Delays At The SSA?

<<groan>> Just another update. Having not heard from FBU since my last message to them in June (4 months ago; just chcked my written records), out of the blue today I received Form 7162 (again) from Wilks-Barre - no cover letter, just the form (again). The form had at the top "Second Request" - I had received a previous one in June and sent it to FBU. It included a self-addressed envelope to SSA in Wilks-Barre PA.

So, I thought it might be worth trying to call again. Called both numbers for FBU that I've used previously (020 7891 3926, and 020 7499 9000 ext 3926) and kept getting through to the "not available at this time" recording - even though the same recorded message said their opening hours are Tuesday (today) and Wednesday 930am to 1pm.

I despair of reaching any sort of resolution, as all my communications appear to be ignored. I've completed Form 7162 (again) and will send to FBU (again), but don't expect any miracles. It's bizarre that, since early 2024 it's been quite literally impossible to get through to FBU on the phone.  Last time I managed to get through was 6th February 2024.

<<groan>> Just another update. Having not heard from FBU since my last message to them in June (4 months ago; just chcked my written records), out of the blue today I received Form 7162 (again) from Wilks-Barre - no cover letter, just the form (again). The form had at the top "Second Request" - I had received a previous one in June and sent it to FBU. It included a self-addressed envelope to SSA in Wilks-Barre PA.

So, I thought it might be worth trying to call again. Called both numbers for FBU that I've used previously (020 7891 3926, and 020 7499 9000 ext 3926) and kept getting through to the "not available at this time" recording - even though the same recorded message said their opening hours are Tuesday (today) and Wednesday 930am to 1pm.

I despair of reaching any sort of resolution, as all my communications appear to be ignored. I've completed Form 7162 (again) and will send to FBU (again), but don't expect any miracles. It's bizarre that, since early 2024 it's been quite literally impossible to get through to FBU on the phone.  Last time I managed to get through was 6th February 2024.

So frustrating.  I'd be tempted to send the 7162 directly to Wilkes-Barre, PA.  It will cost you more in postage but hey ho.  BTW, if you do that, don't use the self-addressed envelope.  I had the bizarre situation once where I'd used a self-addressed envelope, duly filled in my address in the top-left corner, put the correct postage on it for overseas and the brains at Royal Mail delivered it straight back to me.  They'd obviously used the top left address as the delivery address.

Quick update:  received my November US state pension today, and sure enough it was reduced by 10%.  Only another 27 months to go before they've fully recovered their overpayment.

Quick update:  received my November US state pension today, and sure enough it was reduced by 10%.  Only another 27 months to go before they've fully recovered their overpayment.

Congratulations!!

Today is the 2nd calendar month after sending the FBU a message saying I want to start my SS.

Congratulations!!

Today is the 2nd calendar month after sending the FBU a message saying I want to start my SS.

It'll be interesting to see how long they take to get around to you, and how it compares to when I submitted my request.  Good luck!

It'll be interesting to see how long they take to get around to you, and how it compares to when I submitted my request.  Good luck!

I’ll be sure to update the situation. If I haven’t heard by the end of the year I will apply myself online to SSA.

Quick update:  received my November US state pension today, and sure enough it was reduced by 10%.  Only another 27 months to go before they've fully recovered their overpayment.

If it's easy enough to find the information can you remind us how long it has taken from submitting the necessary forms to them actually starting the WEP process and recouping over-payments? I am now at over 18 months ...

If it's easy enough to find the information can you remind us how long it has taken from submitting the necessary forms to them actually starting the WEP process and recouping over-payments? I am now at over 18 months ...

My UK state pension started October 2023, and I informed them of the exact amount as soon as I knew, which was a couple of months before I think.  I queried the FBU by email regularly - every couple of months.  Without checking I finally heard by letter in June/July 2024 I think.  They gave me 30 days to reimburse.  I couldn't.  Deductions started Nov 2024.

Minor update. Skip straight to the bottom if you just want to read the update.

Recap: I'm now 67 years and 7 months old. I was incorrectly WEP'ed from my 65th birthday, and at one point my SS was stopped completely (supposedly due to me not sending specific forms - although their track record on processing forms isn't great; hence this update).

it took almost a year to sort out the problem and refund the incorrectly WEP'ed amounts - by which time I was close to my 66th birthday ... at which time they didn't WEP me and still haven't WEP'ed me (now 19 months since my 66th birthday)!

