Who Should Read This Booklet?

You should, now that you’re receiving Social Security disability benefits. You might think that, because the disability application process is over and your benefits are about to start, you no longer have to worry about Social Security. But what should you do if your condition improves? Or what if you want to go back to work but are afraid of losing your benefits? Knowing the answers to these and other questions now will save you a great deal of time, inconvenience and maybe some money later. That’s why you should read this booklet now, then put it aside for reference later. For easy reference, this booklet is divided into four parts:

• Your Disability Benefits;
• Reporting Changes That Can Affect Your Benefits;
• Reviewing Your Disability Case; and
• Helping You Return To Work.

If you also receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments, there are some additional rules for that program. Ask Social Security for a copy of the booklet, What You Need To Know When You Get SSI (Publication No. 05-11011).

Part 1—Your Disability Benefits

Part 2—Reporting Changes That Can Affect Your Benefits

Part 3—Reviewing Your Disability Case

Part 4—Helping You Return To Work

For More Information

Other Booklets Available

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Your benefit award notice explains how much your disability benefit will be and when your payments start. If you are receiving benefits on your own record (or as a widow or widower getting benefits on a spouse’s record), your first benefit payment will be made for the sixth full month of disability after the date your disability began. If the sixth month is past, your first payment may include some benefits for prior months.

Note: If family members are eligible for benefits on your record, they will receive a separate notice and booklet.

Social Security benefits are paid each month. Generally, the day in the month on which you receive your benefit depends on the birth date of the person on whose record you receive benefits. For example, if you receive disability or retirement benefits on your own record, your benefit payment date will be determined by your birth date. If you receive benefits as a spouse, your benefit payment date will be determined by your spouse’s birth date.

Here’s How It Works:

1st - 10th

Second Wednesday

11th -20th

Third Wednesday

21st-31st

Fourth Wednesday

Each January, your benefits will increase automatically if the cost of living has increased. For example, if the cost of living has increased by 2 percent during the year, your benefits also will increase by 2 percent. If you receive your benefits by direct deposit, we will notify you of your new benefit amount in advance. If you receive your benefits by check, you also will receive a notice telling you the cost-of-living increase.

We encourage Social Security beneficiaries to have their monthly benefits deposited into a bank or other financial institution account. Direct deposit is a simple, safe and secure way to receive your benefits, and you remain in control of your money.

You can sign up for direct deposit by completing form SF-1199A and taking it to your bank, savings and loan association or credit union. The form is available on our website at www.socialsecurity.gov/online/forms.html. You also can contact any Social Security office or call us toll free at 1-800-772-1213 for more information about direct deposit.

If you don’t have a checking account, you may want to consider an Electronic Transfer Account (ETA). An ETA is for anyone who receives a federal benefit, wage, salary or retirement payment. You can check the ETA website http://fms.treas.gov/eta to locate a bank, savings and loan or credit union near you. This low-cost, federally-insured account lets you enjoy the safety, security and convenience of automatic payments.

Your check usually arrives on time every month, but if it is delayed, wait at least three days before reporting the missing check to Social Security. The most common reason checks are late is because a change of address was not reported. Don’t sign your check until you are at the place where you will cash it. If you sign it ahead of time and lose it, the person who finds it could cash it. If your check is lost or stolen, contact Social Security right away. Your check can be replaced, but it takes time. To be safe, cash or deposit your check as soon as possible after you receive it. A government check must be cashed within 12 months after the date of the check or it will be void.

If you receive a payment you know is not due (for example, you are working and your condition has improved), you should return it to any Social Security office. If you send it by mail, be sure to enclose a note telling why you are sending the payment back.

Some people who get Social Security have to pay taxes on their benefits. You will be affected only if you have substantial income in addition to your Social Security benefits.

