What is Social Security Disability?
C.
Contacting the Social Security Administration
The SSA is headed by a commissioner.
The commissioner, administrative offices,
and computer operations are located in
Baltimore. The SSA discourages visits to
this central office
regarding individual
claims because service can be provided
by local offices.
Local Social Security offices are where
you can apply for:
- Social Security benefits
- SSI, black lung benefits and hospital
insurance protection, and
- a Social Security number.
You can also:
- check on your earnings record
- enroll for medical insurance
- receive assistance in applying for
food stamps
- get information about your rights
and obligations under the law, and
- obtain forms you need to apply for
or maintain benefits or appeal SSA
decisions.
There is no charge for these services.
Employees of the SSA are public servants
paid by your tax dollars. They are
obligated to be helpful and courteous.
If you encounter
someone who is not
helpful and courteous, ask to talk to a
supervisor. Usually, this will cause an
immediate change in attitude, because
complaints might affect the employee’s
job performance ratings and ultimately
his or her promotions or income. If it
is necessary, insist on speaking to the
supervisor.
Supervisors are usually very
interested
in working out problems.
A request
to talk to the supervisor’s
supervisor is rarely necessary. If you
feel you have been treated really
badly, you can contact your local U.S.
congressperson or senator. They will send
a "Congressional inquiry" to the SSA. The
SSA is very sensitive to public relations,
and inquiries by Congress often get
results if the complaint
has merit.
Local Social Security offices exist in
large cities of every state, and in bureaucratic
language are known as Field
Offices. Social Security office staff make
regular
visits to outlying areas to serve
people who live a distance from the
city in which the local office
is situated.
These visits are made to locations called
contact stations. You can obtain a
schedule of these visits from your local
Social Security office. Some contact
stations are visited twice a week, while
others may be visited only once or twice
a month.
If you are denied SSDI or SSI , you
can appeal that decision. (Appealing is
discussed in Chapter 12.) The Office of
Hearings and Appeals administers the
entire hearings and appeals program
for the SSA. Administrative law judges,
located in or traveling to major cities
throughout the United States and its
territories, hold hearings and issue
decisions when a claimant appeals a
determination. The Appeals Council,
located in Falls Church, Virginia, can
review hearing decisions.
You can reach a live service representative
by calling the SSA hotline at
800-772-1213, Monday through Friday
(except holidays), from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
If you are deaf or hard of hearing, TTY
service representatives are available at the
same times at 800-325-0778. All calls are
confidential. After hours, you can obtain
prerecorded information on a variety
of topics.
SSA representatives can direct you to
the Social Security office nearest you, as
well as answer numerous other questions.
Once you have made contact with your
local SSA Field Office, you will deal with
them rather than using the hotline. On
the Internet, information about Social
Security is at www.ssa.gov.
The SSA’s phone lines are busiest early
in the week and early in the month;
if your business can wait, call at other
times.
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 the SSA, and
- a pencil and paper to write down
information and answers to your
questions. Always write down the
date you called.
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