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Groton Daily Independent
Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 053 ~ 5 of 45
SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION Tyler Bowling
Public Affairs Specialist
2200 N Maple Ave Suite 301 Rapid City, SD 57701 Email: tyler.bowling@ssa.gov
Website: www.socialsecurity.gov
Question: How can I check the status of a pending application for retirement bene ts?
Answer: If you applied for retirement or disability bene ts online, you can check the status of your application at www.socialsecurity.gov by selecting “Bene ts” and “Check Application Status” under “Ap- ply.” You will need to enter your Social Security number and the con rmation code you received when you led online.
Your application status will show:
• The date we received your application;
• Any requests for additional documents;
• The address of the of ce processing your application; and • If a decision has been made.
Question: I’m not sure when I’m going to retire so I want to estimate my retirement bene t at several different ages. What’s the easiest way to do that?
Answer: Using our Retirement Estimator is easy at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator, and it’s the best way for you to get a good idea of what your monthly bene t payment may be after you retire. The Estimator gives estimates based on your actual Social Security earnings record. Keep in mind, these are estimates and we can’t provide your actual bene t amount until you apply for bene ts. You can use the Estimator if you have enough work to qualify for bene ts and aren’t currently receiving bene ts. If you are currently receiving only Medicare bene ts, you can still get an estimate. You can learn about this subject by reading our publication, Retirement Information For Medicare Bene ciaries, available at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.
Question: My husband has been in poor health for some time, and doctors have recently diagnosed him with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) – commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. I’ve heard Social Security has a “fast track” for some people who are disabled. Can you tell me about it?
Answer: We have two processes to “fast track” applications for disability bene ts. Our Compassion- ate Allowances initiative allows us to fast track certain cases of individuals with very severe disabilities. There are dozens of different types of disabilities that qualify for this expedited decision, including ALS, and that list continues to expand. Learn more about Compassionate Allowances and see the full list of conditions at www.socialsecurity.gov/compassionateallowances.
Another way we speed up decisions is with our Quick Disability Determinations initiative, which uses technology to identify applicants who have the most severe disabilities and allows us to expedite our decisions on those cases. Read more about Quick Disability Determinations at www.socialsecurity.gov/ disabilityresearch/qdd.htm.