• If you file a federal tax return as an "individual" and your combined income (see note below) is between $25,000 and $34,000, you may have to pay taxes on 50 percent of your Social Security benefits. If your combined income is above $34,000, up to 85 percent of your Social Security benefits is subject to income tax.
• If you file a joint return, you may have to pay taxes on 50 percent of your benefits if you and your spouse have a combined income* that is between $32,000 and $44,000. If your combined income* is more than $44,000, up to 85 percent of your Social Security benefits is subject to income tax.
• If you are married and file a separate return, you probably will pay taxes on your benefits.

Although you’re not required to have federal taxes withheld from your monthly benefit, you may find it easier than paying quarterly estimated tax payments.

To have federal taxes withheld, you’ll need a form W-4V from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). You can get this form by calling the IRS toll-free telephone number, 1-800-829-3676, or by visiting SSA’s Internet website, www.socialsecurity.gov. After completing and signing the form, return it to your local Social Security office by mail or in person.

To get the address of your local Social Security office use our Internet website at www.socialsecurity.gov or call 1-800-772-1213.

Each time you want to make a change (or stop the withholding), complete the W-4V and send it to Social Security.

Every January, you will receive a Social Security Benefit Statement (Form SSA-1099) in the mail showing the amount of benefits you received in the previous year. You can use this statement when you are completing your federal income tax return to find out if any of your benefits are subject to tax. You also can use the SSA-1099 when you need proof of your benefit amount for any reason.

Most people who are neither residents nor citizens of the U.S. will have up to 25.5 percent of their benefits withheld for federal taxes. If you are subject to this tax and you become a U.S. resident or citizen, you should notify Social Security.

For more information, call 1-800-829-3676 to ask for Publication 554, Tax Information for Older Americans, and Publication 915, Social Security Benefits and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefits.

Generally, your disability benefits will continue as long as your condition has not medically improved and you cannot work. They will not necessarily continue indefinitely. More people with disabilities now recover from serious accidents and illnesses because of advances in medical science and rehabilitation techniques. Other people, through determination and effort, return to work in spite of serious conditions.

Your benefits also may be affected if you marry (unless you are getting disability benefits on your own record); if you receive certain other types of disability payments; or if you go to certain countries. In Part 2, we explain your responsibility for reporting changes that can affect your benefits. Please make sure you read and understand this information. This way, you can avoid having to pay back any benefits that you should not have received.

If you are getting disability benefits when you reach full retirement age, your benefits automatically will be changed to retirement benefits, generally in the same amount. You then will receive a new booklet explaining your rights and responsibilities as a retired person.

After you receive disability benefits for 24 months, you will be eligible for Medicare. You will get information about Medicare several months before your coverage starts. (If you have chronic kidney disease requiring regular dialysis or a transplant, you may qualify for Medicare almost immediately.)

If you get Medicare and have low income and few resources, your state may pay your Medicare premiums and, in some cases, other "out-of-pocket" Medicare expenses such as deductibles and coinsurance. Only your state can decide if you qualify. To find out if you do, contact your state or local welfare office or Medicaid agency. For more general information about the program, contact Social Security and ask for a copy of the publication, Medicare Savings Programs (CMS Publication No. 10126-S).

If a child is getting benefits on your work record, there are important things you should know about his or her benefits.

A child’s benefits stop with the month before the child reaches age 18, unless the child is either disabled, or is a full-time elementary or secondary school student and remains unmarried. About five months before the child’s 18th birthday, the person receiving the child’s benefits will get a form explaining how benefits can continue.

A child whose benefits stopped at age 18 can have them started again if he or she becomes disabled before reaching age 22, or becomes a full-time elementary or secondary school student before reaching age 19.

A child can continue to receive benefits after age 18 if he or she has a disability. The child also may qualify for SSI disability benefits. For more information, ask us for a copy of the booklet, Benefits For Children With Disabilities (Publication No. 05-10026).

A child can receive benefits until age 19 if he or she continues to be a full-time elementary or secondary school student and remains unmarried. When a student’s 19th birthday occurs during a school term, benefits can be continued up to two months to allow completion of the term.

Social Security should be notified immediately if the student drops out of school, changes from full-time to part-time attendance, is expelled or suspended or changes schools. We also should be told if the student is paid by his or her employer for attending school.

