50+ Lifestyles

YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY Davenport, Iowa Office

By Linda Clayton-Powell
Social Security District Manager
Davenport, Iowa

HONORING THE BENEFICIARIES OF SOCIAL SECURITY

Social Security is committed to the principles and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which improves the lives of our beneficiaries and our employees who have
disabilities. We also want you to see and hear from the people who rely on Social Security disability benefits to not just
survive, but also thrive, as active members of our communities. Our Faces and Facts of Disability website highlights the real life stories of people who have disabilities.

The newest person we are featuring on our Faces and Facts of Disability website is Lynne Parks. She is an artist from Baltimore, Maryland. First diagnosed with metastatic fibrosarcoma at age 14, she has lived with this illness for nearly 35 years. It started in her face and moved to different parts of her body, including her abdomen and leg. She also has various tumors on her shoulder and arm.

Inflammatory responses, infections, and new tumors are complications that Lynne deals with every day. “Because of the tumors, I have limited use of my left arm,” Lynne said. “I have weakness in my legs. There is fatigue because my immune system has taken such a big hit from the cancer and the cancer treatments. I get sick all the time. There might be a day that I can be at home and resting, and I will try to make the best of it. I will wake up, fix breakfast and eat, and that takes a while because of my physical limitations, but also because of my first tumor that was in my face.”

Having been helped by Social Security, Lynne tries to help others. “I’m also helping people who have issues learn to cope with them, because they see in me someone as a role model, essentially. Life without Social Security benefits, it’s a horror story, because I imagine myself on the streets.”

The disability benefits Lynne receives are a crucial resource for her quality of life. Our disability programs continue to be a mainstay in the lives of many people — people just like you. Social Security disability beneficiaries are among the most severely impaired people in the country. It is something that can happen to anyone.

We invite you to learn the facts about the disability insurance program, and see and hear these stories of hardship and perseverance at www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityfacts.

SOCIAL SECURITY TURNS 81

Look who is over the hill! In August, we will be celebrating the 81st anniversary of Social Security. Although Social Security’s overall structure remains the same, it is impossible to overlook the changes in the economy and advancements in technology that made it necessary to transform our programs into what they are today.

In 1935, President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, which gave birth to Social Security, (almost) as we know it today. The program was created primarily as a response to the growing rate of poverty within the elderly population. Here we are in the future, and Social Security has come a long way from 1940, when Ida May Fuller became the first person to receive a benefit check. In 2015 alone, almost 60 million people received Social Security benefits.

The number of beneficiaries is growing daily, and Social Security is developing ways to make conducting business with us easier and more secure. With several services available online, including my Social Security, you might never have to visit a field office. This is especially beneficial for the aging community or those living in remote areas, as traveling to field offices may be difficult.

Choosing when to retire is an important decision. At www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator you can get an estimate of your future benefit amount. You can use “what if” scenarios to see how your benefit amounts will change with different retirement dates and future earnings estimates.

With 37 percent of the American workforce teleworking and almost 70 percent of Americans doing most of their shopping online, we have evolved into a society of convenience. Not to be outdone, like a hip grandma, Social Security has adapted to the times. Below is a list of a few of the services currently available from the convenience of your computer. Online you can:

• Request a replacement Social Security or Medicare card
• Apply for Social Security benefits
• Get your Social Security Statement
• Appeal a decision
• Find out if you qualify for benefits
• Estimate your future benefits
• Get your SSI & Medicare verification letter

Join us in wishing Social Security a Happy 81st birthday and utilize these online services by visiting www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.