SSA runaround.........Med Part B

[bolivarshagnasty]

I am trying to disenroll from medicare Part B and the people at the SSA toll free number tell me it can`t be done by telephone. Their web site says it can and I have seen reference to that in this forum. I don`t want to get into another shouting match with a ``supervisor`` as I did last Friday. She said she didn`t care what the web site says, `` I am a supervisor, and I know what`s right and what isn`t``.
Where do they get these morons? From the Return Counter at Walmart? I would appreciate any help I could get to get this over with. Every month is $96.40 down the drain. Thank you in advance.

[RVGRINGO]

I would suggest a visit to the American Consulate nearest to where you live. In Guadalajara, there is usually a shorter, separate line for US Citizens to attend to such affairs. One must arrive very early in the morning.

[bolivarshagnasty]

Thank you for your response. I am hoping someone has done it on the phone. I know several people in Thailand that have, but that was a couple of years ago. And things might have changed. The SSA rep I first talked to said only the embassy has staff to conduct SSA business, not consulates.
But noone that I spoke to seemed to know about it.. Unfortunately, I am living in Chiapas and distance enters into the picture. Anyway, I am moving back to the Orient next year, so I may as well swing through the states on my way. That way I can do it in person.
Gracias

[RVGRINGO]

Here at Lake Chapala, the Guadalajara Consulate sends a representative to the American Legion in Chapala and to the Lake Chapala Society once each month to attend to the needs of local expats, including passport renewals and Social Security applications. So, it can be done by consulates if they are willing. I think it is the first Wednesday of the month.

[bolivarshagnasty]

That`s a good option. I have many friends in that area. But, I just thought of Guatemala City U.S. Embassy. Not many expats and just a shuttle ride away. The only problem is it would require four more stamps in my passport and Mexico didn`t want to let me in this time because there was insufficient space to put their entry stamp, it is filled to the brim with stamps and it is only 4 years into it. Too much globetrotting, I guess. May just go visit friends in Guatemala and tell the Embassy I lost it and start over again and do both chores at the same time. Now that I`ve said that, I probably will misplace the passport. Won`t be the 1st time.

[RVGRINGO]

I ran out of space in a passport back in 1972 and, somehow, an accordion fold set of additional pages were attached. I don't recall how or where; my secretary probably took care of it, but I would imagine that any consulate or embassy can do that for you.

[bolivarshagnasty]

But there are country stamps in there that I don`t want to ever see again, or have seen. Besides it looks like a worn out wash cloth after having been chewed on, --- on ,spilled upon and thrown into the river in utter disgust. So it is time for a fresh one.

[bolivarshagnasty]

I just got an e-mail from the senior editor of AARP Bulletin and she said she would be in touch with her contact at SSA and get back to me. And I have never been a member of AARP, so that was nice.

[synthia]

I don't know if you can get a new one just because it is old. But they will add pages (although they aren't accordion any more) forever. I have an old passport with three additions, and I came near to needing four. Since passports are not issued by embassies any more, you would have to do an application and wait for a new one. The page adding process takes about three minutes, if they are walking slowly.

[bolivarshagnasty]

I just talked to the Embassy in GUA and they said they will issue a new one,especially if I can prove immediate travel needs. About 3 days she said, but you never can know for sure because the right hand,,blah,blah,blah.....But I was nearly refused entry into Myanmar because of the condition of my passport and the State Dept web site says you can replace damaged, unreadable, etc passports. I have done it twice before.
My passport seems to have a mind of it`s own and ends up in the weirdest places; laundries, toilets and one time on the tarmac in Dhaka, Bangladesh, right under the wheels of a jet and the guy with the machine gun wouldn`t let me retrieve it myself.... Anyway, if that is all I have to concern myself with, then I am way ahead of the game. Amen.