I called yesterday to get an appointment at my local Social Security office. I was only on hold for 23 minutes before a lovely lady named Tanya came on the line to help me.
I explained that I needed a signed, dated and certified copy of my SS income and that I had written them a letter three weeks ago but hadn’t heard back. Tanya gave me an appointment to pick up the letter tomorrow. So, I can mail it to the Secretary of State tomorrow or the next day to have it apostilled by the authorities there. The turnaround for that will be seven to ten days, from what I hear. That’s well within my time frame, since I’m not leaving until (hopefully) early September.
UPDATE: I didn’t get what’s required at the Social Security office during my appointment this afternoon. I’m frustrated and disappointed. The woman who “helped”me (I use the term loosely here) (who was NOT Tanya, I’m sure!) was curt, unresponsive, and dismissive. I explained what I needed and she just printed out (from her printer) my benefits letter, stamped it with her rubber stamp (showing the address of the office with Social Security Administration emblazed above it) , and signed her initials. I told her I needed more than that, and tried to get her to refer to a link that explained exactly what I needed and she said (paraphrasing here), “It isn’t a Social Security link, so I’m not bound by its protocols. This is what we do here.”
Perfunctory as hell. Ice maiden-like. Wanted no blowback; got too damn’ little from me.
I was hoping what she gave me would pass muster since she showed zero inclination to offer a jot or tittle more. It doesn’t.
So, now I need to make another appointment to go back with a list of what needs to happen to make the benefits letter apostille-able. Which is:
- It needs to be on official, original Social Security agency letterhead, with any and all seals or signatures confirming that it is an original document. (Or, if they print out a copy, they have to certify that it is a true copy of the original document by way of signature.)
- It needs to be legibly signed by the issuer and include the issuer’s name, printed name and title, and agency seal.
- It must include a date of issuance.
I’m miffed. It shouldn’t feel like a huge chore to get what I need here. It isn’t rocket science: my benefits letter, properly affirmed and signed. One and done. NOT a huge ask!
UPDATE: Got the same response when I went back. Dammit. No help there. Now I need to see if my credit union will notarize the printout of the benefits letter I got at SS, or if I need to pay ($200) for a certified document from SS before I have it notarized, which can take MONTHS. And I don’t have months left!
I also have scheduled an appointment with a notary public on Monday at BECU in Puyallup to get the document they gave me notarized. Someone said getting a notary to certify the document might pass muster.
Nothing is as easy as it should be when dealing with bureaucracy. I’m learning that as I navigate this process. It took three trips to the FBI fingerprinting place to get that process (and its apostillization) underway!
So far, the only agency that hasn’t thrown a monkey wrench is the state agency responsible for getting an original birth certificate and its appostilization. I think I’ll be getting those back in the next week or so. The FBI one should arrive by the end of July. I’m hopeful the Social Security one will take only 7 t 10 days after it arrives in Olympia for its apostillization process. I’ll overnight it to them as soon as I get a document that I know they will accept for apostillization!
Immigration Coach Wisdom
Margaret Aliff, my immigration coach, says I should wait until I have all three required docs and their apostilles in hand before I make flight arrangements.That’s because Charli needs a vet exam, two immunizations and a microchip installed within ten days of the flight and any delay in the receipt of the docs could throw a money wrench into the flight plans. I don’t want to have a mobile vet come out twice to certify Chrli’s wellness. That would add more cost to moving down.
Recent Photos for Costa Rica Passport Check
Today I’m going to get Costa Rica-approved passport photos taken. Each country has its own image requirements, so I’m taking the requirements to where I got my passport photos a couple years ago. I drove to the passport photo place yesterday, only to discover that they aren’t open on Mondays. No biggy. It’s only about five miles away… Tranquilo, baby!
Update: Got my pix taken.
Directions: No smiling, no glasses, neutral look.
The results: I look like I’m about to be incarcerated!
Margaret says I’m waaay ahead of the game. I’m making amazing progress. She says people in other states are having a real challenge getting timely responses from Social Security and other crucial agencies. (Which is why she encouraged me to give them a call if I didn’t hear back on my letter in three weeks. Good thing I did. I was able to find the local phone number, so that’s why my on-hold time was just 23 minutes instead of 2+ hours!)
Little by little, I’m getting ‘er done!
GARAGE SALES COME NEXT!
(Not looking forward to those, so I want to get them off my plate as soon as possible.)
I need to schedule a couple garage sales to find homes for the rest of my stuff. If it doesn’t all go, I’ll donate it to a thrift store. I can’t spend a lot of time hoping for sales of small items that just sit there. I have freebies for folks, too: pet carriers, cages, feed buckets, hen feeders, my bicycle, and other handy stuff.
I have two large posters signed by DeForest Kelley that I still need to find homes for. They are very special to me, but I can’t take them along. Make a bid and let me know how much extra you can pay for postage if you’re not local, and I’ll see if I can get it/them to you for that price. (Just checked with a postal service: the absolute cheapest I can get a mounted poster to the east coast –box and shipping alone! — is $115.00, so that probably puts it beyond most budgets in this day and age):
