Government Help for Your Golden Years
- Agencies on Aging around the country direct older
Americans to government offices and other community resources that can help with financial
problems and questions. To find your nearest Agency on Aging, call the Eldercare Locator
(800-677-1116), a service of the federal Administration on Aging. The Administration on
Aging also has a useful Internet site with links to the Eldercare Locator plus other
on-line sources of financial information.
- The Consumer Information Center is a
clearinghouse for free and low-cost booklets published by various federal agencies. For a
free catalog, write to Consumer Information Center, Pueblo, CO 81009, or call toll-free
888-878-3256. Or, if you have access to the Internet, you can get the full text of the
publications free.
- The FDIC and other federal banking agencies
publish information about retirement savings and can respond to questions and complaints
about discriminatory lending practices or other consumer matters. For a listing of phone
numbers, mailing addresses and Internet sites, click here.
- The Internal Revenue Service can assist with
tax-related questions, such as when you can withdraw from a retirement account without a
penalty. The toll-free phone number for IRS publications is 800-829-3676. Recorded
information about commonly asked tax topics is available at 800-829-4477. Help also is
available at the IRS Internet site. If you still have questions, you may call your local
IRS assistance number listed in your telephone directory or try the central office at
800-829-1040.
- The Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration,
part of the U.S. Department of Labor, protects consumers by enforcing federal laws
governing pensions and other employee benefits. For inquiries, contact a nearby office (in
the federal government listings in your phone book), call the Washington headquarters
(202-219-8776), or write to the PWBA, Office of Program Services, Department of Labor,
Washington, DC 20210. For publications only, call the PWBA toll-free (800-998-7542) or
visit its Internet site.
- The Social Security Administration can provide
information about your Social Security benefits or about how to file a benefit claim. Call
or visit a nearby SSA office (listed in the phone book) or call the agency toll-free
800-772-1213. The SSA also has an Internet site with lots of information, including
answers to commonly asked questions. If you need more help by mail, write to the SSA,
Office of Public Inquiries, 6401 Security
Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21235.
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