February Q & A With Social Security

By Kirk Larson

Social Security Washington Public Affairs Specialist

Question:

It’s hard for me to get around because of my disability. Can I apply for disability benefits from home?

Answer:

Yes — in fact, the best way to apply for disability benefits is online. Our online disability application is convenient and secure. You can apply for benefits over the Internet at www.socialsecurity.gov/applyfordisability. If you do not have access to the Internet, you can call us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to schedule an appointment to visit your local Social Security office to apply. However you decide to apply, begin by looking at our Disability Starter Kit at www.socialsecurity.gov/applyfordisability. It will help you prepare for your application or interview.

Question:

What’s the average monthly Social Security benefit for a retired worker? How is the retirement benefit amount calculated?

Answer:

The current average monthly Social Security benefit for a retired worker is $1,294. Social Security benefits are based on earnings averaged over most of a worker’s lifetime. Your actual earnings are first adjusted or "indexed" to account for changes in average wages since the year the earnings were received. We calculate your average monthly indexed earnings during the 35 years in which you earned the most. We apply a formula to these earnings and arrive at your basic benefit amount. Learn more by visiting us online at www.socialsecurity.gov.

Question:

My cousin and I are both retired and get Social Security. We worked for the same employer for years, but he gets a higher Social Security benefit. Why is that?

Answer:

Your payments are based on your earnings over your lifetime. Unless you are both the same age, started and stopped work on the exact same dates, and earned the very same amount every year of your careers, you wouldn’t get the same benefit as your cousin. Social Security benefits are based on many years of earnings — generally your highest 35 years. To learn more about Social Security retirement benefits, visit www.socialsecurity.gov and select the “Retirement” link.

Question:

I am nearing my full retirement age, but I plan to keep working after I apply for Social Security benefits. Will my benefits be reduced because of my income?

Answer:

No. If you start receiving benefits after you’ve reached your full retirement age, you can work while you receive Social Security and your current benefit will not be reduced because of the earned income. If you keep working, it could mean a higher benefit for you in the future. Higher benefits can be important to you later in life and increase the future benefit amounts your survivors could receive. If you begin receiving benefits before your full retirement age, your earnings could reduce your monthly benefit amount. After you reach full retirement age, we recalculate your benefit amount to leave out the months when we reduced or withheld benefits due to your excess earnings. Learn more about Social Security reading our publication, How Work Affects Your Benefits, at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10069.html.

Question:

How does Social Security decide whether I am disabled?

Answer:

For an adult, disability under Social Security law is based on your inability to work because of a disabling condition. To be considered disabled, Social Security must determine that because of one or more disabling conditions you are unable to do the work you did before and unable to adjust to any other work which exists in significant numbers in the national economy. Also, your disability must last or be expected to last for at least one year or to result in death. Social Security pays only for total disability. No benefits are payable for partial disability or short-term disability (less than a year). For more information, we recommend you read Disability Benefits, available online at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.

Question:

Will my Medicare coverage change because of the Affordable Care Act?

Answer:

No, not at all. People who have Medicare coverage are not affected by the Affordable Care Act. Medicare is not a part of the Affordable Care Act’s Health Insurance Marketplace. If you are a Medicare beneficiary, your Medicare benefits are not changing. You do not need to replace your Medicare coverage with Marketplace coverage. For more information about the Marketplace, visit www.healthcare.gov. For more information about Medicare Parts A, B, C, and D, visit www.medicare.gov. Or read our publication on Medicare at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.

Question:

I’m quite a number of years away from getting Social Security but I used to get a copy of my Social Security Benefits Statement every year around my birthday. I haven’t seen it. Is there a problem?

Answer:

There’s no problem. In light of the current budget situation, the Social Security Administration has eliminated the annual mailed Social Security Statement and suspended the Request a Social Security Statement by phone service. You should visit “my Social Security” at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount to obtain your statement. Don’t worry, it’s fast, it’s safe, and it’s easy. At each stage of your life, a my Social Security account is for you. Your personal online my Social Security account is a valuable source of information beginning in your working years and continuing throughout the time you receive Social Security benefits. If you receive benefits, you can use a my Social Security online account to get your benefit verification letter for proof of income; check your payment information; change your address; change your phone number; or change your direct deposit. It’s much faster than calling Social Security by phone. In addition, it helps save our tax dollars!