General

Question: Does Social Security have online tools to help me plan my retirement?

Answer: The latest is our new online Retirement Estimator, which allows you to test several scenarios to give you an accurate estimate of what you can expect and help you determine the best date for you to retire. Check it out at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator. Social Security also has several benefit planners designed to help people with planning their retirement. You can learn more at www.socialsecurity.gov/.

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Question: I know Social Security has Direct Deposit, but what if I don't have an existing bank account?

Answer: You can sign up for the new Direct Express card. The Direct Express card is a debit card you can use to access your benefits. With the Direct Express card program, we deposit your federal benefit payment directly onto your card. Your monthly benefits will be available on your payment day—on time, every time. You can use the card to make purchases, pay bills or get cash at thousands of locations. And most transactions are free. The Direct Express card is both safer and more convenient than paper checks. For more information, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/deposit. Or, call the toll-free Direct Express card hotline at 1-877-212-9991.

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Retirement

Question: I am 67 and still working. Do I have to report my earnings to Social Security? Will my benefits be reduced?

Answer: No and no. If you have reached your full retirement age, you do not lose benefits when you work. If you were receiving benefits before reaching full retirement age, at age 62 for example, your benefit payments would be reduced based on your earnings. To learn more about Social Security, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/ or call toll-free, 1.800.772.1213 (TTY 1.800.325.0778).

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Question: Once I retire, will my benefit amount be the same for the rest of my life?

Answer: Once you start receiving benefits, each year you will receive a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) based on the rise in the consumer price index. And there is another way that your benefit might increase. If you work, you continue to pay Social Security taxes on your earnings even though you are receiving benefits. Because you pay these taxes, Social Security refigures your benefits to take into account your extra earnings. If your indexed earnings for the year are higher than the earnings that were used in the original benefit computation, Social Security substitutes the new year of earnings. The higher your earnings, the more your refigured benefit might be. To learn more about Social Security, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/ or call toll-free, 1.800.772.1213 (TTY 1.800.325.0778).

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Disability

Question: How do workers' compensation payments affect my disability benefits?

Answer: A disability payment from workers' compensation and/or another public disability payment could reduce your and your family's Social Security benefits. A workers' compensation payment is one that is made to a worker because of a job-related injury or illness. It may be paid by federal or state workers' compensation agencies, employers, or insurance companies on behalf of employers. Public disability payments also may affect your Social Security benefit. Those are paid under a federal, state or local government law or plan. Those payments are usually not based on a work-related disability. They differ from workers' compensation because the disability that the worker has may not be job-related. Examples are civil service disability benefits, military disability benefits, state temporary disability benefits, and state or local government retirement benefits based on disability. For more information, see the publication How Workers' Compensation And Other Disability Payments May Affect Your Benefits at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10018.html. Also, you may call toll-free, 1.800.772.1213 (TTY 1.800.325.0778).

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Question: How does a disabled widow become entitled to benefits?

Answer: Benefits may be payable to a widow with a disability, as long as the deceased spouse was working and is insured for benefits, if the following conditions are met:

• She is between ages 50 and 60;
• Social Security determines that she is disabled; and
• The disability started before the worker's death or within seven years after death.

If she is caring for the deceased's children who receive Social Security benefits, she is eligible if disability starts before those payments end or within seven years after they end. To learn more, visit www.socialsecurity.gov and hit the "Survivors" link at the top of the page. Or call toll-free, 1.800.772.1213 (TTY 1.800.325.0778).

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Supplemental Security Income

Question: I was told Social Security will pay Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to children who were born prematurely. Is this true?/p>

Answer: Social Security does provide SSI disability benefits to certain low birth weight infants, whether or not they were born premature. A child who weighs less than 1,200 grams (about 2 pounds, 10 ounces) at birth can qualify for SSI on the basis of low birth weight, if otherwise eligible. A child who weighs between 1,200 and 2,000 grams at birth (about 4 pounds 6 ounces) AND who is considered small for his or her gestational age may also qualify. Keep in mind that SSI is a needs-based program and the income and resources of the parents can affect eligibility. For more information, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/applyfordisability or call 1.800.772.1213 (TTY 1.800.325.0778).

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Question: What is the definition of disability for children filing for Supplemental Security Income (SSI)?

Answer: Social Security has a strict definition of disability for children under the SSI program. A child is disabled if he or she:

• Has a physical or mental condition (or a combination of conditions) that results in "marked and severe functional limitations." This means that the condition very seriously limits his or her activities; and
• The condition has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 1 year or is expected to result in death; and
• The child is not working at a job that we consider to be substantial work.

To determine whether your child is disabled, we look at medical and other information (such as information from schools and from parents and guardians) about his or her condition, and we consider how it affects his or her daily activities. See our online publication, Benefits For Children With Disabilities at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10026.html for additional information. Or call 1.800.772.1213 (TTY 1.800.325.0778).

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Medicare

Question: I've lost my Medicare card and need to have it replaced. How can I apply for a new one?

Answer: If you need to replace your Medicare card, there are a few ways you can apply. The easiest method is to request your replacement right over the Internet. You can do so at www.socialsecurity.gov/onlineservices. The form is completed online and the process only takes a couple of minutes. You also can call us at 1.800.772.1213 (TTY 1.800.325.0778) and request a replacement over the phone. Of course, you're always welcome to visit your local Social Security office as well. Requests for replacement Medicare cards are forwarded each day to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which processes the requests and mails the new cards to beneficiaries. Whichever way you choose to apply, your card will be mailed to you within 30 days, and the service is free.

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Ginny Jordan is a Public Affairs Specialist for the Social Security Administration. Her weekly column on all things Social Security appears in the Sunday Edition of the Sun-Sentinel.

Ginny has agreed to let us reprint her articles here for your convenience.

Thank you Ginny!