Secrets for contacting FBU?

Further update - the FBU representative that should have called me  back on Feb 12th to progress my own application didn’t call.  So I called them back on the following Tuesday (18th).  Their phone system was acting strangely - I used the direct dial phone number and I was told that I should dial during their open hours - which it was.  After trying all morning (over 100 attempts) I got through to a very helpful lady who went through my application and she said she would send it over to Baltimore before she went home.  Later in the day she called me back just to ensure that my bank details were correct, she was a little confused with the IBAN and how it separated the sort code from the account number.  So I assume my application is now in the US waiting to be processed.  She said I can expect a letter from Social Security concerning my successful application but that I would probably see the payment arrive in my bank before the letter arrives.  Fingers crossed!

Good progress indeed.

You should be able to log onto your SS online account in a couple of days and see your application waiting for review by an agent in Baltimore. On your online account you should be able to look up your address and bank details. Your address should show in full but your bank details will only show the last few digits of your account number, probably followed by a zero but that is just fine.

This is exactly the steps my wife went through in 2021 and I went through recently. If the status remains as is for 20days after it appears waiting for a Baltimore agent then you will have to phone them. This happened both with myself and my wife.

Just to make sure you are aware (I've posted this elsewhere already):

The Social Security Administration will enforce online digital identity proofing and in-person identity proofing.  Claims will no longer be able to be completed by phone, though people who can’t use the agency’s “my Social Security” online system can start claims over the phone, but must verify their identity in person before completing the claim.

If you created a Social Security username more than 3 years ago, you will need to transition to a new or existing Login.gov account or use an ID.me account to have continuous access to our online services. For step-by-step instructions on how to make the transition, watch this video.



If you created your personal my Social Security account on or after September 18, 2021, no action is necessary because you already have the right setup.

They are closing SSA offices in rather large numbers, but have not said anything about what they are going to be doing with overseas (FBU) units. If you don't already have an online account  https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/   you might want to think about getting one ASAP.

Just to make sure you are aware (I've posted this elsewhere already):

The Social Security Administration will enforce online digital identity proofing and in-person identity proofing.  Claims will no longer be able to be completed by phone, though people who can’t use the agency’s “my Social Security” online system can start claims over the phone, but must verify their identity in person before completing the claim.

If you created a Social Security username more than 3 years ago, you will need to transition to a new or existing Login.gov account or use an ID.me account to have continuous access to our online services. For step-by-step instructions on how to make the transition, watch this video.



If you created your personal my Social Security account on or after September 18, 2021, no action is necessary because you already have the right setup.

They are closing SSA offices in rather large numbers, but have not said anything about what they are going to be doing with overseas (FBU) units. If you don't already have an online account  https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount/   you might want to think about getting one ASAP.

Fortunately @Rocky applied online in September last year, same as me.

Ah, good.

I have a legacy account. I am told I need to migrate it. I happened to have a Login.gov account from my most recent employment. I've just gotten into that and got my local info updated (my cell phone instead of my old work phone, etc.). It would not allow me to input my VOIP house phone, those are verboten.  I then tried to login to SSA using Login.gov and it tells me it can't create an account for me. Call helpline. Just did, two hour wait. They supposedly will phone me back.

Just a thought - Login.gov won't allow the use of VOIP phone numbers (aka my home phone). So I put in my cell (T-Mobile).  I just logged into my SSA using my Legacy account and see that the phone there is my home phone (the VOIP one). So I've changed that to my cell. Which I really don't like at all, but .... Now I'm to wait 24 hours for the phone number to update.   IF the SSA calls me today to discuss not being able to set up the account, I'll mention this to them. It could well be that's the only problem there was - it could not authenticate between the Login.gov info and the SSA. gov info as the phone numbers were different.
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So this is damned inconvenient if you don't have a cell phone!  Since the phone number won't update until the overnight batch run, I tried entering the old house phone number in the Login.gov connection to SSA process and it took it, but needs to phone the house phone to give me a code. It won't text it. It won't email my email address. Has to be a phone call. Nothing is coming through - I assume because it's a VOIP phone.  My other option is to have them send it via USPS which would take from 15 to 30 days, they say online.

