50+ Lifestyles

YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY Davenport, Iowa Office

By Karen Cole
Social Security District Manager
Davenport, Iowa

DISABLED? APPLY FOR SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS FROM HOME

If your disabling condition makes it hard for you to drive or arrange transportation to your local Social Security
office, we have some good news. You can complete and submit your application for Social Security disability benefits from your own home computer. Get started at www.socialsecurity.gov/disability.

The application process involves determining 1) whether you have sufficient work to be eligible for Social Security; 2) the severity of your medical condition; and 3) your ability to work. Because we carefully review so many cases — more than three million each year — it can take us three to five months to determine whether you are eligible to receive benefits.

The amount of time it takes to make a decision on your application can vary depending on a number of factors, such as:
• the nature of your disability
• how quickly we obtain medical evidence from your doctors, hospitals, or other medical sources
• whether we need to send you for a medical examination in order to obtain evidence to support your claim.

We do a number of things to speed up the process when we can. For example, our Compassionate Allowances initiative allows us to fast-track certain cases of individuals with very severe disabilities such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). There are 165 different types of disabilities that qualify for this expedited decision, and that list continues to expand. Learn more about Compassionate Allowances at www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.

Another way we speed up decisions is with our Quick Disability Determinations initiative, which uses technology to identify applicants who have the most severe disabilities and allows us to expedite our decisions on those cases. Read more about Quick Disability Determinations at www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityresearch/qdd.htm.

There are things you can do to help speed up the decision process too. The more information you provide up front, the less time it will take us to obtain the evidence we need — and the faster we can process your application. The types of information we need include:
• medical records or documentation you have; we can make copies of your records and return your originals
• the names, addresses, and phone numbers for any doctors, hospitals, medical facilities, treatment centers, or providers related to your disabling condition
• the names, addresses, and phone numbers for recent employers and the dates worked for each employer.

We also ask you to sign release forms that give us permission to obtain the information needed from third parties to make a decision on your claim.

The best place to start is online at www.socialsecurity.gov/disability. Select “Disability Starter Kits” in the left column. There, you’ll find important information to help you with your application.

If you’re not able to work due to a disability, apply online for Social Security disability benefits at www.socialsecurity.gov/disability.

DON’T LET IDENTITY THIEVES TRICK YOU

Halloween is a time when many people like a good scare. Whether it’s a frightening costume party or a horrifying haunted house, kids and grown-ups alike line up for a good fright. What makes it enjoyable is that it’s all in good fun. People know that there is no real danger as long as precautions are taken.

During the days before Halloween, it also happens to be National Protect Your Identity Week — from Oct. 20 to 27.

Identity theft is a real threat. Identity thieves victimize millions of people each year. Don’t be tricked by identity thieves; take the proper precautions.

Be sure to safeguard your personal information, such as your Social Security number and mother’s maiden name. Identity thieves hunger for such information like trick-or-treaters hunger for candy.

You can help protect yourself by not carrying your Social Security card with you and not providing your personal information to unknown sources over the Internet or by email. Be sure to shred any documents, bills, or paperwork before you throw it away. Most important, never reply to an email claiming to be from Social Security that asks you for your Social Security number or other personal information.

If you think you’ve been the victim of an identity thief, you should contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338); TTY 1-866-653-4261. Or you go to www.idtheft.gov and click on the link for “Report Identity Theft.”

Learn more about identity theft at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10064.html.

If you want to get involved with Protect Your Identity Week, visit www.protectyouridnow.org.

Don’t fall victim to an identity thief. Safeguard your identity and take precautions to keep the “bad guys” at bay—during Protect Your Identity Week, Halloween, and throughout the year.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Question:
I’m doing more things online, including shopping and paying bills. What are some things I can do at www.socialsecurity.gov?

Answer:
Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to take a look at your Social Security Statement, which allows you to check your earnings record and get an estimate of your future benefits. Revisit your Statement annually, around your birthday for example. If you’re ready to apply for benefits, you can do that online as well. Applying for Social Security retirement benefits online can take as little as 15 minutes. Once you’ve submitted your electronic applications, in most cases, you’re done! Also online, you can find more than 100 publications with information about Social Security and its programs. Most of these publications are in Spanish, and some of the most popular are available in 14 other languages. You also can estimate your future retirement benefit using our Retirement Estimator, which allows you to get personalized estimates based on different retirement ages and scenarios. The possibilities are endless at www.socialsecurity.gov.