We send each student a form at the beginning and end of the school year. It is important that the form be filled out and returned to us. Benefits could be stopped if the form is not sent back.

A student can keep receiving benefits during a vacation period of four months or less if he or she plans to go back to school full time at the end of the vacation.

A student who stops attending school generally can receive benefits again if he or she returns to school full time before age 19. The student needs to contact Social Security to reapply for benefits.

If a stepchild is receiving benefits on your earnings record and you and the child’s parent divorce, the stepchild’s benefit will end the month following the month the divorce becomes final. You must tell us as soon as the divorce becomes final.

If you become the parent of a child (including an adopted child) after you begin receiving Social Security benefits, be sure to notify us so that we can determine if the child qualifies for benefits.

If anyone comes to your home to talk about Social Security or SSI, ask for his or her identification. Anyone who is from Social Security will be glad to show you proper identification.

If you have any doubts about the person, you can call us at 1-800-772-1213 to ask if someone was sent to see you. And remember: Social Security employees will never ask you for money to have something done. It’s their job to help you.

You never have to pay for information or services at Social Security. Some businesses advertise that they can provide name changes, Social Security cards or earnings statements for a fee. All these services are provided free by Social Security. So don’t pay for something that’s free. Call us first. Social Security is the best place to get information about Social Security.

You can get a food stamp application and information at any Social Security office. Or call our toll-free number 1-800-772-1213. Ask for the leaflet, Food Stamps And Other Nutrition Programs (Publication No. 05-10100), or the factsheet, Food Stamp Facts (Publication No. 05-10101).

Social Security keeps personal information on millions of people. That information—such as your Social Security number, earnings record, age and address—is confidential. Generally, we will discuss this information only with you. We need your permission if you want someone else to help with your Social Security business.

If you ask a friend or family member to call Social Security, you need to be with them when they call so we will know that you want them to help. The Social Security representative will ask your permission to discuss your Social Security business with that person.

If you send a friend or family member to our local office to conduct your Social Security business, send your written consent with them. Only with your written permission can Social Security discuss your personal information with them and provide the answers to your questions.

In the case of a minor child, the parent or legal guardian can act on the child’s behalf in taking care of the child’s Social Security business.

We urge you to be careful with your Social Security number and to protect its confidentiality whenever possible. Although we can’t prevent others from asking for your Social Security number, you should know that your Social Security records are kept private.

There are times when the law requires Social Security to give information to other government agencies to conduct other government health or welfare programs—such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children, Medicaid and food stamps. Programs receiving information from Social Security are prohibited from sharing that information.

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You should promptly report any changes that may affect your disability benefits. Family members receiving benefits also should report events that might affect their payments. The events that must be reported are explained on the next few pages.

When you plan to move, tell us your new address and phone number as soon as you know them. You can report this information by calling our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213.

Even when you receive your benefits by direct deposit, Social Security must have your correct address so we can send letters and other important information to you. Your benefits will be stopped if we are unable to contact your.

When you report your new address, let us know the names of any family members who also should receive their Social Security benefits there. Be sure to file a change of address with the post office, too.

You must notify us if there is any improvement in your condition. If you don’t tell us, you may receive monthly benefits you are not due—money that you will have to pay back.

We will review your case periodically to determine if you are still disabled. (See Part 3 for more information about this review.)

You should tell us if you take a job or become self-employed no matter how little you earn. If you are still disabled, you will be eligible for a trial work period and can continue receiving benefits for up to nine months (See section titled, Nine-Month Trial Work Period).

Also, notify us if you have any special work expenses resulting from your disability (such as specialized equipment, a wheelchair or even some prescription drugs) or if there is any change in the amount of the expenses.

If you are a citizen of the United States, your Social Security payments generally can continue for as long as you are outside the United States and meet all requirements. (The Social Security office has a list of 60 other countries whose citizens also can get Social Security benefits if they leave the United States.) However, you must notify Social Security when you plan to leave the U.S. for 30 days or more so that any letters can be sent to the right address. Notifying us also will enable you to learn about any special rules that apply to those receiving benefits outside the U.S. And remember to let Social Security know when you return to the U.S.

