Larry Kotlikoff discovers insidious SS trap

[Ally]

We decided to take ours now (64), so it doesn't apply for us. However, I went to the SSA office yesterday to hand in a form and it was a horrible place. The person you ask questions of had her desk roped off ten feet around like a crime scene. So you had to talk to her by shouting your business to her due to the noise in the lobby from the 50+ people waiting. She wanted me to give her my name and social security number, but I didn't want to shout it out. I saw a drop slot for forms and took our forms over to it and dropped them in. I hope they get them. It is an awful place!


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[athena53]

I can imagine that a good 70-80% of the people walk out of the social security office after filing for benefits and have close to no idea what just happened.

A poster on another Board I frequent swears that his mother went to the SS office at age 62, while she was still employed, and didn't realize she got signed up to start collecting. It all got taxed away, of course, because she still had wage income. (He said she's pretty clueless about finances.)

DH has visited the local SS office and has been very happy with them. I've also found them easy to deal with in fighting off the IRMA (extra premium on DH's Medicare B) after I retired and they were basing the adjustment on the years when I had wages.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

I see Michael's point, but there is no harm taking care when one finally files for benefits. Most people have very simple situations, but SS can be incredibly arcane and Byzantine.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[haha]

We decided to take ours now (64), so it doesn't apply for us. However, I went to the SSA office yesterday to hand in a form and it was a horrible place. The person you ask questions of had her desk roped off ten feet around like a crime scene. So you had to talk to her by shouting your business to her due to the noise in the lobby from the 50+ people waiting. She wanted me to give her my name and social security number, but I didn't want to shout it out. I saw a drop slot for forms and took our forms over to it and dropped them in. I hope they get them. It is an awful place!


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

Never go to an inner city SS office. Although I live within a mile of downtown, and the downtown SS office, I did and always will do all by business at an office north of the Seattle City limits. Not only are the clerks better (not good, just better) but the lobby is not full of pacing druggies or crazies.

Ha

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Ally, you better check that you are registered the way you want.

Ha, our little office in BH resembles a mineature Seattle bus station. I don't know where the normal people are.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[Ally]

Never go to an inner city SS office. Although I live within a mile of downtown, and the downtown SS office, I did and always will do all by business at an office north of the Seattle City limits. Not only are the clerks better (not good, just better) but the lobby is not full of pacing druggies or crazies.

Ha

This was not an inner city office. In my job, I worked in areas that might be called that, but this is a brand new office in a growing suburban area. They obviously wanted to separate themselves from their customers though. It looked like such a depressing place.

And Ed, we are definitely approved. I was taking the form to them to have some taxes taken out so I wouldn't have to pay taxes quarterly. If they lose it, then it's no real problem. I guess we will do quarterly reports then.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Car-Guy]

Do online applications avoid this scenario?

-gauss

Using the on-line system (where possible) is good advice for any dealings with the SSA. Unfortunately the on-line systems has limitations. I'm in the "process" of dealing with them on an issue over the phone (a month now) and I'm convinced that SSA employees are rejects that couldn't make it working for the TSA.

My local office is about 80 miles away but I may have to drive over there and spend a day to get this issue resolved. (am dreading that)

 

[nate2953]

Online apps are all processed by living human beings, and there's a tremendous backlog, so no joy there.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Car-Guy]

Online apps are all processed by living human beings, and there's a tremendous backlog, so no joy there.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

When I signed up for SS a couple of years ago, I used the on-line system and it worked perfectly (human intervention or not) It took less than 15 mins and only one attempt. The checks started to come in right on schedule and for the correct amount. (I was amazed at how well it all seemed to work) Even the "My Social Security" website seems to be run pretty well. Everything was going just fine until I needed to do something that the online system couldn't handle. I'm sure it will all work out "someday", I'm just not sure when and how many calls and SSA office trips I'll need to make.

To me it's a little like ordering a Big Mac at McDonald's. Everything is "usually" ok and fast, if you order it "as is" on the menu. If you want to hold, add or change anything , good luck.

 

[gerntz]

When I signed up for SS a couple of years ago, I used the on-line system and it worked perfectly (human intervention or not) It took less than 15 mins and only one attempt. The checks started to come in right on schedule and for the correct amount. (I was amazed at how well it all seemed to work) Even the "My Social Security" website seems to be run pretty well. Everything was going just fine until I needed to do something that the online system couldn't handle. I'm sure it will all work out "someday", I'm just not sure when and how many calls and SSA office trips I'll need to make.

To me it's a little like ordering a Big Mac at McDonald's. Everything is "usually" ok and fast, if you order it "as is" on the menu. If you want to hold, add or change anything , good luck.

I tried adding myself for spousal benefits to my wife's personal benefits online when I reached FRA, but for whatever I did, SS gave me my FRA benefits (larger than hers) & my wife spousal benefits on me. Still not sure who's fault that was - me misunderstanding & filing incorrectly or someone at SS not understanding what we wanted.

Regardless, we had to make a couple trips to local SS office (suburban) to get them to turn it around correctly. We fortunately had a knowledgeable, understanding contact who kept telling me I was still owed more back payments when I was already satisfied. She phoned me 3-4x telling me her interactions with an office in AL. Besides the initial adjustments, I got 3 dribbles totaling nearly $2K that weren't completed till 18 months after I first filed online. But in the end, it worked.