SOOOO all us old farts who have voip phones (which I assume is anyone who has house phone service through Cox/Comcast/TimeWarner, etc) who already have a SSA account are going to have to also own a cell phone to migrate their account from the old system to the new one, realistically.

A lot of older people do not own cell phones, believe it or not. And people who live in rural areas don't necessary have cell reception. And they may be even less tech literate than I am. (Which is abysmal, really.) They also may have mobility issues, or no transportation. So they will find going into a SSA office that they can find that is still open to get help could really be problematic.

This has to be deliberate.   

But, what the hell, Elon wants all us old people dead anyway, so what's the real surprise here?

Ah, good.

I have a legacy account. I am told I need to migrate it. I happened to have a Login.gov account from my most recent employment. I've just gotten into that and got my local info updated (my cell phone instead of my old work phone, etc.). It would not allow me to input my VOIP house phone, those are verboten.

I then tried to login to SSA using Login.gov and it tells me it can't create an account for me. Call helpline. Just did, two hour wait. They supposedly will phone me back.

Just a thought - Login.gov won't allow the use of VOIP phone numbers (aka my home phone). So I put in my cell (T-Mobile).  I just logged into my SSA using my Legacy account and see that the phone there is my home phone (the VOIP one). So I've changed that to my cell. Which I really don't like at all, but .... Now I'm to wait 24 hours for the phone number to update.   IF the SSA calls me today to discuss not being able to set up the account, I'll mention this to them. It could well be that's the only problem there was - it could not authenticate between the Login.gov info and the SSA. gov info as the phone numbers were different.
------------------

So this is damned inconvenient if you don't have a cell phone!  Since the phone number won't update until the overnight batch run, I tried entering the old house phone number in the Login.gov connection to SSA process and it took it, but needs to phone the house phone to give me a code. It won't text it. It won't email my email address. Has to be a phone call. Nothing is coming through - I assume because it's a VOIP phone.  My other option is to have them send it via USPS which would take from 15 to 30 days, they say online.

SOOOO all us old farts who have voip phones (which I assume is anyone who has house phone service through Cox/Comcast/TimeWarner, etc) who already have a SSA account are going to have to also own a cell phone to migrate their account from the old system to the new one, realistically.

A lot of older people do not own cell phones, believe it or not. And people who live in rural areas don't necessary have cell reception. They also may have mobility issues, or no transportation. So they will find going into a SSA office that they can find that is still open to get help could really be problematic. And they may be even less tech literate than I am. (Which is abysmal, really.)

This has to be deliberate.   

But, what the hell, Elon wants all us old people dead anyway, so what's the real surprise here?

That is a real pain. When SSA online was first set up it insisted on a cell phone to receive a text verification and there was such a kickback that they changed it to sending a verification code to your registered email address.  This is what my wife and I used until this last year or so when they insist on login.gov or ID.me.  We both opted for id.me and we do have smart phones but I don’t know how we would manage if we didn’t have a way to receive text messages.

About 25% of senior citizens in the USA live in a rural area. As of last year about 25% of seniors living anywhere in the USA did not own smartphones.

Those are not small numbers.


[Reference -  https://www.fhfa.gov/blog/insights/who-lives-in-rural-america]


EDIT NEXT DAY -

I was able to get in this morning. It must have been the discrepancy between the old VOIP phone number the SSA had in their records and the non-VOIP cell number I was forced to give to Login.gov.

There was a bit on the news last night about rural Americans and this new policy. Everyone agrees that the system needs to be safe and safeguards need to be put into place to keep scammers out of people's accounts, but there are places where it's like a 4 to 5 hour drive to a Social Security office (places like Wyoming, Texas,etc.).  I don't know why they can't just put in a dedicated terminal in a county courthouse or maybe have a local court or law enforcement official authorized to verify that the person is who they say they are. People might have to travel some distance, which would still be a burden, but it would be less far to go. Or send the darned Sheriff out to their home by appointment and he could give them a code or something to use....