If you are a citizen of a country not approved for us to send checks, your benefits will be suspended after you have been outside the U.S. for six months, unless you meet specific conditions. And, if you go to a country where U.S. Treasury Department regulations prohibit sending checks, your benefits will stop immediately. For more information, ask any Social Security office for the booklet, Your Social Security Payments While You Are Outside The United States (Publication No. 05-10137).

If you are disabled and under age 65, Social Security benefits for you and your family may be reduced if you are also eligible for workers’ compensation (including black lung payments) or for disability benefits from certain federal, state or local government programs. Tell us if you:

• Apply for another type of disability benefit;
• Begin receiving another disability benefit or a lump-sum settlement; or
• Already receive another disability benefit and the amount changes or your payment stops.

If your disability began after 1985, tell us if you start receiving a pension (for which you were first eligible after 1985) from a job where you did not pay Social Security taxes. For more information, ask at any Social Security office for the factsheet, The Windfall Elimination Provision (Publication No. 05-10045).

Your Social Security payments may be reduced if both of the following statements apply to you.

• You are a disabled widow or widower or the spouse of someone getting disability benefits.
• You worked for a federal, state or local government agency where you did not pay Social Security taxes and you receive a pension from that agency.

Notify us if you begin to receive such a pension or if the amount of the pension changes. For more information, ask for factsheet, Government Pension Offset (Publication No. 05-10007).

Here’s how marriage may affect your disability benefits and when you must report.

• If you are getting disability benefits on your own record—your payments will continue and you don’t need to report the marriage. But, you should report any name change so it will appear on your future mailings.
• If you are a disabled widow or widower—payments will continue, but remember to report the name change. If your current spouse dies, you may be eligible for higher benefits on his/her work record.
• If you are an adult who was disabled before age 22 and you are getting benefits on the Social Security record of a parent or grandparent—you should report your marriage. Payments generally will end unless you marry a person receiving certain types of Social Security benefits. If your benefits stop because of marriage, they cannot be started again unless the marriage is declared void.
• Benefits for the child of someone getting disability benefits always end if the child marries. This must be reported right away.

If a person receiving benefits becomes unable to manage his or her funds, someone should let Social Security know. Social Security will arrange for an organization or person called a "representative payee" to receive and use the benefits for that person. The payee is responsible for:

• properly using the benefits on behalf of the beneficiary;
• reporting any events that may affect payments; and
• completing a Representative Payee Report when asked to do so by Social Security.

If you have a representative payee and also are addicted to drugs or alcohol, you may be referred to the state substance abuse agency for treatment.

Please Note: If a person has "power of attorney" for someone, that does not automatically qualify him or her to be the representative payee.

For more information, ask Social Security for the booklet, A Guide For Representative Payees (Publication No. 05-10076).

If someone getting Social Security benefits is convicted of a crime, Social Security should be notified immediately. Benefits generally are not paid for the months a person is imprisoned for a crime, but any family members who are eligible may continue to receive benefits. Benefits usually are not paid to persons found mentally ill who commit a crime and are confined to an institution by court order and at public expense. This applies if the person has been found:

• Guilty, but insane;
• Not guilty by reason of insanity or similar factors (such as mental disease, mental defect or mental incompetence); or
• Incompetent to stand trial.

Benefits also are not payable for months that a person completing a prison term for a sexual offense remains confined by court order to a public institution.

When a beneficiary dies, no payment is due for the month of death. For example, if the person dies in June, even if it was on the last day, the payment received in July (which is the June benefit) should be returned. However, if the payment is issued jointly to a husband and wife, the survivor should get in touch with any Social Security office about the payment.

If the beneficiary was using direct deposit, the bank also should be notified of the death so it can return any payments received after death.

