Social Security Administration

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1 1 Scial Security Administratin 1329 S. Divisin St. Traverse City MI Nvember 17, 2017 December 2017 Clumns & Features 5 WAYS SOCIAL SECURITY PROTECTS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY..2 IS IT MEDICARE OR MEDICAID?.. 4 SOCIAL SECURITY S GIFT TO CHILDREN IS SECURITY....6 THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE APPLYING FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS... 9 Prduced at U.S. taxpayer expense.

2 2 Scial Security Clumn 5 WAYS SOCIAL SECURITY PROTECTS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY By Bb Simpsn Scial Security District Manager in Traverse City Next payday, when yu see a prtin f yur wages g tward FICA taxes, rest easier knwing that yur investment in Scial Security brings a lifetime f prtectins fr yu and yur family. Frm yur first jb and thrughut yur career, we track yur earnings and give yu credits fr the cntributins yu ve made thrugh payrll taxes. Thse credits can translate int imprtant future benefits. As yu prepare fr a financially secure future, yu shuld knw abut these five benefits that yu, yur spuse, and yur children may becme eligible fr thrugh Scial Security: Retirement benefits prvide yu with a cntinuus surce f incme later in life. If yu ve earned enugh credits, yu can start receiving yur full retirement benefits at age 66 r 67 depending n when yu were brn. Yu may chse t claim these benefits as early as age 62 at a permanently reduced rate, but waiting until after yur full retirement age increases yur benefit amunt by up t 8 percent per year t age 70. Plan fr yur retirement at:

3 3 Disability benefits ffer a financial lifeline if yu re struck by a serius medical cnditin that makes it impssible fr yu t wrk and prvide fr yurself and yur family and is expected t last at least ne year r t result in death. Learn mre at: Child benefits supprt yur minr children while yu re receiving Scial Security retirement benefits r disability benefits. This financial supprt als is available t adult children wh becme disabled befre age 22. Grandchildren and stepchildren may qualify in certain situatins. Please see: Spusal benefits supplement a cuple s incme if ne f the tw never wrked r had lw lifetime earnings. In sme cases, this benefit is als available t divrced spuses. Please see: Survivr benefits ease the financial burden n yur lved nes after yu die by prviding mnthly payments t eligible widws, widwers, children, and dependent parents. It s likely the survivr benefits yu have under Scial Security carry greater value than yur individual lifeinsurance plicy. Read mre abut survivr benefits at: Yu must meet specific eligibility requirements t receive any type f Scial Security benefits. Currently, Scial Security prvides benefits t mre than 61 millin American wrkers and their families. And we ll be there fr yu and yur family thrugh life s jurney. Learn mre abut all f ur prgrams at # # #

4 4 Scial Security Clumn IS IT MEDICARE OR MEDICAID? By Bb Simpsn Scial Security District Manager in Traverse City A lt f peple have a difficult time understanding the difference between Medicare and Medicaid. Bth prgrams begin with the letter M. They re bth health insurance prgrams run by the gvernment. Peple ften ask questins abut what Medicare and Medicaid are, what services they cver, and wh administers the prgrams. Let s start with Medicare. Medicare is the natinal healthcare prgram fr thse aged 65 r lder and the disabled. Yu pay fr sme Medicare expenses by paying the Medicare tax while yu wrk. The Centers fr Medicare & Medicaid Services is the agency in charge f bth Medicare and Medicaid, but yu sign up fr Medicare A (Hspital) and Medicare B (Medical) thrugh Scial Security. Yu can apply fr Medicare nline frm the cnvenience f yur hme at the link n ur website: If yu re already receiving Scial Security retirement benefits when yu reach age 65 r are in the 25 th mnth f receiving disability checks, we will enrll yu autmatically.

5 5 Medicare Part C (Medicare Advantage) and Part D (Prescriptin Drug) plans are available fr purchase in the insurance marketplace. Scial Security administers a prgram called Extra Help t help peple with lw incme and lw resurces pay fr premiums, c-pays, and c-insurance csts fr Part D plans. Yu can find ut mre abut Extra Help and file fr it at Each year, The Centers fr Medicare & Medicaid Services publishes Medicare and Yu available nline at their website at This publicatin is a user s manual fr Medicare. Each state runs their wn Medicaid prgram under guidance frm the Centers fr Medicare & Medicaid Services. Medicaid ffers care fr the mst vulnerable amng us. While it des nt require paying taxes while wrking, it des have guidelines abut hw much incme and resurces yu can have t qualify. Medicaid prvides cverage fr lder peple, peple with disabilities, and sme families with children. Each state has its wn eligibility rules and decides which services t cver. The names f the Medicaid prgram may vary frm state t state. Yu can read abut each state s Medicaid prgram at Yu can find each state s Medicaid cntact infrmatin at Medicare and Medicaid are tw f the majr insurance prgrams that prvide healthcare t the American public. Understanding each prgram, as well as hw the tw prgrams differ, can help yu and thse yu care abut find the right healthcare prgram. # # #

