|
Social
Security Column
By Erin Thompson, Social Security Public Affairs Specialist
in Toledo, Ohio
Guest Column
access social security from
just about anywhere
You can access our programs and services from just about
anywhere with your personal and secure my Social Security
account. It’s easy to sign up for one, and it will give you
access to important information you can’t find anywhere
else. With your personal my Social Security
account, you can:
Use our Retirement Calculator to compare future benefit
estimates for different dates or ages to begin receiving
benefits.
Check the status of your application or appeal for benefits.
Review your work history.
Request a replacement Social Security card (in most States).
If you already receive benefits, you can also:
Get a benefit verification or proof of income letter.
Set up or change your direct deposit.
Change your address.
Request a replacement Medicare card.
Get a Social Security 1099 form (SSA-1099).
You can even use your personal my Social Security
account to opt out of receiving certain notices by mail,
such as the annual cost-of-living adjustments and the
income-related monthly adjustment amount notice. These
notices are now available in your Message Center when you
sign in to your account.
Please let your friends and family know that they can create
their own my Social Security account today at
www.ssa.gov/myaccount.
NEW Benefit Verification Letters
We are excited to announce the release of a new,
standardized Benefit Verification letter.
People receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) benefits can obtain their letter by using their
personal my Social Security account. You can use the
letter as proof of income for loans, housing assistance,
mortgage, and other verification purposes.
Please create your personal my
Social Security
account to
access your new Benefit
Verification letter online in a safe, quick, and convenient
way without needing to
contact us. People not receiving benefits can use
their account to get proof that they do not receive
benefits, or proof that benefits are pending, in the same
standardized letter. Individual
representative payees can also use the new my
Social Security
Representative Payee Portal to access the new Benefit
Verification letter online for themselves or their
beneficiaries.
You can access your Benefit Verification letters at
www.ssa.gov/myaccount.
If you don’t want to use your personal my Social Security
account, you can call our National 800 Number to speak with
a representative or to use the Interactive Voice Response
system. You can also contact your local office.
understanding social security survivors benefits
We are here for surviving family members when a worker
dies. In the event of your death, certain members of your
family may be eligible for survivors benefits. These
include widows and widowers, divorced widows and widowers,
children, and dependent parents.
The amount of benefits your survivors receive depends on
your lifetime earnings. The higher your earnings, the
higher their benefits. That’s why it’s important to make
sure your earnings history is correct in our records. You
can do this by creating a personal my Social Security account
at
www.ssa.gov/myaccount.
A my Social Security account is secure and gives you
immediate access to your earnings records, Social Security
benefit estimates, and a printable Social Security
Statement to see an estimate of survivors benefits we
could pay your family.
You may also want to visit our
Benefits Planner for Survivors
to help you better understand your and your family’s Social
Security protections as you plan for your financial future
at
www.ssa.gov/planners/survivors.
Please visit
www.ssa.gov
or read our publication Survivors Benefits at
www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10084.pdf
for more information. You can also help us spread the word
by sharing this information with your family and friends.
social security program experts can answer your important
questions
There are many online resources about Social Security, so it
is important that you come to us as the first place for
answers. You can find many of the answers about our
programs and services on our Frequently Asked Questions page
at
faq.ssa.gov.
We feature our most-asked questions at the top of the page
to help you find answers to the most common questions
quickly, like:
Are Social Security services affected by Coronavirus
(COVID-19)?
What should I do if I receive a call from someone claiming
to be a Social Security employee?
How do I change or correct my name on my Social Security
number card?
How do I apply for a new or replacement Social Security
number card?
How can I get a Social Security Statement that shows a
record of my earnings and an estimate of my future benefits?
You can also browse by topics like:
Disability.
Social Security Payments.
Retirement.
Medicare.
You can visit our publications library at
www.ssa.gov/pubs
for detailed information on nearly all of our topics. We
make each publication available in text, audio, and
downloadable formats.
|