When a person getting disability benefits dies, payments to his or her family will be changed to survivors benefits. If the worker received benefits on behalf of children, a new representative payee must be appointed. We need a death certificate or other proof of death to make the change.

You are responsible for giving us correct information about yourself when you complete an application for benefits and after you start to receive them. If there is any change in the information you gave us, you must notify us as soon as possible.

If we find that you gave us false information on purpose, your benefits will stop. The period of nonpayment of benefits will be six months for the first occurrence; 12 months for the second, and 24 months for the third.

You can report a change simply by calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213. You also can visit any office or mail in the reporting form you received when you applied for benefits. If you send a report by mail, be sure to include:

• Your name and, if different, the name and Social Security claim number of the person on whose account you get benefits;
• Name of person(s) about whom the report is made;
• Your Social Security claim number;
• What new information is being reported;
• Date of the change; and
• Your signature, address, phone number and date.

If you need help in completing a report, the people at any Social Security office will be glad to help you. Or, you can call our toll-free number—1-800-772-1213. Be sure to have your Social Security number handy. If you are getting benefits on somebody else’s record (a spouse, for example), we need his or her Social Security number, too.

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Under Social Security law, all disability cases must be reviewed from time to time. This is to make sure that people receiving benefits continue to be disabled and meet all other requirements.

Your benefits generally will continue unless there is strong proof that your condition has medically improved and that you are able to return to work.

How often your case is reviewed depends on the severity of your condition and the likelihood of improvement. The frequency can range from six months to seven years. Your award notice shows you when you can expect your first review. Here are general guidelines for reviews:

• Improvement expected—if medical improvement can be predicted when benefits start, your first review should be six to 18 months later.
• Improvement possible—if medical improvement is possible but cannot be predicted, your case will be reviewed about every three years.
• Improvement not expected—if medical improvement is not likely, your case will be reviewed only about once every five to seven years.

After you get a letter announcing the review, someone from your Social Security office will contact you to explain the review process and your appeal rights. You will be asked to provide information about any medical treatment you’ve received and any work you might have done.

Then your file will be sent to the state agency that makes disability decisions for Social Security. An evaluation team that includes a disability examiner and a doctor will carefully review your file and request your medical reports. If reports are not complete or current enough, you may be asked to have a special examination or test that we will pay for.

Once a decision is reached, we will send you a letter explaining it. If we decide you are still disabled, your benefits will continue. If we decide you are no longer disabled, you can file an appeal (see next section). If you don’t, your benefits will stop three months after we said your disability ended.

If you don’t agree with a decision we make, you can appeal it. You have 60 days to file a written appeal with any Social Security office. Generally, there are four levels to the appeals process.

• Reconsideration—your claim is reviewed by someone who did not take part in the first decision.
• Hearing before an administrative law judge—you can appear before a judge to present your case.
• Review by Appeals Council—if the Appeals Council decides your case should be reviewed, it will either decide your case or return it to the administrative law judge for further review.
• Federal district court—if the Appeals Council decides not to review your case or if you disagree with its decision, you may file a lawsuit in a federal district court.

If you disagree with the decision at one level, you have 60 days to appeal to the next level until you are satisfied with the decision or have completed the last level of appeal.

You have two special appeal rights when a decision is made that you are no longer disabled.

• Disability hearing—This is part of the reconsideration process. You can meet face-to-face with the person who is reconsidering your case to explain why you feel you are still disabled. You can submit new evidence or information and can bring someone who knows about your disability. This special hearing does not replace your right to also have a formal hearing before an administrative law judge (the second appeal step) if your reconsideration is denied.
• Continuation of benefits—While you are appealing your case, you can have your disability benefits and Medicare coverage (if you have it) continue until an administrative law judge makes his or her decision. However, you must request the continuation of your benefits during the first 10 days of the 60 days mentioned earlier. If your appeal is not successful, you may have to repay the benefits.

