Social Security help!

[Kaytie]

I applied for retirement benefits and didn't hear anything.

I called. I was told my application is for disability. It's not. I suppose coincidentally some people do apply for SSDI on the exact date they're eligible for retirement, but...

I called the person they told me to call. She has not called me back in well over the 48 hours indicated on her outgoing message.

Calling the Customer Service number is futile. The wait was an hour and I can't stay on the phone lhat long.

There are lawyers who help with SSDI applications, but who exists to help with retirement applications?

All advice and information appreciated. I need to start collecting in December, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

Thanks!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Is there a local office you can get to? Speak to a human being in person?

 

[gotomu212]

I applied for retirement benefits and didn't hear anything.

I called. I was told my application is for disability. It's not. I suppose coincidentally some people do apply for SSDI on the exact date they're eligible for retirement, but...

I called the person they told me to call. She has not called me back in well over the 48 hours indicated on her outgoing message.

Calling the Customer Service number is futile. The wait was an hour and I can't stay on the phone lhat long.

There are lawyers who help with SSDI applications, but who exists to help with retirement applications?

All advice and information appreciated. I need to start collecting in December, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

Thanks!

Getting a lawyer or making an inperson visit is going to eat up a lot more than one hour on hold. You’ll have to bite the bullet and call their customer line or make an inperson visit (be prepared for a long wait and potential multiple visits if they need documents you didn’t bring).

 

[scrapquitler]

I applied for retirement benefits and didn't hear anything.

I called. I was told my application is for disability. It's not. I suppose coincidentally some people do apply for SSDI on the exact date they're eligible for retirement, but...

I called the person they told me to call. She has not called me back in well over the 48 hours indicated on her outgoing message.

Calling the Customer Service number is futile. The wait was an hour and I can't stay on the phone lhat long.

There are lawyers who help with SSDI applications, but who exists to help with retirement applications?

All advice and information appreciated. I need to start collecting in December, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

Thanks!

I'd be patient for another day or two, we are barely 48 hours past a holiday weekend. Maybe she took an extra day off for the holiday.

 

[sam_gordon]

I can't stay on the phone lhat long.

Call on your cell and put them on speaker. Continue doing whatever you normally do while keeping the cell phone within hearing distance.

 

[disneyhand]

I applied for retirement benefits and didn't hear anything.

I called. I was told my application is for disability. It's not. I suppose coincidentally some people do apply for SSDI on the exact date they're eligible for retirement, but...

I called the person they told me to call. She has not called me back in well over the 48 hours indicated on her outgoing message.

Calling the Customer Service number is futile. The wait was an hour and I can't stay on the phone lhat long.

There are lawyers who help with SSDI applications, but who exists to help with retirement applications?

All advice and information appreciated. I need to start collecting in December, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen.

Thanks!

No advice about fixing this, but did you apply online? I recently applied for SS retirement online as well. My process seemed to go more smoothly than yours so far and everything they said would happen next, has. I was surprised how the timeline works though and will share that with you, so you're not surprised if you have different payment timeline expectations. My birthday is in early January, but it turns out I'm not eligible for that month at all. My eligibility actually starts in February and I'll get paid for that by mid March. After that my monthly payments will come on the mid monthly cycle. Hope that helps you prepare

 

[Kitty 34]

I know when I retired a couple of years ago, I called the local SS office and made an appointment. Had to do that a good 2-3 months before planning on collecting. So I went in October to my appointment, turned 62 in January and collected my first SS check (on time) in March. Just saying....it takes a little bit of time. Good luck!

 

[ols386]

I applied for my social security on-line, in November and started collecting in February. It was super super easy doing it on line. I figured there would be lots of red tape, but there was none.

 

[DopeyDame]

Just go to your local SS office and get it fixed. It will be long, it will be painful, it will make you want to poke your eyes out with a red hot poker, but it will be better than getting the runaround on the phone forever.
(I haven't had to deal with them for retirement yet, but dealt with them a lot for my kids' adoptions. USCIS is, hands down, the worst government agency I've ever dealt with, but SSA is a very close second.)

 

[Gary M]

The 6 or so times that I have been to our locale soc. sec. office there were 2 or 3 of us old enough for retirement soc. sec.. Of the dozens in the waiting room most people appeared to be in their 20's and 30's. It looks like social security has become more than a retirement income for those old enough to get it. Have others had the same experience in their hometown?

