Back in the summer of 2020...I decided to sign up for Social Security. I figured it' be simple.
I live in Germany, and the US Consulate in Frankfurt has a Social Security office. So the first thing I learned....via a phone, you CANNOT reach this office. You can only arrange an appointment. Because of Covid, the office was in some fashion....'shut-down'. They couldn't really explain anything....other than closed.
About six weeks pass, and they update the page....saying you can have an appointment. Nothing is open for approximately 8 weeks....getting me to the first week of October. Ok, not a big deal.
I show up early that AM....around 8 AM....to find about 300 people in line. Luckily, it was not that cold or rainy. I stood in line to reach the security point....taking roughly 2 hours. I get inside.....ten minutes prior to my appointment.
I hustle up to the room....second in line, and out comes 'Herman' (a German Social Security employee).
I have all the right papers, and Herman fills out the application....then he says....you will be notified in three weeks about the next 'talk'. What 'talk' I asked? Well....there's some lady who will call me at home and discuss the application. I asked Herman why he can't 'talk'....rules, he says.
So about 3 weeks go by and I get an email....yes, some lady will call me.....2nd week in January (2021). That's approximately six weeks from the day of the email.
The day arrives in January, and she calls. American gal....briefly asking me three questions and then she notices that I tried to get registered back in June (7 moths prior). She says we can backdate this....fine.
Then she brings up Medicare, and plan-B. She interprets what I said.....that I'd sign up later (at age 65...20 months into the future). But what she writes down....is 'declined'.
Well...two months go by and the first check occurs.....like she said....backdated to June of 2020.
So we go forward to April 2023. I get this Medicare plan-A card in the mail. There's an application for plan-B (you have to pay in the range of $169 a month for it). It says....sign and mail. Ok.
Two months pass....I call Social Security in the states (because the Frankfurt folks are useless). They have no record or entry.
Yeah, it's messed up. I send a form to the Frankfurt Social Security guys the next day.
I wait 2 months and try to call them....nothing. I call the US office.....no record.
So I fax the sheet direct to the US fax number. Next day, I call. Yeah, it's entered and being processed. This is the 29th of August.
Mid-September, I call each week....trying to get a status. My Tricare (military care) runs out in mid-November, unless this plan-B occurs. Nothing.
Finally, around the 5th of November.....Social Security says plan-B is approved but for 1 December. Ok, I can live with that.
This week, I printed off the card and went to visit the kind Army folks who'd update the Tricare database for me. I waited for about 90 minutes. To be honest, at least they provided a chair, a heated hallway, and I had a BX-cup-of-coffee to energize.
At this point....between the Consulate, the calls to Social Security and Army....I've put in about 30 man-hours of time. All of this to ensure Tricare works after age 65? Yeah.
The system is screwed-up.....the Consulate Social Security office is a waste, and you'd be better off to just hand the Air Force for some extended package $175 a month to just avoid the rest of these idiots.