6 6 Scial Security Clumn SOCIAL SECURITY S GIFT TO CHILDREN IS SECURITY By Bb Simpsn Scial Security District Manager in Traverse City During the hliday seasn, mst f us, regardless f religin r beliefs, fcus n the children we lve. Caring fr children is ne f the best ways t safeguard the future. And we at Scial Security knw a thing r tw abut helping children. The applicatin fr a Scial Security number and card is smetimes verlked in the paperwrk that parents fill ut in preparatin fr a child s birth. Typically, the hspital will ask new mthers if they want t apply fr a Scial Security number fr their newbrn as part f the birth registratin prcess. This is the easiest and fastest way t apply. The Scial Security card typically arrives abut a week t ten days after that little bundle f jy! Yu can learn abut Scial Security numbers fr children by reading ur publicatin, Scial Security Numbers fr Children, available at A child needs a Scial Security number if he r she is ging t have a bank accunt, if a relative is buying savings bnds fr the child, if the child will have medical cverage, r if the child will receive gvernment services. Yu ll als need a Scial Security number fr a child t claim him r her n yur tax returns.

7 7 If yu wait t apply, yu will have t visit a Scial Security ffice and yu ll need t: Cmplete an Applicatin fr a Scial Security Card (Frm SS-5); Shw us riginal dcuments prving yur child s U.S. citizenship, age, and identity; and Shw us dcuments prving yur identity. A child age 12 r lder requesting an riginal Scial Security number must appear in persn fr the interview, even thugh a parent r guardian will sign the applicatin n the child s behalf. Children with disabilities are amng ur mst vulnerable citizens. Scial Security is dedicated t helping thse with qualifying disabilities and their families thrugh the Supplemental Security Incme (SSI) prgram. T qualify fr SSI: The child must have a physical r mental cnditin, r a cmbinatin f cnditins, resulting in marked and severe functinal limitatins. This means that the cnditin(s) must severely limit yur child s activities; The child s cnditin(s) must be severe, last fr at least 12 mnths, r be expected t result in death; and The child must nt be wrking and earning mre than the Substantial Gainful Activity limit ($1,180 a mnth in 2018). If yur child s cnditin(s) des nt result in marked and severe limitatins, r des nt result in thse limitatins lasting fr at least 12 mnths, yur child will nt qualify fr SSI. Family resurces are als cnsidered. If the parents f the child r children have mre resurces than are allwed, then the child r children will nt qualify fr SSI. Yu can read mre abut children s benefits at Visit t learn mre abut all we d t care fr children. Scial Security is with yu and yur children thrugh yur life s jurney, securing tday and tmrrw.

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9 9 Scial Security Clumn THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE APPLYING FOR DISABILITY BENEFITS By Bb Simpsn Scial Security District Manager in Traverse City Scial Security is with yu thrughut life's jurney. We re here fr yu if the unexpected happens. We are there fr yu when yu finally stp wrking as well. We prvide vital financial supprt t tens f millins f American wrkers, primarily thrugh retirement benefits. But we re als there fr yu if the unexpected happens and a serius medical cnditin stps yu frm wrking and being able t supprt yurself and yur family. In such cases, yu may qualify fr Scial Security disability benefits, which replace a prtin f lst incme when a wrker becmes seriusly disabled. Here are three f the key factrs we use t determine if yu may qualify fr Scial Security disability benefits: Yu must have a lasting medical cnditin s severe that it prevents yu frm ding the wrk that yu did in the past r adjusting t ther types f wrk; Yur physical r mental impairment(s) must have lasted r be expected t last at least a year r result in death; and Yu must have wrked lng enugh and recently enugh in jbs cvered by Scial Security. T learn mre abut disability benefits, please visit

10 10 Yu becme eligible fr Scial Security benefits by wrking and paying FICA taxes, which translate int Scial Security credits. Hw many credits yu need t receive disability benefits depends n hw ld yu are when yu becme disabled. Fr example, if yu becme disabled at age 31 r lder, yu generally must have earned at least 20 credits in the 10 years immediately befre yu became disabled. Twenty credits are equal t five years f substantial earnings. Yunger wrkers may qualify with fewer credits. T see hw many credits yu have earned and t estimate future benefits, please lg in t r create yur my Scial Security nline accunt at Thse wh have nt wrked enugh t qualify fr Scial Security benefits may be eligible fr help thrugh ur Supplemental Security Incme prgram, r SSI. SSI prvides financial assistance t disabled children and adults, as well as the aged and blind peple, wh have little r n incme r resurces. Learn mre abut SSI at Scial Security helps yu and millins f ther Americans secure tday and tmrrw by prviding imprtant financial benefits, infrmatin, and planning tls. Learn mre at # # #