Understanding Supplemental Security Income
Information About Us2008 Edition

  SOCIAL  SECURITY  OFFICES  

Social Security has a national network of more than 1,300 local field offices. In addition , we have 10 regional offices, seven centralized processing centers, and 37 teleservice centers that are accessed via a national toll–free number. Our national headquarters is in Baltimore, MD.

Our field offices administer the Social Security, SSI and Special Veterans Benefits programs. Our employees will answer questions about those programs on the telephone and in person at your local office.

Informational booklets are available upon request or online. The Social Security policy manual called the Program Operations Manual System (POMS) is available to the public online at: http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/aboutpoms

  CONTACTING  SOCIAL  SECURITY  

Service is available by telephone, mail, in person at an office, or electronically through the Internet at: http://www.socialsecurity.gov/reach.htm.

The toll–free number is 1–800–772–1213. Service representatives are on duty to answer your calls between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., on business days. Recorded information and services are available 24 hours a day and on weekends. Spanish speaking representatives are available to speak with callers who prefer to do business with us in Spanish.

If you contact the local office or call the 1–800 number service and you need an interpreter to communicate with us, we will provide one upon request, free of charge. We have a nation–wide contract for telephone interpreter services in more than 150 languages and dialects. Interpreters are available immediately, with no appointment necessary.

If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call our toll–free TTY number, 1–800–325–0778 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., on business days.

The fastest way to obtain service is to contact us by telephone through the toll–free number. Our representatives can answer most questions.

If an additional interview is necessary, the service representative will make an appointment for your interview at a time convenient to you.

If you are applying for SSI disability benefits, we will send you an Adult Starter Kit, or a Child Starter Kit if you are applying for a child (Both Kits are available in Spanish). The Starter Kits will help you prepare for your interview. They provide a fact sheet that answers questions about the disability program, a checklist of items you will need to pursue your claim, and a Worksheet for you to use to prepare for some of the questions we will ask you at your interview.

We can schedule most interviews either by telephone or in person at a local Social Security office. If you do not want to wait for a scheduled appointment, you may visit any Social Security office, and we will serve you as quickly as possible.

When you call or visit us, note the name of any representative you speak with and the date of the contact.

Put your name and Social Security number on written correspondence with us, and keep a copy for your records.

  SOCIAL  SECURITY  INTERNET  SITE  

The Internet site at www.socialsecurity.gov/about.htm provides our publications, information about us, the benefits we administer, and our online claims and other services. Information on benefits is available in many languages by accessing our website at www.socialsecurity.gov/multilanguage. We provide public information materials in many languages.

If you receive SSI benefits and need a letter to verify your monthly benefit amount, you can request this on the Internet, and we will mail it to you. See our website at: www.socialsecurity.gov/beve/

If you need to find the closest Social Security office, you can get this information online at www.socialsecurity.gov/locator by providing your ZIP code. The information will include a map showing directions to the office.

You can find out if you might be eligible for Social Security or SSI benefits by using our Benefit Entitlement Screening Tool at: www.socialsecurity.gov/best.

You can file for Social Security retirement, spouse's, or disability benefits using our Internet application online at: www.socialsecurity.gov/applyforbenefits. Applications for SSI benefits are not available online at this time.

If you want to file for disability benefits, you can begin the process by completing the disability starter kit available on our website at: www.socialsecurity.gov/disability/disability_starter_kits.htm. The Adult Disability Report is available online at www.socialsecurity.gov/adultdisabilityreport and the child disability report at www.socialsecurity.gov/childdisabilityreport.

This report is only one part of the filing process. You will still need to contact us by phone or in person to apply for SSI. Also, you may need to complete an application for Social Security benefits, which can be done online.

If you file for Social Security benefits, you can register a password with us to obtain information about your benefits on the Internet and on our automated telephone service. See our website at: www.socialsecurity.gov/password.

If you file for SSI benefits when you apply for Social Security benefits and we also award you SSI benefits, you can obtain information online about your SSI benefits as well at: www.socialsecurity.gov/accountstatus/.

If we award you SSI benefits only, you cannot register a password at this time. We are moving toward an electronic environment, and we will be offering this service to SSI–only beneficiaries in the future. While individuals are not able to file for SSI benefits by completing an application over the Internet at this time, some of the forms needed to file are available on the Internet.

For the most recent information about what you can do online, see www.socialsecurity.gov/onlineservices/.