After getting through to the FBU on 18th March I now have a notification (on the SSA website) that I will receive my first payment in April, as will my wife.  No mention about the back payments we should receive nor anything about spousal payments yet.  Even so, it’s good to know that once things start to move then they move quite quickly.

After getting through to the FBU on 18th March I now have a notification (on the SSA website) that I will receive my first payment in April, as will my wife.  No mention about the back payments we should receive nor anything about spousal payments yet.  Even so, it’s good to know that once things start to move then they move quite quickly.

That is really good news.  When my wife was in a similar position in 2021 her first payment included several months back payment to when she had first applied so I expect that will be the same in your case, but who knows these days.

I assume you guys are getting at least some of the SSA turmoil info over there. In case not, here are the main points from the CNN news, heavily abridged:

"The Social Security Administration announced Wednesday (26 March) that it is pushing back the rollout of a controversial anti-fraud measure by two weeks and reducing the number of applicants it will effect. The planned policy, which was set to take effect Monday, would have required all those filing benefit applications who cannot verify their identities through their online “my Social Security” account to visit a field office to complete the claim in person.  But now the new identity verification policy will only apply to those filing for retirement, survivors or family benefits and will take effect on April 14. It’s unclear whether the new policy regarding bank account information will take effect on March 29, as originally planned. The agency did not return a request seeking clarification."

And this fun little bit:

"Dudek has rolled out a series of rapid-fire changes – as well as some reversals – during his stint as acting commissioner, which began less than six weeks ago. He told advocates in a call earlier this week that these types of policies typically take two years to implement but said the White House is pushing him to act swiftly. Last week, he suggested he would shut down the agency in the wake of a court ruling temporarily blocking DOGE representatives from having access to Social Security data containing individuals’ personal information. He then announced in a news release that he would not do so after getting clarification from the judge. And earlier this month, he reversed a decision to end a program that lets parents sign up their newborns for a Social Security number and card at the hospital in at least one state [Maine], admitting it was a mistake. Dudek told The New York Times in an interview last week that he originally ordered the change because he was “ticked” at Maine’s governor (who is a Democrat) for “not being real cordial” to President Donald Trump at the White House."

Yes, these are the folks running the SSA now. People who act like 9 year old kids who were told they can't have skittles for breakfast and throw a fit.  I feel so sorry for the people who still have jobs there, really.  If you have to phone them, please be patient. The staff has been slashed to the point that supervisors are answering receptionists' phones and trying to field phone calls as panicked seniors are phoning and showing up at the front desks in droves. And DOGE cut the staff, which was already under-strength. Christ-on-a-pogo-stick.

Nobody has said anything, that I've seen, about how people who are overseas are going to have to deal with any of this if they can't do the Login.gov or ID.me route.

I can only imagine how hard it must be for all the SSA workers at present. The lady in the USA who I spoke to earlier this month was extremely professional and personable and I thanked her for all the good work she and her colleagues were continuing to provide.

Setting up access to SSA online a few years ago was a big effort but was SO worth it. The alternative would have been an appointment at the embassy in London

I can only imagine how hard it must be for all the SSA workers at present. The lady in the USA who I spoke to earlier this month was extremely professional and personable and I thanked her for all the good work she and her colleagues were continuing to provide.

Setting up access to SSA online a few years ago was a big effort but was SO worth it. The alternative would have been an appointment at the embassy in London

Yep, I'd say if there was any way at all to have that online account, have it. I would imagine appointments at the embassy are going to be harder to get. Assuming they keep processing at the embassies and don't do something stupid like consolidate all European/UK processing to somewhere in the hinterlands of the continent. (I am to the point where no stupidity surprises me anymore.)

Setting up access to SSA online a few years ago was a big effort but was SO worth it. The alternative would have been an appointment at the embassy in London

I couldn't agree more - at the time setting up an account with ID.Me a couple of years ago was a real hastle - but nothing compared to having to deal with those poor employees in Baltimore (at least the ones that are left).

And now they say they are NOT closing SSA Field Offices.

https://blog.ssa.gov/correcting-the-record-about-social-security-office-closings/