And today a letter arrives from the Social Security.. telling me that they have to verify a couple of things ( don't say WHAT) but please put my original birth certificate or my VALID drivers license.. in the mail and send it along.

Yup just what I want to do.. send them my only means of identification that I was born.. and give up my ability to drive at the same time!!..

So's I call.. hold time 7 minutes!! not bad... and I wait.....

6 minutes and about 30 seconds later... Mrs. O'Connell sez HI !!! can I help you??

After a few minutes she finds the answer.....

Well sir... it seems that you had signed up for your Social Security Card Sooooooo long ago.. and there has been no activity with your number.. ( yes I still have my original card!!)

It was before we had the requirement that you prove your a CITIZEN of THE UNITED STATES..

And now you have to prove it it before you can sign up for Medicare!!

After getting over the shock I asked " How come the letter did not explain that/" and her answer was..

It takes at least 3 to 5 years to change a letter after it is requested!!! That's just the way the government works!!

I tell ya it's heck getting old!!!

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SWCA #2306
DAV in honor of POP

You couldn't have made that up, and that's what scares me!

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RIP Shipmate

Sal, what would make you feel uncomfortable about sending you ID or SS Card in the mail? It's not like there are any problems at the USPS....

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Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

I've had to deal with SS a lot. If the local office is any where near, it would make your life easier to set an appointment and talk to someone in person. Even with an appointment you may still have to wait a while, but I have been really lucky with the people there speeding up and simplifying the process. Good luck. Even if you manage to make them move faster, it will still never be fast.

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Hold on. SWAT's at my door.

What he said, BIG TIME!!!

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Eccentric old coot

I'm 64.5 yo - and I hate it - anything having to do with gov't makes me queazy.

I get a lot of mail on Medicare - ignore it all.

The donut hole was a fun thing in the past.

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Lou

welcome to the medicare group. i have been on the medicare part A & B plan for a few years. the medicare website has excellant information on suppliment health and drug plans which provide costs and evaluations.

Medicare.gov

if you need to contact the medicare or S.S. do so my mail or email. trying to get information on the telephone with them, is like trying to shoot a revolver with a broken firing pin.

Go to your local SS office. Early in the morning about 5-10 mins before they open and the wait times are not as bad as in the middle of the day. BTW, it takes 2 years to get on Medicare once you are on SS.

I went in our local office last year to ask some questions. I'll be 65 this December and I wanted to get a little head start on a few things I had questions about. The first thing I noticed was this humongous fat security guard sitting where he could watch everyone waiting for their number to be called. His desk was littered with snack and fast food wrappers and empty soda cans. My first thought was why do they need a security guard. That didn't matter though, because he mostly sat at his desk and slept. The crowd consisted of older folks like me and those who were there to apply for disability. One of the "disabled" I recognized. I had arrested him not long ago as I caught him stealing 200 lb. storm drain grating from the side of the highway. I guess his disability may have been mental because I know he is strong enough physically to work.

They finally called the number I had drawn after over an hour of waiting. The counselor I received appeared to be very disinterested in most of my questions I had and unformed on the others. After several trips in the back to ask a supervisor for the right answers and foergetting them before she got back I began to feel this wasn't going to work. Finally I was told that all I needed to do was come in a couple of months before my 65th birthday and everything would be handled. Uh, OK.

I went to a seminar for soon to be state retirees a couple of months ago. One of the speakers was the head of the local Social Security office. I asked her the same questions I had asked while in the office and she told me that her time was limited for the present engagement but that if I would come by the office she would handle me personally. I told her I would be there the next morning and I was. When I arrived she was too busy to talk to me but sent someone out to speak to me that actually knew what she was doing. My questions were answered politely and possibly accurately. I'll go back in October and start the paperwork. From what I've heard, this office is similar to the others around the country. Somebody somewhere in there knows something that may be helpful to you. You just gotta find them.

I signed up for medicare about six months ago because I was turning (did turn) 65 this month.

I told them I didn't want part B. Just A, They told me I had to have part B, Nope, part B would cost as much or more then my SS check would be. (I had a qualifying pension so they cut my check in half). Told me if I didn't sign up for B I would be penalized. Nope only if I didn't have insurance equal to or better them part B, My health insurance came with my pension, its much better.

It was under advice of my insurance company to tell them to pound sand regarding part B.

I signed for Medicare A&B when I turned 65 last November. Went to the local office first thing in the morning, took my number, sat down and, actually got called up rather quickly. The clerk actually appeared to know what he was doing and the process was surprisingly painless. Having a healthy suspicion of anything government, I find myself still waiting for the other shoe to fall. Keep remembering the old saying, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you".........

By the way, this SS office on the coast also had an obese FPS Guard sitting inside the front door eating a donut. Guess they must like to project a uniform appearance.

