KIRKSVILLE, MO -- As baby boomers reach retirement age and more people sign up for disability benefits during these tough economic times, it's imperative that you understand the quickest and most convenient way of applying for benefits is on-line.
During Good Morning Heartland, Acting District Manager at the Kirksville Social Security Office Aron Vandevender explained why you shouldn't fear using socialsecurity.gov.
"There's help screens built into the various screens. And in addition to that, if you get hung up and need someone to talk you through it you can call our 800 number and get service there and they'll help you get through the on-line application," Vandevender said.
One of the new features available on-line is the Medicare only application.
"In the past, the full retirement age for folks to come in and file for retirement was 65. Well, then the full retirement age went up. There became a need for folks to file for Medicare at a different time than when they filed for retirement. So now we have this Medicare only application on-line which is very quick, very easy. We're talking 5 to 10 minutes," says Vandevender.
You can go to www.socialsecurity.gov for more information or call 1-800-772-1213 for help.
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