Work permit and social security

[Dexlowe]

I'm 67, had the social security medical coverage in the past. If I convince my former employer to rehire me on a work permit, will I be eligible for the social security again?

[ricklev]

Unfortunately no.  eligibility ends at 60. 

[AGareth2]

4 hours ago, ricklev said:

Unfortunately no.  eligibility ends at 60. 

mmmm

went to the social yesterday

with a load of paperwork

set up a personal payment

432 bht per month

based on company ss payments

now back in the system

needs to be set up within 3 months of retiring at 60

[ricklev]

12 minutes ago, AGareth2 said:

mmmm

went to the social yesterday

with a load of paperwork

set up a personal payment

432 bht per month

based on company ss payments

now back in the system

needs to be set up within 3 months of retiring at 60

After age sixty you can't reenter the system if you previously let it lapse even if you are working. 

 

But I'm not sure what you are saying?  You once had it, let it lapse and then they allowed you to rejoin with personal payments for the rest of your life?    I was told no.   Can't do it.  Has to be applied for within a few month period of leaving employment. Maybe that is what you did?

Edited May 25, 2019 by ricklev

[scorecard]

14 minutes ago, ricklev said:

After age sixty you can't reenter the system if you previously let it lapse even if you are working. 

 

But I'm not sure what you are saying?  You once had it, let it lapse and then they allowed you to rejoin with personal payments for the rest of your life?    I was told no.   Can't do it.  Has to be applied for within a few month period of leaving employment. Maybe that is what you did?

Well 9 years back I retired at 65, my admin. manager took me to the SS office at Din Daeng and I got a sizeable reimbursement.

 

Early next morning she called me to share she had learned that I can continue in the SS system by making ongoing personal monthly payments for the rest of my life. She asked me to be ready for her to pick me up early and be at the SS office at 8.30 am.

 

We did that, she asked for the documents to allow me to continue. Answer:  'No, cannot, has to be documented at the same time as the reimbursement, next day is too late'.

 

Over the years i've heard 4 or 5 quite different versions of this. 

 

 

[AGareth2]

7 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Well 9 years back I retired at 65, my admin. manager took me to the SS office at Din Daeng and I got a sizeable reimbursement.

 

Early next morning she called me to share she had learned that I can continue in the SS system by making ongoing personal monthly payments for the rest of my life. She asked me to be ready for her to pick me up early and be at the SS office at 8.30 am.

 

We did that, she asked for the documents to allow me to continue. Answer:  'No, cannot, has to be documented at the same time as the reimbursement, next day is too late'.

 

Over the years i've heard 4 or 5 quite different versions of this. 

 

 

yes

I had to supply marriage doc and children's birth certificates

spoke to the lady supervisor

 

[ricklev]

1 hour ago, AGareth2 said:

yes

I had to supply marriage doc and children's birth certificates

spoke to the lady supervisor

 

Sorry.  This might be useful to me.  How long had you been out of the social welfare  system?  Months or years?   And if it was years they still allowed you rejoin for life?  

 

Or maybe you are saying you were in the system til retirement at 60 and then within the time period allowed applied for self pay. 

 

Thanks for your answer.  

 

In any case, to be clear to the original poster, employment after 60 won't get you back into the system. I checked carefully.   I would be very happy to find out I am wrong though. 

Edited May 25, 2019 by ricklev

[AGareth2]

36 minutes ago, ricklev said:

Sorry.  This might be useful to me.  How long had you been out of the social welfare  system?  Months or years?   And if it was years they still allowed you rejoin for life?  

 

Or maybe you are saying you were in the system til retirement at 60 and then within the time period allowed applied for self pay. 

 

Thanks for your answer.  

 

In any case, to be clear to the original poster, employment after 60 won't get you back into the system. I checked carefully.   I would be very happy to find out I am wrong though. 

less than 2 months

was told the time window is 3 months

[Neeranam]

I'm retiring at 54, and was told that as long as you've been working for 15 years, you can continue with the social security health cover. You must apply within a few months of stopping.

[Dexlowe]

Thanks for the info. When I retired at 60, I had been paying into the SSF for 17 years. I went to the SSF head office in Nonthaburi, and the marvellous staff there sorted out all of the paperwork for me so that I could continue to pay in and be covered for medical. That continued for several years when a mistake over which I had no control caused my medical insurance to be cancelled. I am devastated and will be forced to leave Thailand as it is too risky at my age to stay here without coverage. Hence my original post - clutching at straws.

 

So, it's back home soon, possibly never to return as private medical coverage will be beyond my means. Unless there is another alternative. Once again, thanks all, especially ricklev. Cheers. 

 

(Don't worry, only ground floor windows in my house -- lol.)

[10years]

Voluntary Insured Person (Article 39)

 

To qualify for this, you must have paid contributions to the SSF under Article 33 for at least 12 months and have not reached 6 months after termination of employment.

 

To apply for this, you have to fill out a form and provide a copy of your ID (passport) and show the original. The branch office will have an online record of your past contributions but I don’t know if they know when you terminated employment, so it might be wise to bring your termination or retirement letter from the employer and a copy of it.

