count, there were about 1,200 field offices. To find the nearest SSA office, just go to www.ssa.gov, click on “SEARCH,” and put in “find an office”; click on the first result and enter your zip code, and the address of your nearest office will appear, along with the hours it’s open to the public. If you don’t have Internet access, you can find the address of your local SSA office in your local phone book, where all the U.S. government offices are listed, or you can call the SSA (see the next bullet) to inquire.
❯❯ Phone: You can contact an SSA representative toll free at 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778). Both numbers are staffed Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
❯❯ Online: The SSA website (www.ssa.gov) has a great deal of information on benefits and rules that affect you. You can also find forms you may need and begin applications for certain benefits, including retirement.
❯❯ Waiting times on the phone and in offices tend to be longer early in the month and early in the week.
❯❯ You can call the toll-free number to make an appointment with a local field office and save time when you arrive.
Chapter 2
A Breakdown of Benefits
IN THIS CHAPTER
❯❯ Getting Social Security retirement benefits
❯❯ Surviving the death of a loved one with help from Social Security
❯❯ Relying on Social Security when you can’t work
❯❯ Seeing how Social Security protects the poorest of the poor
When you hear about Social Security in the news, it seems like the talk is always about politics. Of course, that matters, but the squabbling in Washington can sound pretty far removed from what really links you to Social Security – the benefits for you and your loved ones. The truth is, many people don’t know all they’re paying for when it comes to Social Security.
In this chapter, I provide a detailed description of the main Social Security benefits: coverage for retirement and a retiree’s dependent family members, protections for surviving family members when a loved one dies, and coverage for disability and a disabled worker’s dependents. In addition, I go over the program of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for individuals with extremely little income, which is also administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Social Security’s various benefits are meant to address different situations, but they share a common goal: to help individuals and their families meet the fundamental needs of survival. This chapter explains what that means for you.
Bringing Security to Old Age: Retirement Benefits
Retirement benefits were created to help older Americans live in dignity and independence after a lifetime of work. To qualify for these benefits, you have to meet certain earnings requirements. The good news is that these requirements are in relatively easy reach for most healthy people who’ve worked for a number of years. However, interruptions in earnings – such as for child rearing, caregiving, or long-term unemployment – may leave you with a smaller benefit.
In this section, I fill you in on who qualifies for Social Security retirement benefits and when, how you qualify (through work credits), why you may not qualify, and how much you can expect to get.
Retirees may qualify for benefits starting at age 62. Technically, you become eligible on the first full month after your 62nd birthday. Say you turn 62 on July 19. That means you become eligible for benefits on August 1. The August payment arrives in September, however, because Social Security pays with a one-month delay.
If you qualify for retirement benefits, Social Security may also provide benefits to other family members under certain conditions without reducing the benefits that go to you. Eligible dependents may include
❯❯ A spouse age 62 or older: When you begin collecting retirement benefits, a spouse who has reached 62 may also qualify for a benefit.
❯❯ A spouse of any age who cares for your dependent child: Spouses may get benefits based on your work record if they’re caring for a child who is dependent on you and younger than 16 or disabled.
The SSA tends to follow state guidelines in terms of recognizing common-law marriages, although the rules leave some wiggle room for interpretation. In addition, as of this writing, the SSA has begun to give spousal benefits to partners in same-sex unions who, at the time of their application, live in states that recognize same-sex marriage as legal and who were married in states that deemed the union to be valid.
Note: Social Security now recognizes same-sex marriages if the initial claim for benefits was filed on or after June 26, 2015, or pending a final determination at that time – regardless of the state where the marriage occurred.
❯❯ Children: In certain cases, your children can get benefits if you’re collecting retirement or disability benefits. To qualify, children must fall into one of the following categories:
● Younger than 18 and unmarried
● Full-time students up to age 19 who haven’t yet completed high school and are unmarried
● Age 18 or older and severely disabled with a disability that began before age 22
The SSA’s definitions of parent and child are generally inclusive but sometimes a cause of dispute. It recognizes that you may have an adopted child or a stepchild. (See Chapter 10 for some of the technicalities.)
❯❯ Grandchildren: If the grandchild depends on you financially and the grandchild’s parents provide no support (for example, because of death or disability), the grandchild may qualify for Social Security benefits on your work record.
❯❯ A former spouse: Your ex may get benefits if the following apply:
● You were married for at least ten years.
●
