Successful Social Security Interview

Golden sunsets said:
I'm a Mainer too OGF, albeit from the deep south of Maine. Every time I see a post from you I think of T2 R9, north of Bangor:greetings10:
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T2 R2 WELS is a nice township, at the base of Baxter State Park :)

I am in one of the Unorganized Townships. Among Maines 986 towns most of them are Unorganized.

Our township is North of Bangor, though technically is it still in the Southern half of Maine geographically. :)
 
Golden sunsets said:
I've used the one noted above for years, which is the on the SSA page, but the one below was new to me and contains the best explanation that I have seen on the math behind it as well as the calc itself.

PartIrish posted this link on 7/26:

https://socialsecurity.tools/app.html

On this thread:

http://www.early-retirement.org/for...y-pmt-with-re-gap-93034.html?referrerid=29011
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Nice site for calculating and explaining PIA and the effects of early and late claiming. There is one significant error though -- it doesn't recognize those of us who are still eligible (due to grandfathering) for the "file and restrict" strategy.
 
Crabby Mike said:
Nice site for calculating and explaining PIA and the effects of early and late claiming. There is one significant error though -- it doesn't recognize those of us who are still eligible (due to grandfathering) for the "file and restrict" strategy.
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I wouldn’t call it an error though.
 
Golden sunsets said:
I wouldn’t call it an error though.
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Well, maybe I'm too picky, but I called it an error because the text that it provided (after I gave my and DW's birth dates) included:


"Spouse must elect to collect all of the benefits Spouse is eligible for, or none at all. For example, Spouse cannot choose to delay personal benefits but collect spousal benefits if eligible for both benefits. This is known as the deeming rule: you are deemed to be filing for all benefits you are eligible for once one decides to file."


That's simply not true for those of us born before 1954 (and there are still a few of us left).
 
Golden sunsets said:
The questions were all easy to answer and none related to my credit report. If I was not already collecting (spousal benefits) which required an application there might have been more questions and more required proof, but as I was already in the system, there were no documents required. I should have also mentioned that there will be a follow up report from SS with documentation of the numbers that support the new amount, with the request that the recipient look over their earnings record and other info, for any inaccuracies. I could tell looking on line that their info is correct, but I will be expecting a report by mail.

With respect to dread at doing it over the phone, or in person, the first time I applied, I did it in person (but had set up a specific appointment time). This time I called in advance as I had the last time, but they gave me the option of a phone appointment, which I chose, and they gave me a verbal time and followed up with two letters, two e-mails and two phone calls to remind me. A bit of overkill, but nothing too annoying.

The other thing that somewhat surprised me, was the rep that called was from my local office. I don't think it much mattered. She was professional, knowledgeable and curtious.

I had already done the calcs on what I thought the amount was going to be and as I didn't work last year, their system was up to date. If you had earnings in 2017, the system has not been updated yet, so the amount may change.

The other thing I forgot to mention, is she told me the system was telling her that my new Medicare Card had been processed yesterday as well and is on its way, which led me to ask if I am going to receive a replacement for that new card, as my medicare benefits will now change to being on my own record. She said she did not know, as the new Medicare numbers are no longer associated with the SS number of the person your benefits are paid under. I may not get yet another new card, as there may be no need for a new number. It doesn't matter really, but I'll be on the lookout for one, possibly 2 new medicare cards.
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Well I called to arrange to come off restricted application spousal benefits and go to my age 70 benefits. It may not be going as smoothly as described by others; I cannot tell. After my phone call they sent a letter confirming the appointment at the local office and telling me what to bring to fill out the retirement benefit application. My appointment is Sept.19. About a week after that appointment confirmation I got another letter informing me that the local office has determined that I am not eligible for Supplemental Security Income (SSI, not SS). SSI never even came up during the phone conversation. How could I have applied for it? Do they check to see if you are eligible for SS and SSI when you apply for one or the other? There was nothing about cancelling my appointment so I guess the appointment is still scheduled (I hope). Meanwhile I am hoping there hasn't been a misunderstanding about my purpose for making the appointment.

