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Social Security Column
By Erin Thompson
Social Security Public Affairs Specialist in Toledo, OH
Guest Column
Faster Processing of
Disability Claims for People with Alzheimer’s Disease
Today, more than 5 million
Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Since
the onset of Alzheimer’s can occur in people before they
retire, it may strike during an individual’s working years;
preventing gainful employment as the disease progresses.
As a result, people must
come to grips with a devastating diagnosis while losing
their salary and benefits. People with Alzheimer’s disease
and their caregivers must figure out how they’ll pay for
care. Our benefits and services are vital to people with
early-onset
Alzheimer’s
who are unable to
work and have no other source of income.
For over a decade, Social
Security has included Alzheimer’s disease in our
Compassionate Allowances
program. The Compassionate Allowances program identifies
debilitating diseases and medical conditions so severe they
obviously meet our disability standards. Compassionate
Allowances allow for faster processing of disability claims
for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, mixed-dementia,
and Primary Progressive Aphasia.
You can read more about
our Compassionate Allowances program at
www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances. To learn more about
how Social Security disability insurance works, visit our
disability page at
www.ssa.gov/disability. Please share these resources
with friends and family.
Financial Literacy Month, A Perfect Time to Plan for your
Future
April is Financial
Literacy Month, a time focused on educating people about the
importance of planning for a secure financial future.
Social Security is a vital part of any financial plan. We
have online tools to help you understand your potential
Social Security benefits and how they fit into your
financial future.
You should periodically
review your Social Security Statement
with your personal
my
Social Security
account at
www.ssa.gov/myaccount.
Your Statement is an easy-to-read summary of the
estimated benefits you and your family could receive,
including potential retirement, disability, and survivors
benefits.
Additionally,
our Plan for Retirement tool in your
my
Social Security
account
allows you to run various benefit estimate scenarios. You
can compare different future earnings and retirement benefit
start dates for how they could affect your benefit amount.
Start improving your
financial literacy today by logging in to your
my Social
Security account. If you don’t have an account,
create one at
www.ssa.gov/myaccount.
Social Security’s Many
Online Services
There’s probably been a
time in your life when you’ve wondered, “Can I do this
online instead of visiting a Social Security office?” The
answer is more than likely yes, and you can find more
information about our online services at
www.ssa.gov/onlineservices.
Online, you can apply for retirement and disability
benefits, appeal a decision, and do much more.
We’ve organized our Online
Services webpage into four popular categories for easy
navigation:
·
Review Your Information.
You can access your secure, personal information and
earnings history to make sure everything is correct.
·
Apply for Benefits.
You can apply for retirement, disability, and Medicare
benefits without having to visit a local Social Security
office.
·
Manage Your Account.
You can change your direct deposit information and your
address, if you are receiving benefits, online.
·
Find Help and Answers.
You can find answers to your most frequently asked
questions, as well as links to publications and other
informational websites.
You can also access personalized information with your
my
Social Security
account. This is a useful resource even if you are not
receiving benefits. You can:
·
Request a replacement
Social Security number or Medicare card.
·
Get personalized
retirement benefit estimates.
·
Get estimates for spouse’s
benefits.
·
Print proof that you do
not receive benefits.
·
Check your application or
appeal status.
·
Read your
Social Security Statement.
If you are receiving benefits, you can:
·
Request a replacement
Social Security number or Medicare card.
·
Set up or change direct
deposit.
·
Print a Social Security
1099 (SSA-1099) form.
·
Opt out of mailed notices
for those available online.
·
Print a benefit
verification letter.
·
Change your address.
Please let your family and
friends know they can do much of their business with us
online at
www.ssa.gov.
New Fact Sheets Added to Your Online Statement
Your Social Security
Statement tells you how much you or your family can
expect to receive in disability, survivors, and retirement
benefits. It also provides a record of your earnings
history and other valuable information. And now it’s even
better!
We’ve added new fact
sheets to accompany the online Statement. The fact
sheets are designed to
provide clear and useful information, based on your age
group and earnings. They can help you better understand
Social Security programs and benefits.
The new Statement
fact sheets cover the following topics:
·
Retirement readiness for
workers in four age groups.
·
Workers with non-covered
earnings who may be subject to the Windfall Elimination
Provision and Government Pension Offset.
·
Social Security basics for
new workers.
·
How people become eligible
for benefits (for people who have not earned enough work
credits).
·
How additional work can
increase your future benefits.
·
Medicare readiness for
workers age 62 and up.
The best way to get access
to your Statement and the new fact sheets is by using
your personal my
Social Security account.
If you don’t have a personal
my Social Security
account, be sure to create one at
www.ssa.gov/myaccount.
To learn more, visit our
Social Security Statement webpage at
www.ssa.gov/myaccount/statement.html. Please share
these resources with your friends and family.
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