Retirement Benefits

• Start three months before you want retirement benefits to begin to prepare for delays. Assemble information needed before you start, using the Social Security website for a list of items. If you begin the application and find you do not have the information you need, you can save and go back to the application when you have the correct information. Once you complete the application, sign and submit it; Social Security may contact you for documentation. You will need to take the documents to the nearest Social Security office so you do not risk losing them in the mail. Social Security delays your claim until you provide this information.
  
  

Disability Benefits

• File for disability benefits as soon after your disability as you have documentation that your doctor expects your condition to last more than 12 months and that you are disabled. After you file for benefits, and your Social Security records show that you have sufficient work history to qualify for disability, your claim goes to the disability determination service. This organization operates at the state level assessing your medical condition and reviewing the records. If your physicians do not respond to inquiries, this will delay your claim. If your medical condition is on the standard list of disabling conditions, your claim may process more quickly. You do not receive disability benefits for the first five months of your disability, as this is "short-term disability" for Social Security. You will need to find an income source while you wait for benefits.
  
  

Survivors Benefits

• File for survivors benefits soon after the death of a deceased worker. You will have to establish your relationship and qualification to receive benefits. Common law marriage creates a problem for claimants, although Social Security uses the state you live in for this determination. You may have a delay receiving the death certificate. Funeral home records will often suffice.
  
  

Considerations

• Delays are common in working with Social Security. This organization handles your claim in the general population unless you receive preference for some reason. Military service members receive preference, for example. If you have not always been an American citizen, Social Security must delay your claim until verification and citizenship records confirm your status. If Social Security confuses your records with someone else or if you have had several changes of name during your lifetime, problems with Social Security claims can result. Even an incorrect birth date can create problems for you when you make a claim. Check your Social Security statement each year for accuracy in reporting as well as your name and personal information. Keep your address current to prevent problems and delays in receiving information from Social Security regarding your account and status.