder, your sister's address, or the address of the house you just sold prior to moving to Thailand. They just want a place to send their hard copies -- but then they ask you to go paperless, and never receive a hard copy ever again. If they want to contact you, they have your email address.

 

But, as for physical address, they only ask if the mailing address provided is also you "residence address". When, 9 months ago, I provided my new mailing address as my mail forwarding address, I never checked this box. Since then, no follow-up as to my physical (residence) address. Thus, I assume, they've given me the benefit of the doubt that nothing has changed in my physical address requiring a "legal obligation" to report such a change.

 

Now, had I moved to Cambodia, I would have such a "legal obligation:"

 

Quote

U.S. citizens may receive Social Security retirement benefits while residing in Cambodia.  However, exception requirements must be met to receive Social Security benefits in Cambodia.  Social Security Administration (SSA) restrictions prohibit direct deposit of funds to bank accounts in Cambodia, or sending your payments to anybody else while you are in Cambodia.  For more information on receiving benefits while overseas, please visit the SSA website.

 

If you qualify for an exception, your benefit payments will either be sent to the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh or direct deposited into your U.S. bank account.  Benefit checks sent to the Embassy must be picked up by the beneficiary in person; they may not be mailed to you or picked up by anybody else.  Also, to receive benefits in Cambodia, whether via check or direct deposit, the beneficiary must appear in person at the U.S. Embassy each month. 

https://kh.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/social-security/

Screw that. Thailand seems nicer every day.

 

 

  

Edited July 21, 2017 by JimGant

[Pib]

Yea, the SSA can have two two addresses on file for you: 1) your physical address (i.e., where you actually live) and 2) your mailing address.

 

If the SSA has both of these addresses on file for you as they do for me, in your SS online account it will only show your mailing address in the Address area.  And it does not specify that it's your physical or mailing address....it's just your Address.

 

Although the Address area may show your mailing address, the best I can figure your physical address will still be used to determine certain things about whether an Are You Alive or Dead letter must be sent.  And if such a letter must be sent based on your physical address on file the letter will be mailed to your mailing address as that is what  mailing addresses are for although you may not (probably don't) physically reside at your mailing address.

 

Also in the SSA link Jim gave above showing how to update your address, on my online account it does "not" allow you to update your address online probably because my physical address is Bangkok/not a U.S. physical address.   Instead of a button to update my address I only have a line saying to contact the SSA to update my address or phone number.   And like where you supposedly can update your Direct Deposit info online; I can't and you are told to contact the SSA.   Once again probably because I do not have a U.S. physical address, but a Thailand address.  

 

A lot of times these websites that give info like on how to use your SS Online Account are written for those with a U.S. physical address which I expect 95% of folks have which causes your Online Account to have different capabilities/options for certain things than those of us with a non-U.S. physical address on file.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2017 by Pib

[chaz2]

The first 16 years after leaving the USA I lived in my boat, cruising the world.  I was not in the USA, but they do not want a boat name and ‘cruising the world’ as an address.  So, I have always used my USA address and will continue to.

 

Living in Cambodia, or anyplace else, does not complicate receiving your s/s unless you want your benefit sent there or deposited to a bank there.  Living there is not what they are averse to, but there are some countries where they will not send or deposit your benefit.  Direct deposit to a bank acct in the USA = no problem.  No matter where you live.

 

What is the point of an online acct..?  Keep it streamlined, the less accts the better.  We are retired - what’s the big hurry..?

[chaz2]

Social Security’s biggest and legitimate concern about sending benefit payments abroad is that if your death is not reported promptly it can be difficult, and from some countries impossible, for them to retrieve the overpayments.  Especially if somone has already withdrawn and spent the funds.

[JimGant]

Quote

Living in Cambodia, or anyplace else, does not complicate receiving your s/s unless you want your benefit sent there or deposited to a bank there.  Living there is not what they are averse to, but there are some countries where they will not send or deposit your benefit.  Direct deposit to a bank acct in the USA = no problem.  No matter where you live.

Re-read the US Embassy Cambodia blurb. First of all, you have to meet some kind of criteria to qualify as an "exception" to even get current payments of your Social Security. Then, even if your check is direct deposited into a US financial account, you have to visit the US Embassy in PP once a month. What a pain that would be, especially if you live up country.

Quote

  Also, to receive benefits in Cambodia, whether via check or direct deposit [into a US account], the beneficiary must appear in person at the U.S. Embassy each month. 

I wonder what other countries require an "exception" to receive your Social Security while living there..........(?).

[Pib]

1 hour ago, JimGant said:

I wonder what other countries require an "exception" to receive your Social Security while living there..........(?).

Below link to SSA POMS (regulations) regarding countries that payments are restricted to (i.e., special rules/exceptions apply) will give a good idea....and yea, Cambodia is one of them.

https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0302650000

 

 

And below SSA POMS link is the the specific SSA POMS regarding Cambodia and shows where that U.S. Embassy Cambodia paragraph came from regarding monthly visits in order to continue SS benefits.  Included the a partial quote below.

https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0302650060

Quote

 

2. Foreign Service Post (FSP) action

a. Beneficiaries currently receiving payments in Cambodia

Beneficiaries currently receiving benefits in Cambodia were approved for payment under the Special Payment Procedures for Certain SSA Restricted Countries per RS 02650.040. These beneficiaries were eligible to receive their payments while in Cambodia if they reported to the FSP monthly and showed proof of identity and citizenship. We requested the FSP to contact these beneficiaries and take the following actions:

• verify their continued existence and eligibility for benefits;

• notify them of the removal of SSA restrictions and special payment conditions in Cambodia;

• verify their current mailing and residence address; and

• have a face-to-face contact with any beneficiary who did not report to the FSP under the special payment procedure within the past 30 days, and verify identity and citizenship.

The FSP documents the beneficiary contacts, notifications, and current information on form SSA-5002 (Report of Contact). Once completed, the FSP faxes the SSA-5002 and any other documentation into the Non Disability Repository Application (NDRed). The FSP forwards the material via paperless to the Office of International Operations (OIO).

 

 

[JimGant]

Quote

Generally, SSA does not make payments to beneficiaries in SSA restricted countries because we do not have written assurances of free access to persons and to their vital statistics records in those countries.

Geez, what a bureaucratic bunch of overload. The "are you alive" letter already should shut the door on payments to dead folks (eventually, anyway). Who cares if the Commies aren't forthcoming on deaths of US citizens (and other SS qualified recipients) living in their territory. The "are you alive" avenue should suffice in shutting down payments. Crummy mail system in Commie countries? So what. Give the US taxpayer a deposit while you sort this out with the Embassy. Your choice for settling where you did.

 

Quote

 The lack of free access in these countries only allows payment to persons who can visit a Foreign Service Post (FSP) in the country or a Federal Benefits Unit (FBU) in their service area every six months to have their existence and eligibility verified. In addition, the lack of access ordinarily limits payment to beneficiaries who can handle their own benefits.

Not sure why the US Embassy Cambodia site says visit every month, not every six months.......per this SSA POM.