Social Security Administration

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1 Scial Security Administratin 1329 S. Divisin St. Traverse City MI September 25, 2018 Clumns & Features Mnthly Infrmatin Package Octber 2018 WORKERS' COMPENSATION AND CERTAIN DISABILITY PAYMENTS MAY AFFECT YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS... 2 ACHIEVING SELF-SUPPORT WITH SOCIAL SECURITY... 4 NEED TO CHANGE YOUR NAME ON YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY CARD?... 6 WHY SOCIAL SECURITY RETIREMENT IS IMPORTANT TO WOMEN... 9 SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE WORKING SIDE BY SIDE Prduced at U.S. taxpayer expense.

2 Scial Security Clumn WORKERS' COMPENSATION AND CERTAIN DISABILITY PAYMENTS MAY AFFECT YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS By Bb Simpsn Scial Security District Manager in Traverse City Many peple wrking nwadays have mre than ne jb, s it s nt uncmmn fr them t have several surces f incme. Owning multiple small businesses, seasnal jbs, and the gig ecnmy add t the mix and cmplexity f ur mdern day ecnmy. It s imprtant t keep in mind that having multiple surces f incme can smetimes affect yur Scial Security benefits. Disability payments frm private surces, such as private pensins r insurance benefits, dn t affect yur Scial Security disability benefits. Wrkers cmpensatin and ther public disability benefits, hwever, may reduce yur Scial Security benefits. Wrkers cmpensatin benefits are paid t a wrker because f a jb-related injury r illness. These benefits may be paid by federal r state wrkers cmpensatin agencies, emplyers, r by insurance cmpanies n behalf f emplyers.

3 Public disability payments that may affect yur Scial Security benefits are thse paid frm a federal, state, r lcal gvernment fr disabling medical cnditins that are nt jb-related. Examples f these are civil service disability benefits, state temprary disability benefits, and state r lcal gvernment retirement benefits that are based n disability. Sme public benefits dn t affect yur Scial Security disability benefits. If yu receive Scial Security disability benefits, and ne f the fllwing types f public benefits, yur Scial Security benefits will nt be reduced: Veterans Administratin benefits; State and lcal gvernment benefits, if Scial Security taxes were deducted frm yur earnings; r Supplemental Security Incme (SSI). Yu can read mre abut the pssible ways yur benefits might be reduced at Please be sure t reprt changes. If there is a change in the amunt f yur ther disability payment, r if thse benefits stp, let us knw. Tell us if the amunt f yur wrkers cmpensatin r public disability payment increases r decreases. Any change in the amunt r frequency f these benefits is likely t affect the amunt f yur Scial Security benefits. An unexpected change in benefits can have unintended cnsequences, but nt if yu re infrmed and have financially prepared yurself. Visit ur benefits planner webpage at fr infrmatin abut yur ptins fr securing yur future. # # #

4 Scial Security Clumn ACHIEVING SELF-SUPPORT WITH SOCIAL SECURITY By Bb Simpsn Scial Security District Manager in Traverse City Wrk means different things t different peple, but it can give yu a sense f self, a cmmunity t rely n, and much-needed structure. Sme peple define themselves thrugh their careers, while thers enjy the scial aspect f their jbs. If yu rely n Supplemental Security Incme (SSI) payments and want t start wrking r return t wrk, we can help. A plan fr achieving self-supprt (PASS) is a plan fr yur future. This plan lets yu use yur incme r resurces yu wn t help yu reach yur wrk gals. Yu culd set aside mney t g t schl and get specialized training fr a jb r t start a business. The jb that yu want shuld allw yu t earn enugh t reduce r eliminate yur need fr payments prvided under the SSI prgram. Yu can have a plan if:

