20SENIOR LIVING PROCESS
20 The Brunswick News / Thursday, September 26, 2013
Senior LIVING
Retirement
LINING UP SOCIAL SECURITY STARTS EARLY By MICHAEL HALL
The Brunswick News
When it comes to retiring, there is one program virtually everyone is going to look to for assistance — Social Security. Gathering everything you need to apply for benefits through the federal program that also operates Medicare is important to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible. Patti Patterson, regional communications director for the Social Security Administration in Atlanta, says applying for benefits through both programs has never been easier with online accessed through a My Social Security account at www.socialsecurity.gov. “At each stage of your life, My Social Security is for you,� Patterson said. “Your personal online account is a valuable source of information, beginning in your working years and continuing throughout the time you receive Social Security benefits.� Starting an account is one of the first steps Patterson suggests for people who may be considering retirement, regardless of their ages. The account can be used to get a benefit verification letter, check benefit payment and earning records, change addresses to ensure benefits can still be received and to start di-
rect deposit of benefits. If you are not yet receiving benefits, an account can be used to get estimates of retirement, disability and survivor benefits, as well as the estimated amount of Social Security and Medicare taxes you have already paid. Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people 65 and older and covers the cost of some, but not all medical expenses for most long-term care. Patterson says using the My Social Security account online will allow a person to apply for Medicare, even if he or she is not ready to retire. Deciding when to retire can be a difficult
decision. The standard retirement age for many years had been 65. “However, beginning with people born in 1938 or later, that age gradually increases until it reaches 67 for people born after 1959. The earliest age you can get Medicare is 65,â€? Patterson said. She points to the website as a tool to help people plan retirement. Potential retirees will find detailed information online about Social Security and Medicare benefits under the current law and learn more what is available based on individual circumstances, Patterson said. “Social Security will need information about you, about your work, and you may need to provide certain documents when you apply for retirement benefits or Medicare,â€? Patterson said. Those include: • Date of birth, place of birth and Social Security number. • Name, date of birth and Social Security number of a current spouse and any former spouses as well as the date and place of marriage and divorces or deaths. • Names of unmarried children. • Routing number and account number for bank accounts. • Citizenship status. • Whether you or anyone else has ever filed
for benefits or supplemental security on your behalf. • Whether you have used any other Social Security number. • The month you want benefits to begin. •Whether you want to enroll in Medicare Part B if you are within three months of age 65. • The name and address of your employer or employers for the current year and the previous year. • The amount of money earned for the current year and the previous year. • A copy of your Social Security statement or a record of your earnings. • The beginning and ending dates of any active U.S. military service before 1968. • Whether you became unable to work because of illnesses, injuries or conditions at any time within the past 14 months. • Whether you or your spouse have ever worked in the railroad industry. • Whether you have earned Social Security credits under another country’s social security system. • Whether you qualified for or expect to receive a pension or annuity based on your own employment with the federal government or a state or a state’s local subdivision.
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