The Social Security Administration (SSA) has hundreds of field offices located throughout the country. The field offices offer a wide variety of SSA services. As stated on the SSA’s website, services at field offices can include applying for new or replacement Social Security cards, updating benefit information, and applying for benefits for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income.

It is important to be mindful that the offices may be crowded and wait times may be long during this time period of moving back to in-person appointments. The SSA is expecting a great influx of people walking into the field offices and scheduling appointments. The field offices will be accepting visitors who do not make an appointment before. However, it is recommended to make an appointment before arriving in order to decrease wait times. Online services will still be offered in addition to the field offices reopening. The Social Security Administration will still be accepting phone calls and providing services on their website.

More information, such as how to make an appointment and available services offered by the SSA, can be found on the Social Security Administration’s website at www.ssa.gov. If you or someone you know is looking to receive Social Security Disability benefits, our Social Security Disability attorneys are available to help. Our office understands the difficulty in applying for benefits while injured. We can be contacted 24/7 at 800-518-4LAW(529).

It is recommended for a person to file for Social Security Disability (SSD) as soon as their disablement is diagnosed by a medical professional. People can apply by either completing an application online or calling Social Security directly to schedule a phone consultation. If you are eligible, there is a 5-month waiting period in order for the SSA to decide if your disability allows you to receive compensation. Once you are approved for benefits, disability benefits will not start until the disability has occurred for six full months. This process will help to prove that a person’s disablement restricts them from functioning normally and that it is not a short-term disability.

When completing the Social Security Disability application, the SSA requires that the person provides sufficient and adequate information in order to increase their chance at receiving benefits. As listed on the Social Security Administration’s website, the applicant must provide their Social Security number, proof of their age, contact information, such as names, addresses, and phone numbers, the dates that they received treatment from medical officials, names and prescriptions of current and past medications, verified medical records, laboratory and test results, a summary of their work history, and their recent W-2 form or a copy of their federal tax return. If someone is applying for Social Security Disability benefits for a family member, they will need to provide the Social Security numbers and proof of their ages for each person. The SSA will also need proof of current and prior marriages, if the person is applicable to this situation. Providing all the necessary information and documentation will ensure that applicants have the greatest potential to be approved for Social Security Disability benefits.

In some occasions, it is possible for Social Security to deny an application. In response to this decision, applicants can decide to request the SSA to review their information again or file for an appeal on the denied application. When people receive a denied claim, the form will indicate how the person can request an appeal, including the amount of time in which the appeal must be filed. If this process is denied by the SSA repeatedly, the applicant may be recommended to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Once applications are denied by the SSA, people with a certified disability should seek assistance from licensed legal attorneys to receive their rightful compensation. For some people, their disability has caused them to be unable to find and maintain a stable job. In this situation, they are entitled to rightfully receive their full Social Security Disability benefits. At O’Connor Law, we understand the difficulty that individuals can face when applying for benefits, especially if they are denied. If you believe to have received an incorrect denied claim, please contact our law firm to talk to our staff of Social Security Disability attorneys for more information about your case.

Creating a my Social Security account is safe and secure, and the sign-up process is easy. To create an account, people must provide information, such as their email address, Social Security number, United States mailing address, and age of at least 18 years old. It is important to note that it is impossible to create an account on behalf of another person. By having a Social Security account, people are able to have direct access to their Social Security information and check the status of their benefits. In addition, people are able to check their benefit and payment information, updating personal information, create or revise a direct deposit, and report wages. Statements can come in the mail, but participants are also able to easily view their statements on their account. Since 2013, Social Security supplies benefits to participants using a direct deposit system. Older beneficiaries are also able to receive their payments electronically by updating their information in their my Social Security account. When filing for taxes, individuals will be required to present their Social Security documents. Form 1099 provides documentation of all the Social Security benefits that a person earned in the past year. Also, award letters are important as well. They include information about claims for benefits. Both documents can be accessed by my Social Security accounts.

Applicants are also able to apply for Social Security benefits. On the Social Security Administration’s website, applications are available online for retirement, disability, and Medicare benefits. Along with the completed requirements and documents, applicants can complete and submit their application online. While waiting to receive the result of the application, people can look at the status of their application on their my Social Security account. Appeals can also be completed online. For example, if a disabled individual was denied benefits, they are able to request an appeal online.

People who are not receiving Social Security benefits can also make a my Social Security account. It is possible to view retirement benefit estimates, request replacement cards for Social Security, check an application status, and view Social Security statements. Statements can show estimations of future benefits, verify earnings, and view the estimated Social Security and Medicare taxes that a worker has paid.

Completing tasks online for Social Security are easier for people to access rather than going to a Social Security office. To sign up for Social Security benefits, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/applyonline. Since appeals can be completed online, attorneys can help to ensure that you have the best chance at receiving an accepted claim. Disabled individuals can request for an appeal of their denied claim online. Our team of Social Security Disability attorneys are able to help with your appeal request.

As explained by the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index, federal benefit rates tend to increase when the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) also increases. The Social Security Administration (SSA) defines COLA as an increase to Social Security and Supplemental Security Income that will help to decrease the effects of inflation. For example, inflation can be described as the increase of prices that consumers may pay for the year. Since 1935, the Social Security Act has created and maintained a specific formula to determine the amount for each COLA, which are based on increases in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

The Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates the amount of CPI-Ws each month to determine the gradual change in prices that are paid by consumers for goods and services. Since the rate of inflation has been relatively low for the past year, COLA is able to provide a positive percentage increase for Social Security benefits and payments. However, it can also be possible that there would be no COLA percentage increases for a year. If the Bureau of Labor Statistics calculates that there is no change in inflation for CPI-Ws, there will not be a COLA for that year.

