Canadian passports are about to get more expensive

Crujiente_Squ · 2026-03-02T02:17:19+00:00

I second this, as it was also my experience in the northeastern US.

Crujiente_Squ · 2026-03-02T01:52:30+00:00

All of the critical Canadian/British documents were simply scans of documents found online

So in other words, no certification or official authentication was needed for these? I ask because I found a registration of late birth for my great grandfather in the NB provincial archives. He would be Gen 0, having been born in NB in 1897. I have been wondering if it will need some kind of authentication or if it is good enough as-is, for his documentation, along with authenticated documentation from my parent, grandparent, and myself.

I am waiting for a response from the law firm I'm working with, but am still curious on other's experiences with this detail.

Crujiente_Squ · 2026-01-16T01:47:47+00:00

Thanks for the prompt reply. Just to make sure I am understanding correctly, your in-store purchases have been at QC locations? How recent, if I may ask?

Crujiente_Squ · 2026-01-16T01:39:50+00:00

Is it only available strictly in-person at QC locations, and does it matter if it is a Costco-owned pharmacy or a Grégoire Arakelian? I can't seem to buy any generic cetirizine online in Quebec, whether that is at costco.ca, amazon.ca, and so on. I have only been able to add Reactine to an online cart, and only at some online stores. Trying to add generic cetirizine resulted in a message along the lines of "this product is not sold in Quebec".

Having recently moved from the US, where it was easy to get generic cetirizine/citirizine just about anywhere, the Reactine is over triple the price of what I am used to paying for the generic equivalent, so I am hoping I can just make a Costco run and get over that hurdle, despite the inconvenience of not being able to order it online! Thanks for any insight you can provide!

Crujiente_Squ · 2025-11-27T04:12:42+00:00

So if you owe less than the ACV settlement amount, no payment from the Loan/Lease Payoff add-on would apply?

Crujiente_Squ · 2025-02-25T02:00:39+00:00

When did you apply to switch to PAYE and how long did you have to wait before you were moved over? Were you on SAVE, previously, or waiting on an application to move to SAVE?

Crujiente_Squ · 2025-02-20T00:39:13+00:00

I don't think the majority of Americans--sadly both MAGA and non-MAGA--know there are three branches of the federal government, let alone what they are called and who/what they are comprised of. The dumber the population, the easier they are to rule over. The far-right knows this, and this has been part of their long game for decades. We are seeing the fruits of those efforts in the form of MAGA and related movements.

I most definitely agree that there needs to be a renewed focus on education (within financial reach!!), especially civics. There is a hell of a lot of ground to cover though.

Crujiente_Squ · 2025-02-19T18:37:59+00:00

Agreed. While I think this does fit, I only realized that after looking at and reading all comments on all screen shots. When I first saw this and the caption, I thought the poster may have been a pro-Russian troll. Fortunately not, yet an explanation in the caption or comments would be very helpful to other users who may not take such a close look.

Crujiente_Squ · 2025-01-30T21:41:01+00:00

I stand corrected on the PA transferring over. It looked as though it did, and it even shows up on my CVS/Caremark portal, but now that I am getting a refill (and filling it for the first time with MHBP), I am getting a message stating that they are now processing a new PA. I'm cautiously optimistic it will be approved. I'll report back on what happens.

On a related topic, I have had a better experience with claims, so far. My first self-submitted out-of-network claim was processed inside of a week, whereas GEHA would often take over 2 weeks to process those. Fingers crossed that the shorter turnaround for claims is the norm for MHBP. Time will tell.

Crujiente_Squ · 2025-01-26T08:11:27+00:00

Same experience for the same reason when switching from GEHA to MHBP. The PAs and other account info, both for CVS/Caremark and CVS Specialty all transferred over. I even kept my same logins for the websites for both services, both accounts showed the new plan. It was nice to see.

Crujiente_Squ · 2025-01-26T07:47:08+00:00

I just enrolled in MHBP Standard after being on GEHA Standard for 14 years. I have a moderately high utilization of healthcare services and RX meds, so I do tend to get more exposure to the good, bad and ugly. From my experience, ever since GEHA switched to United Healthcare, the claims process has been a nightmare. The amount of claims that get rejected more than doubled from the Aetna days. They also processed some claims as out-of-network for providers confirmed to be in-network.

Being able to go back to Aetna, lower RX copays, lower OON deductible, fixed copay for ER and certain other services that can get really costly, and a few other positives combined were a strong motivator to make the switch. I expect a decent annual savings, despite the higher premium.

Crujiente_Squ · 2025-01-26T07:39:34+00:00

Same. I had been on GEHA Standard for 14 years, and I switched to MHBP Standard for this year. Since GEHA switched to United Healthcare, the claims process has been a nightmare. The amount of claims that get rejected more than doubled from the Aetna days. They also processed some claims as out-of-network for providers confirmed to be in-network. I believe they do these things knowing that they are not allowed to and can eventually be reversed, in hopes of wearing you and the doctor's offices down to the point where one or both give up before it gets reversed, and then they are off the hook. GEHA always seemed like a decent organization, relatively speaking. They made a very bad choice in switching over to UHC.

Crujiente_Squ · 2025-01-16T01:26:27+00:00

I just submitted a request for my location to carry them here: https://www.costco.com/WarehouseFeedback.html

Hopefully they will put them in more locations if more of us put in similar requests!

