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YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY Davenport, Iowa Office

By Karen Cole
Social Security District Manager
Davenport, Iowa

SUMMERTIME’S THE RIGHT TIME FOR ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS

When you are away from home, one thing you don’t want to worry about is how you will receive your next monthly Social Security payment. That is why it is important for everyone receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to sign up for electronic payments.

These days, almost everyone gets benefit payments electronically. Today, about 90 percent of all Social Security and SSI beneficiaries receive their payments electronically. That number is increasing because the law requires that by March 1, 2013 all federal benefit payments, including Social Security and SSI payments, be made electronically. Whether you receive Social Security or SSI, you can depend on your payment arriving in your account on time, every time. If you don’t already receive electronic payments, there are many good reasons to sign up. For one, less money and time spent driving to the bank to cash your check helps you save. Second, fewer paper checks, envelopes, and stamps, and less fuel to deliver the checks means savings for the government.

Hurricane season is here for some areas of the country. Other regions bear the brunt of flooding. Some areas of the nation are plagued by tornadoes, and still others must deal with wildfires, severe thunderstorms, or even earthquakes. If you are unfortunate enough to be in the path of a natural disaster, the last thing you want is for your income to be interrupted because of an evacuation or a missing mailbox. With electronic payments, you know your money will be in your account on time no matter what.

When on vacation, an electronic payment ensures payments will be deposited into your account on time, so there’s no reason to worry about the safety of your benefit or to ask a neighbor to look out for your check when you are away.

As an added bonus, many banks offer free checking accounts for people who use direct deposit because it saves the bank the cost of processing paper payments.

Skip the line at the bank, save money, get your payment faster, and know you can depend on your payment being in the bank no matter what happens or where you are. You can do all of this with electronic payments. Learn more about it at www.socialsecurity.gov/deposit.

NEW COMPASSIONATE ALLOWANCES CONDITIONS MEAN FASTER DECISIONS FOR THOUSANDS OF DISABLED PEOPLE

In April, Social Security announced 52 new Compassionate Allowances conditions to the growing list of severe medical conditions that qualify for expedited medical decisions. The new conditions include many neurological
disorders, cancers, and rare diseases.

The Compassionate Allowances initiative is a way of quickly identifying diseases and other medical conditions that invariably qualify as “disabled” based on minimal medical information. Compassionate Allowances allow Social Security to quickly identify the most obviously disabled individuals for allowances based on objective medical information that we can obtain quickly.

The announcement of 52 new conditions, effective in August, will increase the total number of Compassionate Allowances conditions to 165. That list continues to grow as Social Security, the National Institutes of Health, and a
number of patient organizations help identify new conditions that clearly warrant quick approvals.

“Social Security will continue to work with the medical community and patient organizations to add more conditions,” Commissioner Astrue said. “With our Compassionate Allowances program, we quickly approved disability benefits for nearly 61,000 people with severe disabilities in the past fiscal year, and nearly 173,000 applications since the program began.”

Social Security develops the list of Compassionate Allowances conditions from information received at public outreach hearings, comments received from the disability community, counsel of medical and scientific experts, and research with the National Institutes of Health. Also, we consider which conditions are most likely to meet our definition of disability.

For more information on the Social Security Compassionate Allowances initiative, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Question: Recently, I was told I shouldn’t be carrying my Social Security card around. Is that true?
Answer: We encourage you to keep your Social Security card at home in a safe place. Do not carry it with you unless you are taking it to a job interview or to someone who requires it. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America, and the best way to avoid becoming a victim is to safeguard your card and number. To learn more, visit our Social Security number and card page at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber.

Question: I have been getting Social Security disability benefits for many years. I’m about to hit my full retirement age. What will happen to my disability benefits?
Answer: When you reach “full retirement age” we will switch you from disability to retirement benefits. But you won’t even notice the change because your benefit amount will stay the same. It’s just that when you reach retirement age, we consider you to be a “retiree” and not a disability beneficiary. To learn more, visit our website at www.socialsecurity.gov.