The new COLA of 1.3 percent will allow Social Security benefits to increase starting with benefits from December 2020, which will become payable in January 2021. SSI will also be affected by the percentage. SSI payments, which are calculated based on income and other financial factors, will be increased. AARP describes the amounts in which people would be able to see changes. It is predicted that an average retired worker could receive a monthly benefit rise by 20 dollars, which will be approximately $1,543. Retired couples can also potentially receive a monthly rise of 33 dollars, and the average disabled worker may be eligible for a monthly $16 increase in their benefits. In addition, the maximum Social Security check for people retiring at their full retirement age will grow by $137. Therefore, individuals will receive $3,148 a month in 2021, compared to $3,011 in 2020.

In 2021, individuals who receive Social Security and SSI benefits will be eligible to see a 1.3 percentage increase in COLA, which will increase their monthly payment amounts. Additional information regarding the 1.3 percent increase in COLA can be found on the SSA’s website at www.ssa.gov. It is important to know the rightful benefits that you are entitled to, including Social Security and SSI benefits and their programs. If you are looking for more information about Social Security or want to learn about potential benefits, please contact and call our office at 800-518-4529.

There will be a 1.3% cost-of-living adjustment.

Beginning in January, the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will be set at 1.3 percent. Social Security states that cost-of-living adjustments allow Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to keep pace with inflation. The Social Security Administration determines a formula to calculate COLAs. According to AARP, the monthly Social Security benefits will increase by $20 for the majority of retired workers. As a result, the average annual benefit will be approximately $1,543. Previously, the annual amount was estimated to be $1,523 in 2020. In addition, retired couples and disabled workers will also receive an increase in COLA. Retired couples can potentially receive an increase of $33, and disabled workers can receive an increase of $16. Overall, the greatest monthly payment that people can receive from Social Security would be $3,148, which is an increase from $3,011 in 2020.

A higher wage cap will be applied for Social Security taxes.

Social Security is funded by collecting payroll taxes. Based on wages, the tax is predetermined at 12.4 percent. AARP explains that employees pay 6.2% towards payroll taxes, and employers pay 6.2%. Self-employed workers are required to pay the full tax at 12.4%. Annually, the absolute amount of earnings required to pay towards the payroll tax increases. Each year, there is a specific maximum amount of wages that indicates how much workers must pay towards taxes. In 2021, wages up to $142,800 will pay for Social Security taxes. In 2020, the wage threshold was $137,700. If workers earn more than $142,800 a year, they will not have to pay for Social Security taxes in 2021.

The earnings test limit will be higher.

When workers decide to retire and collect benefits before their full retirement age, they will be subject to receive reduced benefits for a specific amount of time. This process is called the retirement earnings test. In this scenario, Social Security with withhold payments if earnings exceed more than a certain limit. In 2020, people under their full retirement age were able to have $1 withheld by Social Security per every $2 they earn from earning more than $18, 240 a year. In 2021, payments will be set at $18, 960 a year or $1,580 monthly. Also, the Social Security Administration (SSA) with withhold $1 for every $3 a worker earns. In the month that a person reaches their full retirement age, Social Security will stop withholding benefits and increased monthly payments to return the previous withholdings.

As defined by the SSA, Social Security replaces a percentage of an employee’s pre-retirement income based on their lifetime earnings, specifically the highest 35 years of earnings and when they choose to start receiving benefits. The tax money that workers pay to Social Security provide benefits to workers who are retired, disabled, survivors, or dependents of beneficiaries. Statista wrote on their website that there were approximately 45.1 million retired workers that received Social Security benefits in 2019.

The SSA defines more information about eligibility on their website. They write that individuals are able to apply for retirement benefits when they reach a certain age and have worked and paid toward Social Security in order to receive benefits. As stated on the website, a worker earns “credits” that are used to track their Social Security benefits. An individual must have 40 credits in order to be eligible. If they do not work and have not received the sufficient amount of credits, they will be unable to receive retirement benefits. The number of credits varies on the year that a person was born. As described by the SSA, people who were born in 1929 and beyond need to achieve 40 credits. To estimate, this would be equal to approximately 10 years of work experience.

People can also choose to continue working past their retirement age. As a result, they will be able to increase the payment of the Social Security benefits that they would receive when they apply for the program. Every additional year that they work will be added to their Social Security records. This allows them to receive additional years of benefits. The age to retire depends on the individual. There are age categories in which people can retire, including early, full, or delayed retirement ages. Early retirement age is categorized by the youngest age that people can apply, which would be 62 years of age. However, starting retirement early causes benefits to be gradually reduced. Full retirement age allows people to collect their full benefit amount. The age varies on the year that people were born. Commonly, people who are 66 or 67 years of age are considered for full retirement age. However, it is important to know that this age may be younger or older. Delayed retirement age applies to applicants who are older than 70 years old. It is not required for people to apply before the delayed retirement age. The longer an individual delays their benefits will cause their overall amount of retirement benefits to increase until they are 70 years old.

Planning for retirement is very important for workers. Not only will their retirement affect the applicant, but it will also affect the retiree’s family. When applying for benefits, it is beneficial to learn information and advice about the SSA’s retirement program. To find the information discussed in this post regarding retirement or to learn more about Social Security, visit the SSA’s website at ssa.gov.