GreyDawg

THANK YOU!

I will be moving my domicile back to Texas in the next couple of months, and am struggling with Form 130-U (application for Title / Registration). I have two "Passenger cars", both owned free/clear (ie, no liens) #1, purchased new in 2017, titled/registered in FL and sales tax paid to FL. Now at 105K miles #2, purchased used in Oct 2020, titled/registered in FL and sales tax paid to FL. Now at 60K miles [The vehicles are spending the spring in New Mexico, so I will fill in the VTR-270 form for each.] I've tried calling the Polk County Tax Office, but those poor folks are so overworked and stressed (and hold times long) that I thought I might try here first: QUESTIONS: Box 20 -- "previous owner." Relevant? This isn't a car purchase, it is a move from out of state. Do I fill in my name or leave it blank? Box 29 -- "location" As noted above, the cars will be parked in NM when registered, but their "permanent home" will be at my Polk County Escapees mail address. What do I put here Sales Tax or Use tax: I assume that since these are vehicles I have owned for a while (ie, not new purchases) I pay the $90 Use Fee on each vehicle, rather than submitting the 2017 or 2020 Bills of Sale and FL Tax Receipts, right? Proof of address: they don't seem to ask for proof. The Rainbow Drive address will, of course, be on my "Proof of TX Insurance." Do I need to submit any other proof (eg, bank statement with Rainbow Drive address)? Where to mail the plates: Does the Tax Office have to mail the plates to my permanent (Rainbow Drive) address, or will they mail them to where-ever I happen to be (ie New Mexico). Do I just ask for that in a cover letter? Thank you for helping take some of the "stress" answering basic questions off the folks at the Tax Office!

Thank you. I now have the information I need. Regards — GreyDawg

[First, my head is about to explode from reading so much about Medicare! And I thought the metals of the ACA were convoluted, but wow ….anyway:] I will be eligible for Medicare in June 2022, and will also purchase a Medigap Plan G policy and a Plan D policy (the cheapest I can find, as I currently have no Rx). I will not take SS yet, so will pay directly for Plan B premiums. Four years ago I moved my domicile from TX to FL to get FL BCBS (nationwide PPO) insurance. I would very much like to move my domicile back to TX (lots of reasons), and transitioning from ACA to Medicare might make this feasible. QUESTION: where can I find policy comparisons/costs (is there a Medicare equivalent of HealthSherpa?) I want to compare companies and plan prices in 33513 and 77399. QUESTION: in general — given that Plan G is standardized nationally — is there a difference among states, other than carriers and premium costs? QUESTION: If I enroll in Plan G during my initial enrollment period, and in a subsequent year move domicile to another state, will I be required to have medical underwriting to get Plan G coverage in the new state? QUESTION: what can be paid with HSA funds? plan B premiums (if not taking SocSec?). Medigap premiums? Any other thoughts about TX vs FL Medicare/Medigap for making a domicile decision? Thanks!

Yes, many states have such programs. My question is: does anyone here have experience with FL online courses (see link) and if so, do they have recommendations for FL online courses? I am especially interested in online courses that can be completed prior to my arrival in FL (hence do not require a current FL DL) and which provide the certificate online, not via snail mail.

Per the Florida DMV website, in FL drivers over 55 who take a "Mature Driver (Senior Citizen) Discount course " are entitled to a discount (typically about 10%) on vehicle insurance. The DMV website has a list of course providers, both online and classroom. Has anyone done this? And if so, do you have recommendations for online courses? I'd like to do this before getting FL insurance in May when I move my domicile. Thanks.

"Dishonest" was harsh. I apologize. Kirk's gentler rebuff was more appropriate. Nonetheless, it is something I am not comfortable doing with banks, etc. But I use Unit, No., Suite -- if their software requires it -- with AAA, AARP, and so on. Those are fundamentally different .... or at least they are in my mind. Your comment has been the cause for reflection on where I personally draw a line; as nomads we live in a gray area. Thank you.

I agree with Kirk: saying "yes" is dishonest. I will not do that. So, does anyone here have recent real experience with opening an Ally account with a Rainbow Drive address? Thank you.

