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YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY | Davenport, Iowa Office

By Pam Shaw
Social Security District Manager
Davenport Social Security Office

YOU AND YOUR FAMILY MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR INCREASED BENEFITS

We know your circumstances may change after you apply — or become eligible — for benefits. If you, or a family member, receive Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), certain life changes could increase your benefit amount. As part of our Potential Entitlement initiative, we want to help you identify where you might qualify for a higher benefit. For example, you may be entitled to higher benefits based on your own earnings record or someone else’s record. Some of the life changes that could possibly increase your benefits include the following scenarios:

• If your spouse or ex-spouse dies, you may be eligible for a higher survivor benefit based on their earnings record. The death of an ex-spouse may entitle you to a higher survivor benefit even if you are already receiving a survivor benefit on another spouse’s record. We encourage you to read our publication, Survivors Benefits, for additional information at www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10084.pdf.
• If you are receiving Social Security benefits based on your spouse’s work and you worked and earned credits, you may be eligible for a higher retirement benefit based on your own work. You can view our Retirement page at www.ssa.gov/retirement.
• If your deceased adult child provided at least half of your support, you may be eligible for a higher parent’s benefit based on your child’s work history. Our publication, Parent’s Benefits, includes information you may want to consider at www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10036.pdf.

We continue to focus our Potential Entitlement initiative on people who face barriers. These populations include older people, children with disabilities, veterans, SSI recipients, and people with limited English proficiency. We are proud to say that since we started the initiative in 2017, our efforts have resulted in approximately $553 million in retroactive and total monthly increased benefits paid.

Check out our Explore the Benefits You May Be Due page at www.ssa.gov/potentialentitlement for more information on any additional benefits available for you and your family. You can use your personal my Social Security account to check your benefit and payment information – along with your earnings record. If you don’t have a personal my Social Security account, you can create one today at www.ssa.gov/myaccount! Please share this information with your friends and family — and post it on social media.

SOCIAL SECURITY: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT SIGNING UP OR SIGNING IN

We want to help you get the services you need as quickly and safely as possible Your personal my Social Security account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount is your gateway to doing business with us online.

Whether you receive benefits now or in the future, you will want to create your personal my Social Security account or use the one you may already have. More than 65 million people already have an account!

Did you know you can use your personal my Social Security account to accomplish many tasks? You can request a replacement Social Security card (in most states), check the status of your application or appeal, verify your earnings, estimate future benefits, or manage the benefits you already receive. Watch our brief video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hjJqUAFSXI about the benefits of having an account.

We are committed to protecting your information and benefits and take this responsibility seriously. That’s why we ask for personal information to verify your identity in order to create a personal my Social Security account. We work with external partners to securely verify your identity. We do this to protect your data while making our online services easy for you to use.

• Ready to sign up? You can now create your new my Social Security account through either of these two credential partners: Login.gov or ID.me. Login.gov is the public’s one account for simple, secure, and private access to participating U.S. government agencies.
• ID.me is a single sign-on provider that meets the U.S.
  government’s online identity proofing and authentication requirements.

A credential includes your username, password, and two-step verification factors. A trusted credential partner helps us securely verify your identity online.

Here is a brief list of some things you need to know when creating or accessing your personal my Social Security account.

1. I have never accessed my Social Security, and I do not have a Login.gov or ID.me credential:

• Visit the my Social Security webpage at www.ssa.gov/myaccount to get started. You will have the option to create an account with your preferred credential partner, Login.gov or ID.me. Keep in mind:
• You must be 18 years of age or older and have a Social Security number.
• You will be redirected to the partner’s website when you select “Sign in with Login.gov” or “Sign in with ID.me.”
• You must provide a valid email address and some additional information.
• Once you create the credential, you’ll return to the my Social Security webpage for next steps.

2. I have never accessed my Social Security, but I already have a Login.gov or ID.me credential:

You can sign in with your credential on the my Social Security webpage at www.ssa.gov/myaccount and follow the prompts.

3. I have accessed my Social Security with a Social Security username and password that I created before Sept. 18, 2021:

You should still sign in using your Social Security username and password. This is the first option on the Sign In screen secure.ssa.gov/RIL/SiView.action.

4. I have accessed my Social Security using my existing Login.gov or ID.me credential:

You can sign in to my Social Security using either Login.gov or ID.me credential.

Please encourage your friends and family to create their
personal my Social Security account today at www.ssa.gov/myaccount.