Does everyone get a letter denying them SSI when they apply for SS? I may have brought this on myself because the woman on the phone started questioning me about my other finances and I told her I just wanted the appointment and my finances wouldn't affect my Social Security benefit. I now realize that she might be tasked to check people on their finances to see if they qualify for benefits on top of their SS. The way she put it I thought she was just looking for employment income that would make me subject to WEP. If so, once again my angst against giving strangers on the phone who might be a call center too much personal information may have caused all my problems.
 
I believe we got a similar letter after our interview. I just took it as a requirement that they check all the boxes.
 
I posted to this old thread to update my attempt to transition from spousal to age 70 Social Security benefits. I went to the local SSA office to apply. The application process went smoothly and the estimate given me by the SSA employee was the same number I had calculated. Friday the application process on my account at the website finally showed that the decision had been made. It said:

The decision page:
Step 3 of 3
Decision
11/02/2018
A Decision Has Been Made On Your Benefit Application

Your claim for Retirement benefits has been approved. A detailed notice has been sent to you with your benefit information. For more information, please use the Benefit Verification Letter to check your benefit details.

If you disagree with the decision, you may request an appeal within 60 days of the date on the "Notice of Decision" you receive. A written request of appeal is required. You may use Form SSA-561 (Request for Reconsideration) to submit your request to your local Social Security office.
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Clicking on the link for the "Benefit Verification Letter" mentioned above yields:
Information About Current Social Security Benefits

Beginning November 2018, the full monthly Social Security benefit before any deductions is $0.00.

We deduct $0.00 for medical insurance premiums each month.

The regular monthly Social Security payment is $0.00.
(We must round down to the whole dollar.)

Social Security benefits for a given month are paid the following month. (For example, Social Security benefits for March are paid in April.)

Your Social Security benefits are paid on or about the second Wednesday of each month.

Benefits were stopped beginning November 2018.
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I just returned from the SSA office. They were confused by the website information and said my application was still being processed. I pointed out that the website shouldn't reflect a benefit change until an application was processed but, of course, the local office has no control over this. I don't feel much better after that conversation for some reason. I'm waiting to see if the snail mail promised above arrives showing $0.00 or if, indeed, there never was such an item sent out and the decision above was never made.
 
Tadpole said:
I posted to this old thread to update my attempt to transition from spousal to age 70 Social Security benefits. I went to the local SSA office to apply. The application process went smoothly and the estimate given me by the SSA employee was the same number I had calculated. Friday the application process on my account at the website finally showed that the decision had been made. It said:



Clicking on the link for the "Benefit Verification Letter" mentioned above yields:



I just returned from the SSA office. They were confused by the website information and said my application was still being processed. I pointed out that the website shouldn't reflect a benefit change until an application was processed but, of course, the local office has no control over this. I don't feel much better after that conversation for some reason. I'm waiting to see if the snail mail promised above arrives showing $0.00 or if, indeed, there never was such an item sent out and the decision above was never made.
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Tadpole: Don't worry. I am the original poster on this string. November 2018 is the first month for which I am to receive the higher benefit as a 70 year old, after claiming spousal for the past 4 years. I checked SSA.gov on 11-2 and the message that a decision had been made popped up with the same link to the benefit verification letter that you referenced. When I clicked on it, it showed the same benefit that I was already getting for the first 11 months of the year. I checked again today and the same link now shows the new benefit amount that I had been expecting. The last bit under the heading, Information About Past Social Security Benefits shows all zero's though. This may be because all of my past benefits are on my husband's record. At any rate, my point is that it appears to be a work in progress for several days once you get to the month for which you are to receive the new benefit amount. Just keep checking back.
 
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Golden sunsets: Thanks, I will follow your advice.
 
My observation is that SSA is not all that competent. I spent several months trying to get my back-benefits (the months between the start date of benefits and the actual day you get a check). I finally got it, but it took lots of phone calls and visits to the local SSA office.
 