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S&W Armorer
Lost in the 50s

I forgot about the 2 year on SS part. I also had to wait 8 months to qualify for any benefits. I felt like they were waiting to see if I died first. I came close, but I persevered.

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Hold on. SWAT's at my door.

When I turned 65 they told me that it was mandatory to sign up for Part-A. I didn't need it but it was mandatory and free of charge. I wonder why the government is broke.

Craigwy, I also have a qualified pension. I will also receive a reduced benefit under the "windfall exclusion" provision. It might be a windfall for somebody , but not me. It was basically explained to me that you needed to have 30 years of paying into the system to get the full benefit. There were several years I did not pay into it and I can live with that, no complaints. No pay, no play. I have paid into the system 24 years so instead of a full benefit I will get 24/30 of what I would have gotten had I paid in the full 30 years. Whatcha wanna bet the 42 year old thief is gonna get more than me for a longer period of time if he doesn't do something stupid that results in an early death?

You have it all wrong Charile. They mean the kind of windfall that blows a tree down to crush your car, or cave in the roof of the house.

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Geoff. Since 1960.

By all means, go to your local SS Office to sign up, they do know what they are doing, and it gets done correctly the first time. My wife insisted she could do it on her own on the internet, and she did, but it only took three months longer and about 10 phone calls, and then a visit to the local office.

On the Part A and Part B. Part A i s the part that pays for In Hospital care, with limits, READ THE BOOK! Part B is the part that pays for Physician and O/P hospital care, but only at 80% of the "Approved" charges. If you don't sign up for Part B initially, you can only do so at Open Enrollment times, so if you need it in between, you are out of luck. Most insurance companies, and/or employer groups have a clause that "Once you are eligible" for Medicare, they will only pay the deductibles and co-insurances not covered by Medicare. Unless you want to be paying quite a lot out of your own pocket, YOU NEED A SUPPLEMENTAL INSURANCE POLICE THAT PAYS FOR THE DEDUCTIBLES AND CO-INSURANCES NOT COVERED BY MEDICARE. While yo may be in good health and do not plan on getting any medical care, that changes without warning and if you are unprepared it could cost you thousands of dollars. A routine hospitalization for 3-5 days between the hospital and physician deductibles and co-insurances can EASILY be above the cost of a Registered Magnum.

You pay homeowners insurance and auto insurance and seldom collect anything on it, You will collect on a supplemental insurance policy, and it will save you money.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Sal, next time I'll go down and vouch for ya. I'll bring the Louisville slugger and jump up on the counter yelling "Batter up!" Should get you all the attention you can handle. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

I think that guy may have worked at the SS office I've been to!

When he wasn't sleeping did he kind of waddle/swagger around & convey the attitude you should siddown & shuddup in "his" building?

All this stuff about getting old is depressing. think I'll go over to the M&P22 forum with the youngsters and find a fake suppressor thread to contribute to

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Forum consigliere

I signed up two years ago for Part A only. I am a retired Federal Employee and I took my health insurance into retirement. My insurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield, did not require me to sign up for part B. I have had surgery on both shoulders in the past 18 months with the last one this past May. The hospital bill for the last surgery came to $45,000. Blue Cross allowed them $3,900. My copay was $590. I had to spend one night in the hospital following the last surgery and I assume Medicare handled that but have had no indication either way. I have gotten two letters from Blue Cross asking if an accident was involved so they could bill someone else but it is just old age and bone spurs. When I talked to the folks at SSA I was encouraged to sign up for part B and was told that the penalty for not signing up would be an increased cost for the insurance. There was also an overweight security guard sitting at a desk at my local office.

Just to ease your mind a bit Sal, I've been on Medicare 5 yrs. now with no problems. It is an absolute mind-bender to get a bill for some surgery and compare the gross rate with what Medicare actually pays!!!

I grew cataracts so 3 yrs ago I went in for intraoccular lens replacement. The surgery takes about 10 minutes and the clinic normally bills about $5K......Medicare pays them about $700.

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Bob.
SWCA 1821

Are you talking about yourself or the bureaucracy?

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David Wilson

When you have friends older than you are - you can expect to hear a lot about the prescriptions they are taking and problems with Medicare.

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6/23/2022

Years ago, I got a letter from the social security folks saying I would not be eligible for social security/medicare because I was not born in the US. (I was a military brat, and the family was stationed overseas when I was born).

I subsequently applied for and received a US passport by providing some extra documents.

When the time for social security came, I just applied online and it came with no problems, and no office visit needed. A few months before I turned 65, medicare enrolled me without any action on my part.

BTW, they have armed guards at social security offices because there are semi-frequent incidents of people freaking out when their disability claim is rejected. There have been a fair number of shootings.