50+ Lifestyles

YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY Davenport, Iowa Office

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

SOCIAL SECURITY SUPPORTS NATIONAL CANCER SURVIVORS DAY

In 2016, more than a million people will be diagnosed with cancer around the world.  This alarming statistic affects people and families everywhere.  On June 5, 2016, we observe National Cancer Survivors Day in the United States.  In support of this day, Social Security encourages getting checkups to provide early detection, raise awareness through education, and recognizes the survivors who have gone through this battle or are still living with the disease.

Social Security stands strong in our support of the fight against cancer.  We offer services to patients dealing with this disease through our disability program and our Compassionate Allowances program. Compassionate Allowances are cases with medical conditions so severe they obviously meet Social Security’s disability standards, allowing us to process the cases quickly with minimal medical information.  Many cancers are on our Compassionate Allowance list.

There is no special application or form you need to submit for Compassionate Allowances. Simply apply for disability benefits using the standard Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) application.  Once we identify you as having a Compassionate Allowances condition, we will expedite your disability application.
Social Security establishes new Compassionate Allowances conditions using information received at public outreach hearings, from the Social Security and Disability Determination Services communities, from medical and scientific experts, and from data based on our research.

For more information about Compassionate Allowances, including the list of eligible conditions, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.
If you think you qualify for disability benefits based on a Compassionate Allowances condition, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov to apply for benefits.

MEN’S HEALTH AND SOCIAL SECURITY

This year, we observe National Men’s Health Week from June 13 to 19.  It so happens that Father’s Day falls on the last day of Men’s Health Week, a perfect time for focusing
on health education and awareness, disease prevention, and family.

Social Security encourages you to support fathers and friends everywhere in their efforts to stay healthy.  The right balance of diet, exercise, regular visits to doctors and health care providers, and overall healthy living can go a long way to help everyone remain a part of your daily life for years to come.

Part of staying healthy and happy is reducing the amount of stress in your life.  That is where opening a my Social Security online account can help.  Our online services make doing business with us fast and easy.  At my Social Security, you can:

• Keep track of your earnings and verify them every year;
• Get an estimate of your future benefits, if you are still working;
• Get a letter with proof of your benefits, if you currently receive them; and
• Manage your benefits:
  • Change your address;
  • Start or change your direct deposit;
  • Request a replacement Medicare card; and
  • Get a replacement SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S for tax season.

In some states, you can even request a replacement Social Security card online using my Social Security.  Currently available in the District of Columbia, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin.  It is an easy, convenient, and secure way to request a replacement card online.  We continue to add more states, so we encourage you to check www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber to see where the service is available.

Tell dad to check out the healthy amount of features we have to offer at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.

In addition to using my Social Security, there are a number of other things you can do online with Social Security.  For example, you can use the Retirement Estimator to plug in different numbers, retirement dates, and scenarios to help you decide the best time for you to retire.  It is available at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.

In addition, when that time comes, you can apply for retirement benefits online at www.socialsecurity.gov/planners/about.htm. It can take as little as 15 minutes from start to finish. In most cases, once you submit your electronic application, that is it, you are done—no papers to sign or documents to submit.

Learn more about Social Security retirement benefits by reading our publication on the subject at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.

When you are ready to retire, the best place to apply is from the comfort of your home computer, with some of your favorite music playing in the background.  Now that is a great start to a healthy retirement!