Has anyone opened a savings or checking account at Ally Bank recently, successfully using the Escapees-TX address? I have used my Rainbow Drive address for everything -- banks, investing, voting, taxes, DL and vehicle registration -- since 2006, but have not opened a bank/financial account anywhere in the past three years. The online application asks for "Home Address (This address can't be a P.O. Box)". I will of course use my address at 2xx Rainbow Dr, #12345, but am wondering if anyone here has real firsthand experience with Ally and the Escapees address. Thanks

what guide did you use for the step-by-step process?

That's good to know. I will put it on tomorrow's call list! I'm the daughter of a WW2 vet, but Dad was in His Majesty's Royal Air Force. My mother's father was an Oklahoma doughboy in WW1. Of course, they're both long gone ... EDITED TO ADD .... just looked at the website -- still limited to military affiliation. 😞

Hmm. I am not eligible for USAA, but that's good to know. Of course, USAA is known for its legendary service. Thanks!

Some of us with No Fixed Abode do maintain storage units somewhere -- with seasonal clothing and sports equipment, with family heirlooms and other irreplacable items, and so on. I have a climate controlled storage unit with heirlooms, financial records, photos, beloved art and furniture pieces. The monthly storage cost is well worth it to me, even with a 10 year horizon. How do you insure the contents of your storage unit? My excellent storage facility with24hr cameras, gates and keypad locked building doors, requires insurance, but their "house" insurance only covers up to $5,000 which isn't nearly enough to cover my contents. Standard renters insurance policies are for rental homes/apartments (though one could argue that a secured unit to which only I have the key is a better place than an apartment that could be broken into or for which I might have personal injury liability...) Thanks!

The issue is that each of the two agents have asked for a deed, mortgage papers, lease, or utility bills to prove address. Neither will accept the Escapees letter. (And, techinically, I don't think the Bushnell address IS a mail forwarding address -- it's not a freestanding CMRA -- but rather an RV park which we are allowed to claim as their "home base park" per the Escapees letter. I could also use a FL DL with the address on it .... but I can't get the DL and register the van until it has FL insurance! Catch-22. So that is why I am hoping that someone can say "Use Billl Smith ... he understands the Escapees address and the idea of "home base park." Thanks! EDITED TO ADD: someone elsewhere suggested that the Bushnell address may be showing up as an RV park in the agents' software , and that is setting off their mental alarms. I did note that if you try to get a quote online, it suggests other drivers at the same address you might want to add to your policy. And apparently there are dozens at the Bushnell address! If I were an agent that didn't know the story, alarm bells would sound in my mind!

Looking for State Farm agents near Bushnell who understand how the mail service address works ... I will be moving my domicile from TX to FL later this year. I have been with State Farm for nearly 30 years (four states) , and get a multi-line discount (renters for my storage unit, personal umbrella) as well as long term loyalty discounts, etc. I am not considered a "Full Time Rver" as my rig is a self-converted van which is just registered as a van, not as an RV. I have contacted two agents, both near The Villages, who told me that either (a) the mail service address is "illegal" or (2) kept insisting they needed to know where I "live" and where my van is "parked/garaged." Can anyone please recommend a State Farm agent who understands what's going on? Thanks.

Thanks for the replies. I haven’t selected a Travis County mail service yet. Kirk — That’s interesting, and not what I was told years ago when I joined and started using the 77399 address. I sure wish I could quote chapter and verse the ruling that says in Texas CMRAs are valid for all purposes n case I get push back from the DMV. Do you have a reference? LiveWorkDream: I wouldn’t give up my mail service or Livingston address for mail etc. Like GlennWest, many times in the past I have had two addresses— one where I was living (OR, NC, TX) and a mailing address in 77399. so two addresses is not an issue. I just need to confirm that I can use a CMRA in Travis County for my official Texas address (and hence use that address for health insurance in Travis County). Then I will look very closely at Oscar Health.

