The FBU in London is working again
 

There have been many posts here about how badly the FBU in London has been performing in dealing with SS applications and queries, myself included. (It took me many months and lots of effort to get my SS application approved in 2024/25)

We returned from holiday on Saturday 12th July to find a letter to my wife from the FBU stating that she might be eligible for spousal benefits and to contact them to set up an appointment. The letter provided a phone number and email address. (She has been receiving SS benefits for about 4 years and this year her benefits were increased when WEP was removed, but are still less than half mine at FRA so she could get a little bump of an extra $50-$100/month). On Monday July 14th she sent them an email requesting an appointment and today she received an email reply with an appointment date of September 11th at 9:30 when they will call her, and they requested that I also be present.

Amazing!!

This was similar to how it was back in 2021 when first applied for her SS although it did take a few weeks from email to telephone call.

Re: The FBU in London is working again
 

Maybe it's apparent to anyone needing this information what all the abbreviations stand for but, having been out of the country for 25 years I'm afraid they mean nothing to me. I know I can Google them all but if the full wording were used in the heading at least, it might help to decide if this topic might be something relevant to my situations. Thanks for all the great info on here, I know it's an act of service.

Re: The FBU in London is working again
 

I should have been more clear.

The FBU is the Federal Benefits Unit and there is an office in the US Embassy in London and it deals with all queries and applications that would normally go through the Social Securuty Administration such as SS benefits, and Medicare.

https://uk.usembassy.gov/federal-benefits-london/

Re: The FBU in London is working again
 

No problem, I appreciate the explanation. Thanks.

Re: The FBU in London is working again
 

So does that mean that now when the time comes we do NOT apply for SS online and we are back to phone calls? Or does it just mean that we apply online but that it will be processed in London?

Re: The FBU in London is working again
 

You can do either or both. I initially applied through the FBU but got no response so applied online and the application was processed and passed onto the FBU for further processing who eventually then forwarded it back to SSA in the USA for payment.

My wife in 2021 contacted the FBU who interviewed her by phone a few weeks later and the application was completed by them and then forwarded onto SSA for payment. If you are comfortable doing it online then that is what I would do.

Re: The FBU in London is working again
 

I am more than comfortable online - I prefer it. Both to avoid lengthy holds, and because there is at least some sort of record of what has been done.

Thanks.

Re: The FBU in London is working again
 

Exactly. Once the application is entered online you can track its progress. In my case it quickly changed status to “Being Reviewed by an agent in London” which is where I had most trouble getting it progressed and it didn’t progress until WEP was abolished and then it moved onto “Being reviewed by an agent in Baltimore” where it stuck for a few weeks until I made a phone call to the SSA in the USA (3+ hours on hold but the phone call worked).

With no WEP in play I expect the FBU processing to be much quicker now, probably just a review of your documents on file, and verification of your UK address. The online part of the application even included UK bank details for the payments to be made.

Re: The FBU in London is working again
 

That's encouraging.

I wonder how long the whole process takes now - from application to first payment. We're trying to work out when it makes sense for the OH to start drawing (I still have my shoulder to the wheel), but it's tricky with no idea re timelines.

Re: The FBU in London is working again
 

You can apply up to 4 months ahead of the date you want the benefits to start. Not much point applying earlier than that. With both mine and my wife’s application it took longer than 4 months after submitting the application for the payments to start but they back dated to the requested start date.

https://www.ssa.gov/faqs/en/questions/KA-01891.html

Re: The FBU in London is working again
 

Yeah, I remembered the 4 month thing. It's the "how long will it really take" question that's the difficult one. Good that they backdate, but we need to ensure income arrival and that seems to be a bit of a guessing game at the moment.

Re: The FBU in London is working again
 

I’ll try and remember to update this thread.

The clock started ticking when my wife applied for her spousal benefits July 14th.

her FBU phone appointment date is Sept 11th so that is already 2 months.

Re: The FBU in London is working again
 

Thanks, updates would be really helpful.

Re: The FBU in London is working again
 

That's a minor miracle, and good to hear (though I don't think I'll ever need to contact them again - fingers crossed!)

I wonder what was the reason for them going almost completely uncommunicative for the best part of two years? Not complaining, of course - especially considering the recent WEP repeal.

[WEP = Windfall Elimination Provision ...]

Re: The FBU in London is working again
 

They seem to be focusing on anything online.

Posted on their website:

"The Federal Benefits Unit has had to make the difficult decision to reduce telephone services from June through August to address the increasing number of internet applications that we are receiving. Telephone services will be available on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month during this period beginning June 11 and you will still be able to contact our office by email. We apologize for any inconvenience that this may cause. But in an effort to help as many claimants as possible to receive their initial pension payments in a timely manner, we have had to divert our resources towards these workloads. We thank you for your understanding."