TwoByFour said:
My observation is that SSA is not all that competent. I spent several months trying to get my back-benefits (the months between the start date of benefits and the actual day you get a check). I finally got it, but it took lots of phone calls and visits to the local SSA office.
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That's why my application was filed the first week I was eligible to file. Plenty of time for the wheels to turn before that first check was due.

Today I got the letter explaining how the Part B premium will be handled. The letter stated the payment in December will be for November's benefit with the December Part B premium subtracted. Then it went on to say future payments would be the same dollar amount. No they won't. We get a raise starting in January. When that raise kicks in, it will be the compounded amount of the benefit less the 2019 Part B premium. Sigh.
 
TwoByFour said:
My observation is that SSA is not all that competent. I spent several months trying to get my back-benefits (the months between the start date of benefits and the actual day you get a check). I finally got it, but it took lots of phone calls and visits to the local SSA office.
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Intresting. I have found SS very competent via phone interview and in person interviews and the associated processing of the applications. I wonder if it has anything to do with the State one resides in. I live in a small state, where I think applications are handled in a more timely manner.
 
Golden sunsets said:
Intresting. I have found SS very competent via phone interview and in person interviews and the associated processing of the applications. I wonder if it has anything to do with the State one resides in. I live in a small state, where I think applications are handled in a more timely manner.
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It might be regional.

I had very competent, pleasant, and efficient interactions with SS. Since I applied online, I dealt with an SS lady in Seattle when applying for divorced spousal SS at age 66. When I changed to my own SS at age 70, I dealt with another very nice SS lady in Chicago. Both were just terrific, competent, and very helpful.

I have never been to my local SS office, because I have heard it is a miserable experience. :D
 
Golden sunsets said:
Intresting. I have found SS very competent via phone interview and in person interviews and the associated processing of the applications. I wonder if it has anything to do with the State one resides in. I live in a small state, where I think applications are handled in a more timely manner.
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My state is Hawaii, very small. When I was interviewed, the person I spoke with was in California. But when I had to deal with the missing back-payments, it shifted to my local office for some reason.
 
I guess my opinion of the folks at SS has changed significantly. When I was in college in the ‘70s I was eligible for a dependent benefit except for the summer months when my summer job earnings were too high. The 2x per year starting and stopping of benefits was a royal PITA. I always got one or more extra checks that I had to return and they were always late restarting my benefit in the fall. It taught me to NEVER rely solely on SS. They claimed I had cashed a check which I had returned and pestered me for years and years. I appealed and filed all sorts of paperwork, visited local offices etc to no avail. Finally 3 yrs ago they confiscated a portion of my tax refund to recover their “loss”. I was relieved. Only talking about $200 here. No penalties, interest or fines either. Fast forward to today. I get a letter directing me to call about a refund. I call the office in Phila, call goes right through, and a friendly Civil Servant informs me that Congress has ruled that it was illegal for them to confiscate my refund so they are going to send me a check if I sign acknowledgement that the debt is still owed. I tell him I do not acknowledge the debt and will not sign. He says “OK, I’ll grant a waiver”. Just. Like. That.
 
I will post my outcome (probably not until after that first check in December). I wasn't posting to complain about the local SSA but to share the things that happen during restricted application. In fact, someone from SSA called me later in the day to reassure me that they were not finished and I would not see $0.00 in the result when they were finished. So I'm doing what "Golden sunsets" suggested and waiting it out (but it's hard).


I couldn't find anyone else in this exact situation doing a Google search so I decided to create a record here in case someone else that reads this forum does have the same thing happen on their web account at SSA.
 
Tadpole said:
I will post my outcome (probably not until after that first check in December). I wasn't posting to complain about the local SSA but to share the things that happen during restricted application. In fact, someone from SSA called me later in the day to reassure me that they were not finished and I would not see $0.00 in the result when they were finished. So I'm doing what "Golden sunsets" suggested and waiting it out (but it's hard).