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After you start receiving disability benefits, you may want to try working again. There are special rules called "work incentives" to help you make the transition back to work. These rules continue your cash payments and Medicare while you try to work, help with the extra work expenses you may have as a result of your disability and help with rehabilitation and training that may lead to a new line of work. The following sections provide general information about "work incentives." For more detailed information, ask us for the booklet, Working While Disabled ... How We Can Help (Publication No. 05-10095).

The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 substantially expands opportunities for people with disabilities who want to work.

• The law extends Part A premium-free Medicare coverage four-and-a-half-years beyond the previous 39 months of extended coverage (a total of 93 months) for Social Security disability beneficiaries who work.
• States have the option to permit working individuals with incomes above 250 percent of the federal poverty level to buy in to Medicaid.
• Starting early in June 2002, Social Security and SSI disability beneficiaries in 13 states may receive a "ticket" they may use to obtain vocational rehabilitation and other employment support services from an approved provider of their choice. An individual using a ticket will not need to undergo the regularly scheduled disability reviews. The program will be expanded to all states by 2004. To find out if it is in your state, call our toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213.
• As of January 1, 2001, when a person’s Social Security or SSI disability benefits have ended based on work, he or she can now request reinstatement of benefits without filing a new application.

For more information on this law, call us at 1-800-772-1213 and ask for the factsheet, Ticket To Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (Publication No. 05-10060). You can also type www.socialsecurity.gov/work to download a copy of the factsheet from our Internet website.

To understand how work affects your disability benefits, you need to understand how Social Security measures your work. Disability benefits can be paid only if you are unable to do any "substantial" work. The amount of your earnings is the key to determining whether your work is substantial.

As of January 1, 2003, if your wages average more than $800 a month (after allowable deductions), you are generally considered to be performing substantial work.

If your average monthly earnings are between $300 and $800 a month, your work could be considered substantial if the amount and quality of your work are about the same as that done by workers in your area who are not disabled. In making this decision, we consider the time, energy, skill and responsibility involved in your work. Earnings of less than $300 a month are not considered substantial. (See special rules for blind persons who work for more information.)

If your earnings are "subsidized"—that is, if your employer says you are paid more than the reasonable value of your work—the subsidy part of your pay is not counted as earnings in deciding whether you are performing substantial work.

If you are self-employed, your business income alone may not be the best measure of whether you are doing substantial work. Business income may depend on many other factors, such as the economic situation and services of other people. In such cases, more consideration is given to the amount of time you spend in your business than the amount of your income.

Following are the rules that may help you return to work.

You may be able to continue to receive benefits for up to nine months while you try to work. The months need not be in a row, but they must take place within a 60-month period. Generally speaking, a "trial work" month is any month in which you earn over $570 in gross wages (regardless of amount of time worked) or spend 40 hours in your own business (regardless of amount of earnings). You will receive your full benefits during this period.

At the end of nine months of trial work, we decide if you are able to do "substantial" work. If you can, your benefits will stop after a three-month adjustment period. If you are not able to work, your payments will continue.

Remember, your trial work period will continue only if you are still disabled. If you recover during a trial work period, your benefits will stop after a three-month adjustment period.

If your benefits stop because you have returned to work even though you are still medically disabled, you receive special "benefit protection" for the next 36 months. During that time, you can receive a benefit for any month your earnings are less than $800. You do not have to file a new application, but you do have to notify Social Security. If you are unable to continue working, your benefits continue indefinitely as long as you remain disabled.

Effective January 1, 2001, you have an additional 60 months after your benefits terminated because of work to request that they be reinstated without filing a new application. You must be unable to continue working because of your disability. You can receive up to six months of provisional benefits while we review your case to verify that you are still disabled.

• If we find that you are disabled, your regular benefits will start again.
• If we find you are not disabled, the provisional benefits will stop. You will not have to pay these provisional benefits back.

If you are working even though you still are disabled, your Medicare coverage may continue for at least 93 months (7 years, 9 months) after the end of the trial work period. After that, you may purchase the coverage with a monthly premium.

If you need certain equipment or services to help you work, the money you pay for them can be deducted from your earnings in deciding whether you are doing "substantial" work. It does not matter if you also need the items or services for daily living (such as a wheelchair).

