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Keep Social Security in the loop to avoid improper payments
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[January 12, 2011]
If
you are receiving Social Security disability benefit payments, it is
important to notify us promptly — either in person, by phone, or by
mail — whenever a change occurs that could affect your benefits.
This is especially true when reporting other income. Errors occur
when you fail to report certain types of income timely. If you do
not report these amounts, you may have to repay a large part of your
benefits. (Click here for
the rest of the story)
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40th
anniversary: Learning that words have power
By Mike Fak
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[January 12, 2011]
Next week it will
be my 40th anniversary of never officially being in the
U.S. Army. You see I never said the oath that day, I had gone to the
bathroom and when I came back into the room the sergeant told the
hundreds of young pups shoved together that we were now all
soldiers. I never did use that loophole to just walk away from the
whole affair being lucky enough to catch a creampuff assignment.
(Click here for the rest of the
story)
Getting
your Social Security income verification is easy
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[January 12, 2011]
There are a
number of reasons you may need written verification of your Social
Security benefit amount. You may need to provide it to an energy
assistance program or for subsidized housing.
(Click here for the rest of the
story)
Six
Tips to Avoid Getting Stuck
in Deep Credit Card Debt
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[January 12, 2011]
Illinois Attorney
General Lisa Madigan's office offers these tips to help seniors
avoid high credit card debt. (Click
here for the rest of the story)
 Do’s
and don’ts of Medicare
Part D
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[January 12, 2011]
DO shop around
and compare the dozens of plans, offered by 16 different companies,
to choose from in Illinois. Plans will cover different drugs, use
different pharmacies, and have different premiums, deductibles, and
co-payments. (Click here for the rest
of the story)
Spousal
benefits offer increased retirement options
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[January 12, 2011]
You
may have more options than you know when it comes to Social Security
benefits. Like many, you probably have given some thought to your
own retirement plans. You know you can retire as early as age 62 and
get reduced benefits. You know you can wait until your full
retirement age and get full benefits. You also may know you can
defer collecting benefits and accrue delayed retirement credits up
to age 70, which will boost your payment. (Click
here for the rest of the story)
Social
Security's 75th anniversary: an eventful year
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[January 12, 2011]
Social
Security is the nation’s most successful domestic program. It’s
easy to look back at what a difference it has made over the past 75
years. And 2010, our diamond anniversary year, has been full of
accomplishments. (Click here
for the rest of the story)
Christmas
1958, A Sears Blunder Creates a Holiday Extravaganza
By Mike Fak
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[January 12, 2011]
Ten
years old is a pretty good age to be. At least it was for me back in
1958. I had finally mastered my multiplication tables and could
spell most normal words, so school was starting to be less trying,
especially when I showed up for it
(Click here for the rest of the story)
 Seniors
Urged To Apply Online for Illinois Cares Rx
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[January 12, 2011]
SPRINGFIELD –
December 20, 2010. Illinois Department on Aging Director Charles D.
Johnson is reminding Illinois seniors about their Illinois Cares Rx
coverage. He is urging seniors and persons with disabilities to
apply online because it is the fastest way to get approved. Illinois
Cares Rx is the state’s prescription drug assistance program that
provides wrap-around prescription drug coverage to fill in the gaps
created under Medicare Part D. People who have waited until the end
of the year to apply will experience a break in coverage. Paper
applications take longer, but people who apply online today through
the end of the year can expect their coverage to resume in early
February.
(Click here for the rest of the story)
Your
Social Security resolutions for 2011
Send a link to a friend
[December
20, 2010 It’s
that time of year: out with the old and in with the new. You may be
thinking about your list of New Year’s resolutions for 2011. There
are many important things to consider. May we suggest a few? Each of
these will take only a matter of minutes. (Click
here for the rest of the story)
Take Steps to Stay
Safe and Warm This Winter
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[December
17, 2010 SPRINGFIELD
– December 17, 2010. As the mercury dips, Illinois Department on
Aging Director Charles D. Johnson reminds older persons they are at
a higher risk to falling ill during these cold days.
(Click here for the rest of story)
Lottery
and Secret Shopper Scams Reported in Western IL.
One of our SMP
Volunteers in western Illinois recently reported that a local police
department issued a warning about lottery scams and secret shopper
scams. The warning states that residents in western Illinois have
been receiving letters telling them that they won various lottery
amounts, containing fake checks that the recipients are told to
deposit, then send money to another address for “documentation and
taxes”. (Click here for the rest
of the story)
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Social
Security can show you the way
Social
Security’s homepage, www.socialsecurity.gov, has a new look! Our
redesigned homepage now features a service channeling guide on the
left side of the page, which lists the most sought-after services
and information on the site. (Click
here for rest of story)
Ill. A.G. protecting seniors from fraud
As the elderly population grows
in Illinois and across our nation, protecting older citizens
continues to be one of the most important responsibilities of the
Attorney General’s office.
(Click here for the rest of the story)
Blundering Through Modern Music
By Mike Fak
In all honesty, I
don't understand music anymore. Actually, I never did. I certainly
didn't as a young man, because even then I realized most music was
goofy. I think I was the only teenager in America who realized that
"Love Me Do" by the Beatles, was a poor grammatical foray into
telling a girl you have affection for her and would appreciate
reciprocity if plausible. (Click
here for the rest of the story)
 Family gatherings, holiday shopping
and Medicare prescription drug plans
When
you think of November, you may imagine such things as turkey
dinners, family gatherings, Veterans Day, or the start of the
holiday shopping season. But newly entitled and current Medicare
beneficiaries, who are considering changes to their Medicare Part D
Prescription Drug plan, might think of November as the time for
thinking about Medicare. (Click
here for the rest of the story)
Wrap up your retirement application
before wrapping up holiday gifts
November
24, 2010]
The
holiday season is, for many people the busiest time of year with
gift lists and to-do lists, feast planning and party preparation.
The busy schedule, like the gift lists, often can get out of hand.
If you’re planning on retiring
sometime early in the new year, we suggest you wrap up your
retirement application now before wrapping any holiday gifts. It’s
so easy and can take as little as 15 minutes. Just go to
www.socialsecurity.gov/applyonline.
(Click here for the rest of
the story)
A
Holiday Gift
By Mike Fak
Four years ago I
spent a great deal of time on the weekend before Thanksgiving doing
something that I doubt anyone would consider normal. I was up in the
air in a small ticket booth suspended on the end of an industrial
boom. Yeh, I will explain. (Click here for the rest
of this story)
Social
Security Unveils New Home Page at
www.socialsecurity.gov
M ichael J.
Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today unveiled the agency’s
newly redesigned home page at www.socialsecurity.gov that will help
visitors more quickly and easily find the information and services
they need. (Click here for the rest
of this story)
BABY BOOMERS: Apply
online for Medicare
T his
January marks a historic moment: our Nation’s first baby boomers are
turning 65.
For many baby boomers, it’s time to hit the computer. Even if you
have decided to wait until after you are age 65 to apply for
retirement benefits, most people should start getting Medicare
coverage at age 65. (Click here for
the rest of the story)
Don't be tricked out of money by the 'grandparent scam'
Grandparents across the country are falling
victim to a new and surprisingly effective scam: They receive phone
calls from people claiming to be their grandkids, frantically asking
for money. Click here for the rest of this
story...
Social Security Fast-Track
Disability Processes Get Even Faster
New Rules Will Further Speed Benefits to Tens
of Thousands of Americans with Disabilities.
Click here for the rest of this
story...
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