 

You will probably want to set up automatic deduction of B432/mo from your bank account, so also provide a certified copy of the first page of your bank passbook. My bank charges B20 per automatic withdrawal.

There is no expiration (except death of the insurer?) but your coverage will cease if you fail to make contributions, so you should check that the deductions are being made.

 

You can ask for official copies of your payments for any calendar year at the branch office. This will serve as proof of SSF payments, which are deductible on your Thai income tax return if you continue to work. These copies are also supposed to prove you were covered by a national health plan when you apply for Medicare Part B under special enrollment.

Once your application is approved and payments are set up, you are covered for life and do not have to return to the office or reapply or extend your coverage.

 

Remember that medical coverage also includes dental treatment and dentures.

 

As usual, you will have to designate a registered hospital from a list of hospitals. This list might not include govt hospitals. You can change hospitals at a designated period of time, I think at the end or beginning of the year.

 

I was able to get reimbursed for dental services at a govt university.

This plan does not require you to have Thai nationality.

 

I used to receive a paper ID card every 2 years, but was told this was changed for aliens. I have not received the new plastic card yet.

Remember that when you retire, you can apply for a lump payment from the branch office. I’m not sure what this is for.

 

If you go to the Onnut office, ask for Daranee, she can speak some English.

[Isaanbiker]

On 5/25/2019 at 8:54 AM, AGareth2 said:

less than 2 months

was told the time window is 3 months

The time window is six months. I was lucky, went to the SS office one week before the deadline. And they seem to take it seriously. Two weeks over is too late. 

[hereforgood]

Quote

I used to receive a paper ID card every 2 years, but was told this was changed for aliens. I have not received the new plastic card yet.

When nI signed up was told I am in the system no longer do they issue the Medical cards

[Sheryl]

That is true, they do not, it is now a paperless system.

 

The key field is "ID number" and this is proving problematic for foreigners who do not have a pink ID card. Many SS offices are claiming they cannot register people without it, the head office says they can but seems to be the only one who knows how. I suspect it is done by entering passport number with something else before it (?maybe a string of 0's or other number?).

 

It is important to know how it has been done in your case because you need to know what was entered in the ID number field for you as that is what the hospital will need to locate you in their system.

 

In the absence of a card I suggest a visit to your nominated hospital  (now, before you need care) to confirm they have you in their database as an SS client. More than a few foreigners have had problems since the switch to paperless system.

 

 

[jumbo]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

That is true, they do not, it is now a paperless system.

More than a few foreigners have had problems since the switch to paperless system.

 

 

I can imagine that because outside of Bangkok you will need to pay at 7/11 with your card..

I live in Ayutthaya and paying by any other means is not possible

[kiwiaussie]

On 5/25/2019 at 1:05 PM, Neeranam said:

I'm retiring at 54, and was told that as long as you've been working for 15 years, you can continue with the social security health cover. You must apply within a few months of stopping.

 

On 5/28/2019 at 6:52 AM, 10years said:

Voluntary Insured Person (Article 39)

 

To qualify for this, you must have paid contributions to the SSF under Article 33 for at least 12 months and have not reached 6 months after termination of employment.

 

So im confused by these conflicting posts. Is it 12 months of full time employment before you can move to a voluntary contribution, or 15 years? 

[ubonjoe]

11 minutes ago, kiwiaussie said:

So im confused by these conflicting posts. Is it 12 months of full time employment before you can move to a voluntary contribution, or 15 years? 

It is 12 months.

[scorecard]

On 5/28/2019 at 2:16 PM, jumbo said:

I can imagine that because outside of Bangkok you will need to pay at 7/11 with your card..

I live in Ayutthaya and paying by any other means is not possible

Internet banking with a monthly automatic payment, or manual on-line payment, all on your screen? And you can very easily check (on your screen) to see if the programmed payments have actually occurred. 

 

Thai bank savings account - visit the bank branch and set up a monthly automatic payment.

[Neeranam]

On 6/1/2019 at 11:48 AM, ubonjoe said:

It is 12 months.

Maybe the 15 years is to get the monthly pension.

[AGareth2]

was told your number is linked to your passport

no card

so best to keep your old one

[ashiqU]

Not possible to register for 39 after leaving job if there is no yellow book or pink id. Got rejected at samutprakan, Bang na and On nut office. Nonthaburi office has no idea. Call center and email replied that could be registered without anyone of those but the branches rejects directly. So please do not waste your time going different branches.

[hereforgood]

28 minutes ago, ashiqU said:

Not possible to register for 39 after leaving job if there is no yellow book or pink id. Got rejected at samutprakan, Bang na and On nut office. Nonthaburi office has no idea. Call center and email replied that could be registered without anyone of those but the branches rejects directly. So please do not waste your time going different branches.

This is incorrect but this is what I was told as well in the Sri Ratcha SS office. I called main SS office and they assured me no ID or yellow book needed referred me to SS office in Rayong and got everything sorted very quickly. I called the SS office in Rayong first and they wanted my SS number they looked it up while I waited on line and confirmed I was good to go. 

Edited June 7, 2019 by hereforgood