5 Yu want t wrk; Yu get SSI (r can qualify fr SSI by having this plan) because yu have a disability r are blind; and Yu have ther incme and/r resurces t use t get a jb r start a business. A PASS can even help yu receive r keep SSI r culd mean a higher payment. Under SSI rules, any incme that yu have may reduce yur SSI payment. But, if yu have an apprved plan, yu can use that incme t pay fr the items yu need t reach yur wrk gal. We dn t cunt mney set aside under this plan when we decide yur SSI payment amunt. This means yu may get a higher SSI payment. Hwever, yu can t get mre than the maximum SSI payment fr the state where yu live. A PASS can als help yu set aside mney fr mst wrk expenses. With an apprved plan, yu can set aside mney t pay expenses t reach yur wrk gal. Yu can read all abut what wrk expenses are cvered and mre at The plan must be in writing, and Scial Security must apprve it. T start, cntact yur lcal Scial Security ffice fr an applicatin (Frm SSA-545-BK). Yu can access this frm at Yur jb isn t just a surce f incme it can be a vehicle t independence r a beginning t fulfilling yur dreams. Let Scial Security s Plan fr Achieving Self-Supprt help yu achieve yur gals. # # #

6 Scial Security Clumn NEED TO CHANGE YOUR NAME ON YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY CARD? By Bb Simpsn Scial Security District Manager in Traverse City Are yu changing yur name? If s, let Scial Security knw s we can update yur infrmatin, send yu a crrected card, and make sure yu get the benefits yu ve earned. T change yur name n yur card, yu must shw us dcuments prving yur legal name change and identity. If yu are a U.S. citizen, yu als must shw us a dcument prving yur U.S. citizenship, if it is nt already in ur recrds. Yu must present riginal dcuments r cpies certified by the agency that issued them. We can t accept phtcpies r ntarized cpies. T prve yur legal name change, yu must shw ne f the fllwing dcuments: Marriage dcument; Divrce decree; Certificate f naturalizatin shwing a new name; r

7 Curt rder fr a name change. T prve yur identity, yu must shw an unexpired dcument shwing yur name, identifying infrmatin, and phtgraph, such as ne f the fllwing: U.S. driver s license; State-issued nn-driver s identificatin card; r U.S. passprt. If yu dn t have ne f thse dcuments available, we may be able t accept yur: Emplyer identificatin card; Schl identificatin card; Health insurance card; r U.S. military identificatin card. T prve yur U.S. citizenship, yu must shw ne f the fllwing dcuments: U.S. birth certificate; U.S. Cnsular Reprt f Birth Abrad; U.S. passprt (unexpired); Certificate f Naturalizatin; r Certificate f Citizenship. Whatever yur reasn fr yur name change, Scial Security is here t help yu with the new yu! Fill ut the frm at and fllw the instructins t ensure yur Scial Security card is delivered in a timely manner. Yu can als lcate yur lcal field ffice at s yu can apply fr yur updated card and shw yur required dcuments in persn. Fr cmplete instructins, visit which includes infrmatin fr nn-citizens. And remember, if yu simply need t replace a lst Scial Security card, but

8 dn t need t change yur name, yu can in mst states request yur replacement card nline using yur my Scial Security accunt at # # #

9 Scial Security Clumn WHY SOCIAL SECURITY RETIREMENT IS IMPORTANT TO WOMEN By Bb Simpsn Scial Security District Manager in Traverse City Scial Security plays an especially imprtant rle in prviding ecnmic security fr wmen. In the 21st century, mre wmen wrk, pay Scial Security taxes, and earn credit tward mnthly retirement incme than at any ther time in ur natin s histry. But, wmen face greater ecnmic challenges in retirement. Wmen: tend t live lnger than men. A wman wh is 65 years ld tday can expect t live, n average, until abut 87, while a 65-year-ld man can expect t live, n average, until abut 84; ften have lwer lifetime earnings than men; and may reach retirement with smaller pensins and ther assets than men. Scial Security ffers a basic level f prtectin t all wmen. When yu wrk, yu pay taxes int the Scial Security system, prviding fr yur wn benefits. In additin, yur spuse s earnings can give yu Scial Security cverage as well. Wmen wh dn t wrk are ften cvered thrugh their spuses wrk. When their spuses retire, becme disabled, r die, wmen can receive benefits.

