Solutions, Strategies, Answers
Newsletter of the Social Security Administration Offices in
Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lehigh, Monroe, Montgomery, Northampton and Philadelphia counties
February 2015
Issue #37
Welcome to the February 2015 edition of Solutions,
Strategies, Answers, a newsletter produced by the 18
Social Security Administration Offices in southeastern
Pennsylvania. We aim to provide solutions to your Social
Security issues, suggest strategies that lead to a good
outcome, and of course give answers to your questions!
This newsletter is for everyone, but we especially want to
be a channel for advocates, agencies, employers,
financial planners and other professionals who
themselves disseminate information about Social
Security programs and services.
Receiving Retirement Benefits What If You Change Your Mind?
If you are receiving Social Security Retirement benefits and
you change your mind about when they should start, you
may be able to withdraw your Social Security claim and reapply at a future date.
Our aim is to provide solutions to your Social Security
issues, suggest strategies that lead to a good outcome,
and of course give answers to all your questions!
This newsletter is for everyone, but we do want to be a
channel for advocates, agencies,
employers,
Social
Security
Launches
New
financial planners and other professionals
Anti-Fraud
Website
who themselves
disseminate
information
about
Social
Security
programs
Recently,
Social Security
launched
a newand
web services.
page that
highlights the agency's efforts in fighting fraud and
protecting every worker's investment in the Social
Security program.
Go to www.socialsecurity.gov/antifraudfacts.
The
website includes information on the tools we use to
.
fight fraud, spotlights some of our successful anti-fraud
efforts, and provides materials to help spread the word
that Social Security has zero tolerance for fraud.
Protect yourself - Make sure your Social Security
information is correct with a my Social Security
account.
However, if you change your mind 12 months or more after
you became entitled to retirement benefits, you cannot
withdraw your application. You are limited to one
withdrawal per lifetime.
If you withdraw your application, you must repay all the
benefits you and your family received based on your
retirement application.
The repayment must include any benefits your spouse or
children received based on your application, whether or not
they are living with you.
In addition, anyone who received benefits based on your
application must also consent in writing to the withdrawal.
Money withheld from your checks includes Medicare Part B,
Part C, and Part D premiums, voluntary tax withholding, and
garnishments.
If you are already entitled to Medicare, you may also
choose to withdraw your Medicare coverage. However, if
you choose to withdraw, there are additional steps you may
need to take.
www.socialsecurity.gov/retire2/withdrawal.htm
N
Publications in Different Languages
Social Security strives to deliver effective, efficient, and
equitable service to the public, including providing access
to our programs and services regardless of a person’s
ability to speak, read, or write English.
This Lunar New Year, we want to highlight our
publications in Chinese,
(www.ssa.gov/multilanguage/Chinese/chinese.htm),
Korean,
(www.ssa.gov/multilanguage/Korean/korean.htm),
Vietnamese
(www.ssa.gov/multilanguage/Vietname/vietnamese.htm).
At our Multilanguage Gateway, we offer publications in 17
different languages. For more information, visit:
www.ssa.gov/multilanguage.
Remember
Social Security announced a new online service for
replacement SSA-1099s, available to recipients with a
my Social Security account. With this new online
service, people now only need to create a my Social
Security account, or log into their existing one. Once
there, they can view and print their SSA-1099 or request
to have a new one mailed to them—all online.
www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount/
African American History Month
February 2015
A Century of Black Life, History & Culture
Today, about 13.1 percent of the population in the U.S. is
African America and is expected to grow to 14.4 percent by
2050.
In 2012, among African Americans receiving Social Security,
31 percent of elderly married couples and 53 percent of
unmarried elderly persons relied on Social Security for 90
percent or more of their income.
Social Security is neutral with respect to race or ethnicity –
individuals with identical earnings histories are treated the
same in terms of benefits. For information, go to
www.socialsecurity.gov/africanamericans.
www.socialsecurity.gov/people/africanamericans/africanamerican-history-month.html
For information about African American History Month, visit
www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/index.html.
Want to Subscribe?
To receive future editions of
Solutions, Strategies, Answers,
send a message to
edward.lafferty@ssa.gov or richard.gaudiosi@ssa.gov
www.socialsecurity.gov/history/ssn/ssnchron.html