50+ Lifestyles

YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY Rock Island, Illinois Office

By Christina Vital
Manager
Rock Island Social Security office

SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS WILL BE PAID ON TIME

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, announced today that Social Security payments for August 3 will be made on time and as scheduled. Payments for August 10, 17, and 24 also will be made as scheduled.

“I am happy to announce there will be no delay in the payment of August Social Security benefits,” Commissioner Astrue said, “which should be a relief to those people who were concerned about their benefits. I’m pleased the President and Congress were able to come together in a bipartisan fashion to avoid an interruption in payments.”

People still receiving paper checks from Social Security should consider signing up for Direct Deposit, the secure and convenient way to receive Social Security payments. All current beneficiaries must switch to electronic payments by March 1, 2013.

IF IT’S NOT .GOV, IT’S NOT SOCIAL SECURITY

When you go on a road trip, you need to follow the signs to arrive at the right place. Going online can be very much the same. Look for the “.gov” at the end of the web address — if it isn’t .gov, it isn’t the real Social Security website — www.socialsecurity.gov.

Countless consumers nationwide are victimized each year by misleading advertisers who use “Social Security” or “Medicare” to entice the public to use their services. In many cases, these companies offer Social Security services for a fee, even though the same services are available directly from Social Security, free of charge. These services include:

• updating a Social Security card to show a bride’s married name;
• replacing a Social Security card; and
• getting a Social Security number for a child.

These for-profit businesses may cleverly design their websites, so when people use Internet search engines, their advertisement pops up. They may even make their advertisement look similar to the real Social Security website. And some of these sites, at first glance, appear to be affiliated with Social Security. But upon closer examination, these are for-profit companies charging individuals for a service that is provided free by Social Security.

For instance, a quick Google search on “replacing a Social Security card” brings up paid advertisements for websites that charge a fee just to get an application for a new card. That service is absolutely free from Social Security.

The law that deals specifically with misleading Social Security and Medicare advertising prohibits people or non-government organizations, like for-profit businesses, from using words or emblems that mislead others. Their advertising cannot lead people to believe that they represent or are somehow affiliated with or endorsed or approved by Social Security or the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (Medicare). But that doesn’t stop advertisers from trying.
For more information, you can read our publication What You Need to Know about Misleading Advertising at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10005.html.

When you go to www.socialsecurity.gov, make sure you look for the “.gov” sign along the way. Don’t be tricked into paying a fee for a service that’s free. And remember: if it isn’t .gov, it isn’t Social Security.

WANT TO RETIRE IN 2012? APPLY NOW!

Plan to start receiving your Social Security retirement benefits in January of 2012? We recommend you apply this October if you’d like your benefits to begin in January.

If the prospect of traveling to an office does not appeal to you, then save yourself a trip and consider the advantages of applying online for Social Security retirement benefits. The Social Security website at www.socialsecurity.gov makes the process easy and convenient.

In most cases, once you submit your online application electronically, that’s it. There are no additional forms to sign or paperwork to complete. In rare cases where we need additional information, a representative will contact you.

You can complete your application for retirement benefits from the comfort of your home or office in as little as 15 minutes. Then you can celebrate 2012 by receiving your first Social Security payment on time.

If you are not quite ready to retire but are thinking about doing so in the near future, you may want to visit Social Security’s website to use our convenient and informative retirement planner at www.socialsecurity.gov/retire2. Here you can find out just how close you are to meeting your financial goals and then “bookmark” the website to file for retirement benefits whenever you are ready.

We encourage people at any stage in their working career to use the Retirement Estimator for a instant, personalized estimate of future retirement benefits. Find it at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.

Remember that you’re always first in line when you go online, to www.socialsecurity.gov.