10 If yu re a wrker age 18 r lder, yu can get a Scial Security Statement nline. Yur Statement is a valuable tl t help yu plan a secure financial future, and we recmmend that yu lk at it each year. Yur Statement prvides a recrd f yur earnings. T create an accunt nline and review yur Statement, visit ur website at If yur spuse dies, yu can get widw s benefits if yu re age 60 r lder. If yu have a disability, yu can get widw s benefits as early as age 50. Yur benefit amunt will depend n yur age and n the amunt yur deceased spuse was entitled t at the time f death. If yur spuse was receiving reduced benefits, yur survivr benefit will be based n that amunt. Yu may be eligible fr widw s benefits and Medicare befre age 65 if yu have a disability and are entitled t benefits. Yu als may be eligible fr benefits if yu are caring fr a child wh is yunger than 16. Our Peple Like Me website fr wmen has valuable resurces fr peple f all ages. Yu can access it at T read mre abut hw we can help yu, read and share the publicatin What Every Wman Shuld Knw at # # #

11 Scial Security Clumn SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE, WORKING SIDE BY SIDE By Bb Simpsn Scial Security District Manager in Traverse City Scial Security and Medicare have wrked side by side fr decades. Bth prgrams have imprved the quality f life fr millins f Americans. Scial Security reaches almst every family and, at sme pint, tuches the lives f nearly all Americans. We re with yu thrugh life s jurney frm birth t yur glden years. Scial Security helps lder Americans, wrkers wh becme disabled, and families in which a spuse r parent dies. In 2017, abut 174 millin peple wrked and paid Scial Security taxes and abut 62 millin peple received mnthly Scial Security benefits. We want yu t understand what Scial Security can mean t yu and yur family s financial future. The publicatin, Understanding the Benefits, explains the basics f the Scial Security retirement, disability, and survivrs insurance prgrams. Yu can read it at

12 Unlike wrkers in the private sectr, nt all state r lcal gvernment emplyees are cvered by Scial Security. Sme nly have their public pensin cverage, and ther gvernment emplyees have bth a public pensin and Scial Security cverage. Fr mre infrmatin, please read ur publicatin titled Hw State and Lcal Gvernment Emplyees are Cvered by Scial Security and Medicare at Medicare is the federal health insurance prgram fr peple wh are 65 r lder and certain yunger peple with disabilities. It is als fr peple with End-Stage Renal Disease (permanent kidney failure requiring dialysis r a transplant, smetimes called ESRD). The different parts f Medicare help cver specific services. Medicare Part A (hspital insurance) helps pay fr inpatient hspital stays, care in a skilled nursing facility, hspice care, and sme hme health care. Medicare Part B (medical insurance) helps pay fr certain dctrs' services, utpatient care, medical supplies, and sme preventive services. Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage plans) is a type f Medicare health plan ffered by a private cmpany that cntracts with Medicare. Medicare Advantage plans prvide all f yur Part A and Part B benefits. Medicare Advantage plans may als include Medicare Part D (prescriptin drug cverage). Part D helps cver the cst f prescriptin drugs. Sme peple with limited resurces and incme may als be able t get Extra Help with the csts mnthly premiums, annual deductibles, and prescriptin c-payments related t a Medicare prescriptin drug plan. The Extra Help is estimated t be wrth abut $4,900 per year. Yu must meet the resurces and incme requirements. When yu apply fr Medicare, yu can sign up fr Part A (hspital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance). Because yu must pay a premium fr Part B cverage, yu can turn it dwn. Hwever, if yu decide t enrll in Part B later n, yu may have t pay a late enrllment penalty fr as lng as yu have Part B cverage. Yur mnthly premium will g up 10 percent fr each 12-mnth perid yu were eligible fr Part B, but didn t sign up fr it, unless yu qualify fr a special enrllment perid. Yu can learn mre abut Medicare at

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