How often do you check your mailbox? If you are an ex-pat in a foreign country and don't want your SSA benefits to be terminated, it's important to complete the Proof of Life form SSA sends out every two years at the beginning of June. (Yours will come in odd numbered years if your SSN ends in -00 to -49; in even numbered years for -50 to -99.) Some ex-pats send the form EVERY year just to be safe.
SSA is serious about terminating your benefits. The reason for asking if you're still alive, of course, is to prevent fraud. There have been numerous cases of ID theft in which a deceased person's personal info was stolen in order to collect those monthly checks, which would also explain why one must have a witness to attest that you signed the form. I know of folks who were cut off for failure to take this step. Yes, the good ole' SSA really will do it.
If you lost this form or never received it, you can go to ssa.gov and download a copy. In addition to mailing it snail mail, it might be advisable to also transmit it via email to the Embassy in Ecuador.
Regards
PS50
Speaking of Social Security Benefits--Remember the Proof of Life
If you're searching online for this form, it is SSA form 7162, as you may have trouble finding it under Proof of Life, which apparently is a nickname.
www.socialsecurity.gov
PS50, what are the snailmail and Ecuador Embassy/email addresses to send to ?
Fun Fact: This is National Social Security Week, July 19-25, 2015.
cccmedia in Quito
Hello,
I found this link:
http://ecuador.usembassy.gov/service/fe … fits3.html
For some reason, when I try to navigate to "[email protected]," I receive a message, "cannot be found." I do know the Federal Benefits Units (FBUs) at the various Embassies handle the SSA Form 7162 for Americans living outside of the U.S. who want to retain their various benefits. I only became aware of this when a blogger acquaintance in Panama posted similar info for Americans living there. I know the email for FBU there has the same suffix of "state.gov".
UPDATE: Aha! I clicked on "Overview and Contact Information" at the above link in the left margin and found this information for Ecuador:
Mailing (Correspondence):
Embajada de los Estados Unidos
American Citizen Services
Avigiras E12-170 y Ave. Eloy Alfaro
EC170505 - Quito, Pichincha, Ecuador
The email differs, depending on services needed.
Cheers,
PS50
Hope this helps!
[email protected] is the email address of the Federal Benefits Unit of the U.S. Embassy in Quito.
Anyone who sends in a completed 7162 to the Avigiras address of the Embassy may want to email the FBU a week or two later to make sure it was received, thus reducing the possibility of interrupted or canceled benefits.
The Embassy can also assist Expat residents of Ecuador in arranging direct deposit of their benefits into their EC bank accounts. This is a way of ensuring a reliable cash flow to Expats in a country where ATMs can be unreliable for getting cash from U.S-based bank accounts.
cccmedia in Quito
Things have changed from the pre-pandemic days of 2015, when this thread was last active: Ecuador's postal service, Correos del Ecuador, was no great shakes back then. It seems comatose now.
Today, at my condo in Quito, I received a mailing from the U.S. with the proof-of-life form for me to fill out and send back to the Social Security Administration. (The letter explained that benefits could be stopped if the form was not completed and returned.) That's not unusual; it happens every two years, although SSA apparently is letting things slide during the pandemic.
I inspected the cover letter that was seeking the completed form. It is marked Second Request and dated October 4, 2019!
I put the onus squarely on Ecuador's moribund postal service. I haven't received a single piece of mail sent from the U.S. to me in Quito that was originated after 2019.
----
Fortunately, I am able to ignore this old letter with no concern about benefits stoppage. While I was in the U.S. for over a year until recently, I completed and mailed my proof-of-life form(s) .. and I have confirmed that my benefits have been continuing sans interruption.
cccmedia in Quito
Articles to help you in your expat project in Ecuador
THE MOST SOUGHT AFTER DOCUMENT IN SOUTH AMERICA
For the past decade or so, Ecuador has moved between the number one and number two spots in polls that rank ...
Ecuador is famous as a retirement haven. But you might not want to wait until retirement age to move there and ...
What kind of food will you find in restaurants, cafes, and private homes in Ecuador? Many restaurants in Ecuador ...
Family is everything to an Ecuadorian. The extended family unit is the most important aspect of life in Ecuador ...
Ecuador, as a fast-developing nation, has laws that are constantly evolving, but one thing is certain: the ongoing ...