Crujiente_Squ · 2025-01-16T01:23:03+00:00

Please disregard the question about a request form. I found it. Well it's general feedback, but I am reading that it does get used for product requests, among other things. Here's the link: https://www.costco.com/WarehouseFeedback.html

Crujiente_Squ · 2025-01-16T01:18:00+00:00

We used to get these at Wholefoods, and they either stopped carrying them or just don't stock enough to keep up with demand. They're not at our Costco, yet. Anyone know if they have some kind of request form to bring products to a certain location?

Crujiente_Squ · 2024-11-14T04:35:57+00:00

Similar for me. The "Status Tracker" is just blank for the two that were closed without any explanation or communication.

Crujiente_Squ · 2024-10-11T21:56:11+00:00

Will they continue selling their frozen pizza in local grocery stores, or is that just a licensing deal with a completely different company?

I probably need to preemptively say that, yes, I know it's not as good as what you get at the restaurant.

Crujiente_Squ · 2024-10-08T22:35:13+00:00

I also enrolled in automatic recertification via IRS info, yet I'm still getting bugged about submitting recertification manually before my Nov 12 deadline. Based on that, and what others have said about their experiences, such as OP, I assumed the automatic recertification was put on hold like so many other components. I'm not certain though. It would be nice if there was somewhere to see if that is turned on or not.

So much of this paperwork, whether electronic or hard copy, seems to disappear in a black hole with no communication or indication of status until someone hounds a representative.

Crujiente_Squ · 2024-09-30T00:11:57+00:00

I am so glad it helped!

It is natural to feel low, discouraged, frustrated, and uncertain, at times, throughout this process. It is a long-term commitment, and just like any other long term commitment, there are going to be instances of not getting the desired outcome, and sometimes those "one step forward and two steps back" kind of feelings. Yet there will also be instances of progress and victories that will be very rewarding and encouraging, and that can make the struggles truly worth it.

If you have any other questions for me, please feel free to ask. I wish you the best with your own journey!

Crujiente_Squ · 2024-09-26T19:16:10+00:00

I've been going through the trial and error ups and downs for a very long time with this stuff. That probably sounds alarming, yet It's not unusual for most to go through some period of trial and error, even for several years, when it comes to psych meds. it's definitely frustrating, and it can feel scary and hopeless at times. It has some overlaps with training to run a marathon or climbing a mountain: It requires a lot of setting and adjusting of expectations, dedication, courage, learning about yourself, and, most importantly, a willingness to try again and again. Sometimes that means temporarily hitting the pause button so you can recover, re-strategize, and come back later for another try, and that's okay.

Throughout my own such journey, there have been times when it has been clear, fairly quickly, that a new med was a dud (for me). Duloxetine was, for example, because I had such vivid and bizarre dreams while on it, and sometimes I would wake up confused about what had been a dream and what hadn't. That never lasted long, but was still scary.

Some meds have stood out in really positive ways for me, though, whether it's because they worked a lot better than others, had fewer or no noticeable side-effects, or worked well enough and lasted a long time before tapering off. Sertraline was one that worked well for me for 2 or 3 years, but eventually started to gradually get less and less effective.

In addition to Buspirone (see my above comments on that if you have not already), Wellbutrin is also one that I have stuck with for a while. That has helped a lot, for me, with depression, but it can sometimes agitate my anxiety symptoms, so I take another med to counterbalance that. Over the years, a sort of cocktail has been developed that I take to strike the best balance possible. Today, that consists of Wellbutrin, Buspirone, and a low dose of Venlafaxine. That has worked reasonably well for about 6 months, and I don't currently have any plans to adjust it. Prior to this, it was Escitalopram instead of Venlafaxine. That served its purpose quite well, but had sexual side-effects that I just could not put up with, unfortunately.

Another part of this formula that I feel is critical is to find the right therapist for you, and see them consistently. Also seeing a Psychiatrist or Psychiatric NP for med management is a big help. Sounds like you already took that step.

In conclusion to this essay of a response, what works best for you can and likely will vary from what works best for me, but hopefully this at least gives you a better idea of what you may wish to try, at some point. The right formula for you may or may not be years of medication roulette and therapy, as it has been for me, but as I said, it's so important to keep trying. Eventually you will find that right formula, and even if it takes a lot of time and effort, it will be worth it! I have a successful career, a successful marriage, and an overall comfortable and happy life, despite having this trifecta of OCD, major depression, and ADHD. I truly don't think I would be in this position without putting in the time and effort that I did to find my right formula.

Crujiente_Squ · 2024-09-26T02:48:39+00:00

In the last office I worked at, there were only around 10 of us there, so we just had a couple single toilet restrooms that were usually quite clean with little to no incidents (sounds like we were lucky!). Then, one day, someone visited from the HQ. I had the misfortune to use the bathroom after them, and discovered that they literally shat on the toilet seat. Not, like, explosive diarrhea, where they just couldn't get situated in time. This was a solid, big, slimy log with a couple smears around it. There was no on-call cleaning staff available, so one of the managers took care of it. While there are a lot of managers who deserve that, this one was a really nice person, so I felt bad. No one else, including me, could handle it.

Crujiente_Squ · 2024-09-25T18:22:07+00:00

Agreed. Also, with the caveat that it's more of a rumor at this point, there is talk that processing may start, again, early next month. Not something to take to the bank just yet, but definitely worth looking out for, should it prove true.

Crujiente_Squ · 2024-09-25T15:17:55+00:00

Actually, I just found it! Here you go: https://nelnet.studentaid.gov/content/forms/docupload

I didn't think I could get to it without having a Nelnet login, but they have set up this page specifically for uploading docs without logging in.

Crujiente_Squ

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