I couldn't find anyone else in this exact situation doing a Google search so I decided to create a record here in case someone else that reads this forum does have the same thing happen on their web account at SSA.
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Tadpole; Is November the first month for which you are to receive the first check as a 70 year old(getting it sometime in December)?


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum
 
Yes, they consider my 1 Dec birthday to be November so November is my 1st month of age 70 benefits. The check comes in December. This is an area I kinda resent because the local office says they know how it works but keeps saying I applied too early since my first check comes in December. No one seems to remember (Until I remind them) that I am a November baby for SS purposes. But, never-the-less, they keep saying that I applied too early when I didn't. The other day the fact that we were in November didn't seem to change their feeling that I was expecting a final decision too early.

That did bother me but what can I do but wait and see? So you are right, I am, technically, on my own SS number as of November not December even if the local office seems to forget how to handle a 1st of the month baby.
 
Tadpole said:
Yes, they consider my 1 Dec birthday to be November so November is my 1st month of age 70 benefits. The check comes in December. This is an area I kinda resent because the local office says they know how it works but keeps saying I applied too early since my first check comes in December. No one seems to remember (Until I remind them) that I am a November baby for SS purposes. But, never-the-less, they keep saying that I applied too early when I didn't. The other day the fact that we were in November didn't seem to change their feeling that I was expecting a final decision too early.

That did bother me but what can I do but wait and see? So you are right, I am, technically, on my own SS number as of November not December even if the local office seems to forget how to handle a 1st of the month baby.
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Ha. Well you and I were born on the exact same day. 12-1-1948. :dance: I applied on 8-10, a little less than the 3 months that is recommended. Do you receive your current check on the second Wednesday of every month as I do? My husband's bday is also on the 1st, so I have always gotten my spousal check on the second Wednesday, but I don't know if that is because they look at my husband's bday or my bday. I am thinking that once the October payment is deposited, on November 14th, the system should update to show the dollar amount of the next payment due for the month of November. If by that time the system does not show your updated amount, or if your benefit verification letter is not updated to show the amount you expect, then I would be at the SSA office the next morning, bright and early.

The phone rep from my local office, was well aware of the month for which a payment is due for those born on the 1st of the month.
 
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Another Reader said:
That's why my application was filed the first week I was eligible to file. Plenty of time for the wheels to turn before that first check was due.

Today I got the letter explaining how the Part B premium will be handled. The letter stated the payment in December will be for November's benefit with the December Part B premium subtracted. Then it went on to say future payments would be the same dollar amount. No they won't. We get a raise starting in January. When that raise kicks in, it will be the compounded amount of the benefit less the 2019 Part B premium. Sigh.
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Sigh, well I'm sure you will get notification of your new raised amount along with everyone else. No one is ever happy, you got the result you wanted, they have taken care of your Part B payment and now you want to nitpick the language they used to explain everything. In January your payment will be the same benefit number plus your raise.
 
Golden sunsets said:
Ha. Well you and I were born on the exact same day. 12-1-1948. :dance: I applied on 8-10, a little less than the 3 months that is recommended. Do you receive your current check on the second Wednesday of every month as I do? My husband's bday is also on the 1st, so I have always gotten my spousal check on the second Wednesday, but I don't know if that is because they look at my husband's bday or my bday. I am thinking that once the October payment is deposited, on November 14th, the system should update to show the dollar amount of the next payment due for the month of November. If by that time the system does not show your updated amount, or if your benefit verification letter is not updated to show the amount you expect, then I would be at the SSA office the next morning, bright and early.

The phone rep from my local office, was well aware of the month for which a payment is due for those born on the 1st of the month.
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When I called for an appointment some time in August, they said I was too early but they would make me an appointment for September 17. I asked if a 1 Dec person should count back from November but she didn't seem to understand why I asked that so I let it drop as a mute point since it was September.

Yes, both me and my husband are second Wednesday children for purposes of checks. I agree that it should be updated after the October check comes in November but the confusion over my birthday and when processing should be completed may mess that up. I don't know. I am checking often to see if anything changes.

Your moral support has been very helpful for me. Thank you.
 
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