 

[DopeyDame]

The 6 or so times that I have been to our locale soc. sec. office there were 2 or 3 of us old enough for retirement soc. sec.. Of the dozens in the waiting room most people appeared to be in their 20's and 30's. It looks like social security has become more than a retirement income for those old enough to get it. Have others had the same experience in their hometown?

Many of the 20 and 30 year olds were probably there to change their name on the SS card after getting married or to get a card for their adopted child or to fix a problem with their name/number for themselves or their kids or to update their citizenship in the SSA record or any number of zillions of other boring bureaucratic reasons that are necessary so that when retirement does role around, you can actually receive social security.

 

[cedricandsophie]

I can only reinforce that you need to go to nearest SS office if you don’t want to be on phone. At our office you can call and make appt thru automated service. Or fill out the application online again to make sure it went thru. For benefits that begin in December you would have needed to apply in sept. Or earlier. The process for my husband and I was painless and all online. Same with Medicare.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Thanks, everyone! Not resolved yet, but I finally got to speak with someone helpful. I now have an appointment in January, but he said I could also just walk in and wait. He did say that what got submitted is a disability report, not an application, and he took some initial information.

FlightLess and everyone else who suggested just going in and waiting, yes, I will. We have a deadline project at work, so not until a that s done. Probably will be able to take Tuesday off.

sam_gordon - great suggestion, but can't use phone while working. Thank goodness I was finally able to get the Have an Expert Call You Back feature. Actually the first expert who called was wrong, but I scheduled another call for after work and that man was amazing.

cedricandsophie, and ols386: I wish I'd known you could/must apply several months in advance!

Thanks again for the responses and encouragement, eveyone! Looks like I'll be working a few more months

 

[msjprincess]

Many of the 20 and 30 year olds were probably there to change their name on the SS card after getting married or to get a card for their adopted child or to fix a problem with their name/number for themselves or their kids or to update their citizenship in the SSA record or any number of zillions of other boring bureaucratic reasons that are necessary so that when retirement does role around, you can actually receive social security.

MTE

I've been to the SS office a several times even though I am not retirement age nor collecting SS Disability.

Once when my mother was sick and was applying for disability. Once after my mother died and I was the payee for my younger siblings. Once when I got married and was changing my name. Once when I misplaced my son's SS card and he needed it to get his driver's permit.

 

[Denise W]

Thanks, everyone! Not resolved yet, but I finally got to speak with someone helpful. I now have an appointment in January, but he said I could also just walk in and wait. He did say that what got submitted is a disability report, not an application, and he took some initial information.

FlightLess and everyone else who suggested just going in and waiting, yes, I will. We have a deadline project at work, so not until a that s done. Probably will be able to take Tuesday off.

sam_gordon - great suggestion, but can't use phone while working. Thank goodness I was finally able to get the Have an Expert Call You Back feature. Actually the first expert who called was wrong, but I scheduled another call for after work and that man was amazing.

cedricandsophie, and ols386: I wish I'd known you could/must apply several months in advance!

Thanks again for the responses and encouragement, eveyone! Looks like I'll be working a few more months

Do you have two user names? The original post was by someone else with a different avatar. So you two are the same person? I am confused.
Denise

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yes, Denise. Sorry about that. I have two tablets, and somehow when I logged into the new one, I created a new name. It's fixed now!

 

[minniecarousel]

I applied online & used the “have an expert call you back” feature. I screwed up many months ago because I couldn’t answer their security questions (what loan company did you have a car loan in 1997! Or something like that) I did this during the first half of Nov & my first check was deposited today.

 

[sam_gordon]

Yes, Denise. Sorry about that. I have two tablets, and somehow when I logged into the new one, I created a new name. It's fixed now!

But both logins show "Joined" 15 days apart in 2005. You had two tablets then?

 

[bdcp]

But both logins show "Joined" 15 days apart in 2005. You had two tablets then?

Also, how do you "somehow" create a new name? You have to do it on purpose. It requires a name a new password. But, whatever. It appears the OP has two accounts.

We will be eligible for SS in a few years, but honestly, we never planned on it still being there when we retired. DH is a retired Naval Officer and his retirement pay kicked in on his birthday this past July (retired as a reservist so age 60 is when pay starts), but didn't receive the first check until Aug. It's the norm.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Also, how do you "somehow" create a new name?

Absentmindedly? Without really paying attention while logging in?

@sam_gordon, no. Wow, thank you! Clearly now, I'm wrong about how and when the kaytie ID was created. I see now that even though I created that ID first, I didn't log into that account until about two years ago.