Trip to the FBU

[Sam Wilson]

LiCR,

I took a quick trip to the FBU at the US Embassy yesterday, and could not have been happier with their professionalism and efficiency.  My cynical self was super pleasantly surprised 2 times over.  My journey all started when I finally noticed on a Social Security statement that the SSA had my name spelled incorrectly.  My middle name was missing its last letter.  Over the years I only recall seeing first name, middle initial and last name on anything to do with the SSA, including the tattered SS# card that I probably last saw some 30 years ago.  In recent years they started sending statements to my US address, but I never saw them in person. Every time I was interested, someone opened up their letters and just read them to me until a month or two ago someone scanned their letter and sent me a picture of the whole thing.

Yesterday, for the first time, someone suggested that I could use the "preferential" caja for pregnant gals and old folks since it had a shorter line.  Actually before yesterday, I got hooked up online with the SSA's webportal and lo and behold they did have my name misspelt!  It took 2 ½ hours on hold with the SSA hotline in the US of A before finally someone answered and they confirmed that my name really was misspelt in their records -- they said it had been that way for 50+ years.  Of course they can't just fix the obvious mistake and needed me to come into my local office with a birth certificate and official gov't ID and then they could fix it.  I was tempted to just leave things as they were, but I'm gearing up for trying to make our kid a legit US citizen and make sure that whatever SS benefits might come my way could fall through to my Tica wife and kid should anything happen to me.  So I contacted the FBU (Federal Benefits Unit) at the US Embassy in Pavas.  After 3 or 4 emails back and forth, they set an appointment for me to come in with birth certificate, US gov't ID, and a form for getting a new SS# card filled out and they said they could fix it.  They apparently only do appointments Wednesday mornings between 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM...  I did wonder if they get a full week's pay for that, but after my good treatment I must give them the benefit of the doubt that they do actually do other important stuff the other 36 hours of the work week.  I got the latest appointment we could get (11:15 AM) since we've got a 5 hour ride to San José and on the appointed day we caught a ride to Pavas with a neighbor heading that way and we headed off to see the wonderful wizards!

On la General Cañas we got caught up in an OIJ checkpoint traffic jam with less than 30 minutes to spare and I just hummed a stress relieving tune until we got through that mess and we eventually got to the Embassy with 5 minutes to spare. I waltzed in with zero electronics in hand (except I jokingly told security, no electronics except for my passport -- they gave each other nervous glances and I think some supervisor must have understood what I was referring to as they did pass me on through.)  The Consulate was completely empty besides security staff except I saw 1 visa window open with nobody to talk to.  A few minutes after I walked in they called my name over the loudspeaker and the nice young girl behind the FBU window asked me for my passport and the form I had filled out.  She looked them over and said, "no problem, obviously they left the last letter of your middle name off at some point in time.  We'll fix it and have a new SS# card sent to your US address in 2 weeks!"  Whew... I could not believe it was so easy.  jajaja.  She noticed that soon I would be eligible to file for retirement benefits and asked me if I'd like any help with that.  I mentioned to her that I had looked at the online application process and got to a question that was impossible for me to answer truthfully because I've got a Costa Rican wife.  She said they really recommend that anyone residing outside of the USA not use the online application portal to apply for benefits (contrary to what the US Embassy webpage says) and to instead talk directly to the FBU.  Then she told me that she'd be happy to set up a telephone interview to help me apply for benefits and there was no need for me to travel back to San José for this.  I was flabbergasted!  Such a friendly gal and so professional and efficient.  She may have been a Tica -- it was hard to tell except she had a very slight accent.  Why can't all government employees be that way?  I gave her an across the board 5 star review when the SSA asked me to fill out a survey concerning my visit.

My wife and I then Ubered around town to buy school supplies and then hopped the afternoon bus back to our little mountain retreat none the worse for wear...  Another successful outing to the Emerald City and home again.

Sorry to all I keep promising to visit when we head to the GAM.  It is just so much easier to bus it or catch a ride rather than drive that I really haven't had the flexibility to just stop by for coffee or rum.  I swear... sometime soon I will.  We've been making ron casero out of Cacique up this way and it is turning out really well!  (I'm using oak chips someone brought me from the US.)  I'll try to bring a bottle in penance whenever I can really get away for more than a hit-and-run visit.

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Sam, making moonshining in Guanacaste