Hi -- For many years I have been domiciled at the Escapees Livingston address (great mail service)....like, since 2007. All financial institutions have that address, I file my taxes from that address, and so on. Even when I had periods of sticks-n-bricks residency elsewhere in Texas I used the Escapees address. Never an issue Now I would l like to change my Texas address to Travis County where the health insurance options for pre-Medicare are far better. (In addition that's where my estate lawyer, eye doc, dentist and storage unit are, so I have stronger links to Travis County than Polk County). I would continue to keep all mail flowing to 77399. 2012-2015 when off the road looking after my parents in Texas, I changed my TxDL and registration insurance to their address, but kept everything else in 77399. So this is the same idea, but .... QUESTION: Can I use the address of CMRA (ie mail service) in Travis County for the TxDL, or will that be rejected (we know Livingston is accepted because in theory we could live there). If I can simply register for a Travis County based CMRA and use that address for the State of Texas, then that would be perfect. I have no family left there, so no one's address that I can just "borrow." Thanks

Hi -- I kept an October email from Kyle Hensen with links to the "2020 Health Plan Guide for Rvers" -- but now those links don't work (and I understand that Kyle is no longer associated with RVer Insurance Exchange). Does anyone have a valid link/uirl for this document? As I recall, the 2019 doc was very informative, and we need to consider options for later in 2020 when we are no longer eligible for our current pre-Medicare policies. Thanks

Found it! From TxDMV.GOV Your vehicle registration may be renewed online 90 days before the expiration date or up to six months after the expiration date, if you have not received a citation for expired registration. Your expiration month will not change. So, worst case scenario is that I drive the unregistered vehicle for inspection and then renew online asap. Best case scenario is that I can renew online and then have it inspected.... More google to come....

Thank you for all the replies. I do NOT want to do anything illegal, so I will not fudge the forms and say the vehicle was out of state when it was not. That's why I am trying to find the correct procedure. Texas does not seem to have a non-op registration -- they will issue a title for a non-operated vehicle but not registration. At least, that's my interpretation of the DMV website. There is a 30-day temporary permit which may be applicable: let the registration lapse, get a 30 day permit, and then drive the vehicle to be inspected and get the permanent registration (best done while NOT under severe jet lag). And if it has sat unused for several months, it may need a few days at my excellent Austin mechanic before it will be road-ready anyway. It is registered in Polk County, but I have had it inspected in other counties. I can't recall if they did a smog test or not. I don't mind the smog test; it's a 2017 Transit, so if it fails I clearly have other issues to deal with. I would prefer NOT making a trip to Polk County --- not a place I enjoy at all -- just to get it inspected and reregistered. Unless I find something different, I think I will follow chirakawa's initial response " When you renew the expired registration, you will have to sign an affidavit saying that it had not been on the road during the expired period. They will understand that you had to drive it to get it inspected. " That makes sense, and I didn't know about the affidavit. That can be supported with my plane tickets as well as the storage facility receipts. Thanks again. More Googling in my future on this topic!

Ah, OK. A couple of wrinkles might be that (a) it is our only vehicle, so we would have to drive it first to inspection and then to the tax office to register (unless we could do that bit online, even though the registration would be expired), and (b) the vehicle will be stored in the Austin area (Travis or Williamson counties) not Polk County, which might complicate re-registering? Would we have to drive the unregistered (but inspected) vehicle to Polk County? Or am I totally overthinking this?

How do I go about renewing the registration of a vehicle which is in storage while we are out of the country? The registration will be due for renewal in June 2020. However, the vehicle will be in storage from Nov 2019 to August 2020 as we travel the world. (and, I hope, on just comprehensive insurance). I called the Travis County Tax Office (because I was in Austin and they are very efficient). The person said that, as usual for registration/reregistration, inspection could be postponed if the vehicle is out of state, and it must be inspected within 3 days of returning to the state. Self-certify with Form 270. Yep, we all know that. However, when I said the vehicle would be IN state, but in storage and not being driven, she had no clue. All she could suggest was letting the registration lapse in June 2020, and re-registering and inspecting when we return....but she noted that would mean driving an unregistered and uninspected vehicle at least as far as an inspection station! I suppose I could phone Polk County TA and ask, but I won't be back in the US for another couple of weeks (Alaska roadtrip, now in Canada). So...has anyone faced this issue before with a stored vehicle? Google is NOT my friend here! Thanks!