In conversations with FBU (yes, they used to actually answer the phones occasionally), I was asked to send a PODSU 231 form, allowing FBU to receive information from DWP about my NICs background. In a follow-up call, they told me that DWP hadn't responded to the PODSU form and they'd try again. Eventually, I received confirmation that DWP had supplied the NICs information, at which time I figured they would soon WEP me. This was 8 months ago, since when I've been completely unable to reach FBU by phone.

In June this year (5 moths ago), I received Form 7162 from SSA Wilks-Barre with no cover letter or instructions, and I sent this by recorded delivery, signed-for service to FBU, as this is what they said I should do (not send it back to Wilks-Barre). Royal Mail tracking never showed it was received and I contacted FBU by secure message to ask for confirmation that they received the form 7162. They never responded.

In October this year I received a second Form 7162 (marked "second request") from Wilks Barre, again with no cover letter or instructions. I again completed and sent this to FBU recorded delivery, signed-for service (which supposedly takes 1-2 days) but as it wasn't showing as delivered one week later, I again contacted FBU by secure message to ask them to confirm receipt. They responded a few days later, "Due to the number of forms received and the way the scanned/uploaded into Social Security's records, we can't confirm receipt of form SSA-7162. If Social Security does not receive the form, a second form will be mailed to you.” This seems rather disingenuous - on past occasions when I did manage to reach a real person, they were able to access my records and see every form that had ever been received from me and uploaded.

Luckily, two days later Royal Mail confirmed signed-for delivery. So at least I now know FBU received the second form - though I can't be sure that they uploaded it to SSA.

My concern is that they seem so inefficient, and at the top of Form 7162 it states quite clearly that, "Failure to complete and return this form within 60 days will result in suspension of benefits". Who knows what will happen or what Trump will do about foreigners receiving benefits ... I just wonder what has happened in the past 6-12 months to make FBU so inefficient and unresponsive. It's ludicrous that their recorded message says FBU is not available to receive calls "at this time", and they occasionally post revised (and reduced) open hours for calls, when in fact they just never answer the phone, and haven't done since about February/March!

Minor update. Skip straight to the bottom if you just want to read the update.

Recap: I'm now 67 years and 7 months old. I was incorrectly WEP'ed from my 65th birthday, and at one point my SS was stopped completely (supposedly due to me not sending specific forms - although their track record on processing forms isn't great; hence this update).

it took almost a year to sort out the problem and refund the incorrectly WEP'ed amounts - by which time I was close to my 66th birthday ... at which time they didn't WEP me and still haven't WEP'ed me (now 19 months since my 66th birthday)!

In conversations with FBU (yes, they used to actually answer the phones occasionally), I was asked to send a PODSU 231 form, allowing FBU to receive information from DWP about my NICs background. In a follow-up call, they told me that DWP hadn't responded to the PODSU form and they'd try again. Eventually, I received confirmation that DWP had supplied the NICs information, at which time I figured they would soon WEP me. This was 8 months ago, since when I've been completely unable to reach FBU by phone.

In June this year (5 moths ago), I received Form 7162 from SSA Wilks-Barre with no cover letter or instructions, and I sent this by recorded delivery, signed-for service to FBU, as this is what they said I should do (not send it back to Wilks-Barre). Royal Mail tracking never showed it was received and I contacted FBU by secure message to ask for confirmation that they received the form 7162. They never responded.

In October this year I received a second Form 7162 (marked "second request") from Wilks Barre, again with no cover letter or instructions. I again completed and sent this to FBU recorded delivery, signed-for service (which supposedly takes 1-2 days) but as it wasn't showing as delivered one week later, I again contacted FBU by secure message to ask them to confirm receipt. They responded a few days later, "Due to the number of forms received and the way the scanned/uploaded into Social Security's records, we can't confirm receipt of form SSA-7162. If Social Security does not receive the form, a second form will be mailed to you.” This seems rather disingenuous - on past occasions when I did manage to reach a real person, they were able to access my records and see every form that had ever been received from me and uploaded.

Luckily, two days later Royal Mail confirmed signed-for delivery. So at least I now know FBU received the second form - though I can't be sure that they uploaded it to SSA.