The cost of medical equipment, certain attendant care services, prostheses and similar items and services is generally deductible. The cost of drugs or medical services is deductible only if required because of your condition.

When you applied for disability benefits, information about you and your impairment may have been sent to the state vocational rehabilitation agency or other provider of vocational rehabilitation services. If they offer you services and you refuse them without good reason, your monthly benefits may be withheld. If you have not heard from them and are interested in receiving rehabilitation services, you should give them a call.

Your disability benefits will continue while you receive rehabilitation services. Under a special rule, benefits can continue even if you medically recover while participating in an approved vocational rehabilitation or training program. For more information, ask Social Security for the booklet, How Social Security Can Help With Vocational Rehabilitation (Publication No. 05-10050).

If you become disabled a second time within five years after your benefits were stopped, your cash payments can begin again with the first full month you are disabled. Another "waiting period" is not required (as it was the first time you applied for Social Security disability benefits). However, you must file a new application. There also is no waiting period if you are a disabled widow or widower or a person disabled before age 22 who becomes disabled again within seven years after benefits ended. If you had Medicare coverage, that also will resume without the 24-month waiting period explained in the section, A Word About Medicare.

If you receive disability benefits because of blindness, there are two special rules that may help you when you work.

• Average monthly earnings of $1,330 or less in 2003 are not considered substantial work. This monthly amount will increase in future years. The section called, Understanding "Substantial" Work explains how "substantial work" affects your disability check.)
• If you are age 55 to 65, monthly benefits will continue if you cannot do the regular (or similar) work you did before turning age 55 or becoming blind, whichever is later. For more information, ask Social Security for a copy of the booklet, If You Are Blind Or Have Low Vision ... How We Can Help (Publication No. 05–10052).

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If you have a computer, you can find the answers to many of the questions you may have about Social Security on the Internet at www.socialsecurity.gov. Social Security Online provides a variety of informational materials and services, including:

• Publications you can download on all aspects of Social Security programs
• Forms you can use to request various services, such as a Social Security Statement, a replacement Social Security or Medicare card, or benefit verification
• Social Security eNews, an electronic newsletter that you can receive by e-mail free-of-charge to help you keep up with the latest changes in Social Security programs
• A Retirement Planner, designed to help people of all ages plan their future financial security using their Social Security benefits as a base

If you don’t have a personal computer, many libraries, churches and other nonprofit organizations provide Internet access services to the public. Call your local library for more information.

You can get information 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays, by calling our toll-free number, 1-800-772-1213. You can speak to a service representative between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays. Our lines are busiest early in the week and early in the month, so, if your business can wait, it’s best to call at other times.

People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call our toll-free TTY number, 1-800-325-0778, between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays.

To help us serve you better, please have the following items handy when you call:

• Your Social Security number;
• A list of questions you want to ask;
• Any recent correspondence you received from us; and
• A pencil and paper to record information and answers to your questions.

We treat all calls confidentially––whether they’re made to our toll-free numbers or to one of our local offices. We also want to ensure that you receive accurate and courteous service. That is why we have a second Social Security representative monitor some incoming and outgoing telephone calls.

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Social Security has a number of publications that contain information about other Social Security programs. Contact Social Security to get a free copy of any of these publications—all of which also are available in Spanish. They include:

• Understanding The Benefits (Publication No. 05-10024)—a comprehensive explanation of all the Social Security programs;
• Retirement Benefits (Publication No. 05-10035)—explains Social Security retirement benefits;
• Survivors Benefits (Publication No. 05-10084)—explains Social Security survivors benefits;
• Medicare (Publication No. 05-10043)—explains Medicare hospital insurance and medical insurance;
• SSI (Publication No. 05-11000)—explains the SSI program, which provides a basic income to people who are 65 or older, disabled or blind and have limited income and resources; and
• Working While Disabled ... How We Can Help (Publication No. 05-10095)—explains the work incentives available to people with disabilities who work.

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