My concern is that they seem so inefficient, and at the top of Form 7162 it states quite clearly that, "Failure to complete and return this form within 60 days will result in suspension of benefits". Who knows what will happen or what Trump will do about foreigners receiving benefits ... I just wonder what has happened in the past 6-12 months to make FBU so inefficient and unresponsive. It's ludicrous that their recorded message says FBU is not available to receive calls "at this time", and they occasionally post revised (and reduced) open hours for calls, when in fact they just never answer the phone, and haven't done since about February/March!

Phew, that's quite a journey you've been on.  Couple of points:

1. I've used Royal Mail Tracked and Signed For when sending documents to the FBU in the past.  Pointless.  When I looked into it someone who used to work for Royal Mail answered my question on their customer forum.  Mail intended for the FBU doesn't actually get delivered to the embassy.  They didn't say why in so many words but inferred, and I'm happy to believe, that this is for security reasons.  He said that someone from the embassy goes to the local sorting office to collect it - and they sign for the whole bag of mail (and maybe do other "stuff" with the mail - who knows).  They don't sign for individual letters.  I have never received a delivery notification or evidence of a signature.  I can't verify that what I was told is true.  YMMV.

2.  I predict that the election of Trump will have no effect on your US retirement benefit whatsoever.  Or the inefficiency of the SSA/FBU!

I’ll be sure to update the situation. If I haven’t heard by the end of the year I will apply myself online to SSA.

I decided not to wait until the end of year and applied online today.

I was actually impressed with the website, accepted UK style post codes and phone numbers and I had the option of selecting an international banking number or the UK style of sort code and account number so it all looks pretty good so far.  I was pleased to see that at the end there were no documents I needed to send, which was good because when I applied for ACA health insurance while living in the US I had to provide a US passport and Naturalization certificate and again when applying for Medicare 4 years ago I had to supply those same documents to the FBU in London, but it appears now that the SSA recognize me as a US Naturalized Citizen.

I expect to be contacted about my UK private pensions and OAP as they didn't ask for amounts, just that I had them. I have already been through their WEP calculator and know that I will be WEP'ed to the max (on 23 years of SS earnings) even without any OAP declaration.

I decided not to wait until the end of year and applied online today.

I was actually impressed with the website, accepted UK style post codes and phone numbers and I had the option of selecting an international banking number or the UK style of sort code and account number so it all looks pretty good so far.  I was pleased to see that at the end there were no documents I needed to send, which was good because when I applied for ACA health insurance while living in the US I had to provide a US passport and Naturalization certificate and again when applying for Medicare 4 years ago I had to supply those same documents to the FBU in London, but it appears now that the SSA recognize me as a US Naturalized Citizen.

I expect to be contacted about my UK private pensions and OAP as they didn't ask for amounts, just that I had them. I have already been through their WEP calculator and know that I will be WEP'ed to the max (on 23 years of SS earnings) even without any OAP declaration.

Interesting!  So you by-passed the FBU altogether?  Does that mean you don't need an "interview"?  If I remember correctly, after my interview with the FBU, they sent me some documents to sign and I had to send them back to London together with, I think, my birth certificate.

Interesting!  So you by-passed the FBU altogether?  Does that mean you don't need an "interview"?  If I remember correctly, after my interview with the FBU, they sent me some documents to sign and I had to send them back to London together with, I think, my birth certificate.

I’m sure I will need an “interview” as the online application asked about foreign pensions but didn’t ask how much they are. I’m hoping that I won’t need to send in any documents as I went through all that through the FBU in London 4 years ago. I expect there might be papers to sign.

I’m sure I will need an “interview” as the online application asked about foreign pensions but didn’t ask how much they are. I’m hoping that I won’t need to send in any documents as I went through all that through the FBU in London 4 years ago. I expect there might be papers to sign.

You may not need an interview if you're not in receipt of foreign pensions yet.  If my experience is anything to go by, the SSA will send you forms (annually, SSA-308?) asking when you expect to get your foreign pensions and how much they'll be.  I made the mistake of not replying when I was first sent them, because I wasn't receiving anything - they don't like that and threatened to withhold my US state pension.

You may not need an interview if you're not in receipt of foreign pensions yet.  If my experience is anything to go by, the SSA will send you forms (annually, SSA-308?) asking when you expect to get your foreign pensions and how much they'll be.  I made the mistake of not replying when I was first sent them, because I wasn't receiving anything - they don't like that and threatened to withhold my US state pension.

I am already in receipt of 2 foreign pensions plus UK State pension (OAP)