Social Security Questions - Answers
By Jack Britt
FWd RipmtaUUvt
Q. We appreciate the many
practical Social Security tip*
and bread-and-butter (acta you
ghm from week to week.
Now could you pause to
five us a Uttie background
Information that might throw
some light on the program this
yaar when the President,
Cony em and the American
people may be considering
some Important changes in the
Social Security system.
A. Well try - in thi* and the
next column.
Back in the 19th century
the Induatrial Revolution
started a very important trend
in the United State*. More and
more worker* were being
employed in indu^ry and, as
time pamed, steadily fewer
were engaged in agriculture.
By the beginning of the
20th century more Americans
were living in cities and towns
than on farms. And the trend
continued, in this country
especially ... tending farther
and farther away from a simple
agrarian culture. For their very
survival the American people
were adapting to a changing
and increasingly man-made
environment.
Naturally the workers and
their families became more and
more dependent on money
income for their living. And at
the same time they were
becoming increasingly
interdependent in a huge
industrial ? technological ?
financial system.
The Great Depression of the
193 0's with its massive
unemployment and other
serious problems, apparently
convinced the American people
and their Government of the
need to take certain innovative
and adaptive actions.
Particularly, through Social
Security they found a
systematic and effective way to
provide income to older
workers when - due to factors
such as their advanced age, the
state of their health and (or)
the state of the economy,
prevailing employment
policies, and so forth - they
could no longer work.
Undoubtedly the Problem
of the Aged is complicated by
the "aging populationn"
factor. During the 20th
century our aged Americans
have grown rapidly in numbers
and as a percentage of the
population. In the U.S. as a
whole the aged portion of the
population (65 and over)
increased from 4.1 percent in
1900 to 9.5 percent in 1968;
and today 20 million
Americans are 65 and older. By
1985 our aged are expected to
increase to about 25 million.
In North Carolina today we
have about 390,000 citizens
who have passed their 65th
birthday. And in Western
North Carolina the problems as
well as the concerns of the
aged -- and therefore of all of
us - are especially great, since
proportionately more older
pople live here than in other
sections of this state.
According to the most recent
available figures, the portion of
the population 65 and older
averages well over 10 percent
in all Western North Carolina
counties.
Also consider, for example,
the urban area of Asheville -
the largest city in Western
North Carolina - with 11.4
percent of its population over
65; and Hendersonville with
15.3 percent - the highest
percentage of aged citizens in
any urban of the state. Clearly,
in Western North Carolina we
have our job cut out for us.
Q. When can a person be
eligible for disability benefits?
A. When he has a
"medically determinable"
physical or mental condition
that prevents him from doing
any kind of substantial, gainful
work and this condition has
lasted or is expected to last for
at least 12 months - provided
the individual has worked
enough, or long enough, under
Social Security to meet the
work requirement.
For a person who becomes
disabled after reaching the age
of 31 the requirement is for at
least five years (20 quarters) of
covered employment within
the last ten years (40 quarters)
just before his disability begins.
For an individual who becomes
disabled before age 31 as few
as 6 quarters of work may be
enough, depending upon the
exact age at which he has
become disabled.
Q. How early can disability
benefits start?
A. With the seventh month
after the month in which the
disability has begun, but no
earlier than 12 months before
the month the application is
filed.
Q. I don't see why a
disabled person has to wait six
months from the time he gets
disabled before he can get
anything from Social Security
to live on. It looks to me like
something could be done about
this part of the law.
A. As you probably know,
only Congress can change this
or any other provision of social
security law.
We understand there has
been some discussion in
Congress about the possibility
of changing this provision in
the near future - possibly to
reduce the "waiting period"
for disabled people to four,
months. Naturally we in Social
Security do not know whether
this or any other proposed
change in the law will be
enacted by Congress.
Q. My brother filed for
disability benefits. He started
drawing checks then they were
stopped because he wouldn't
take a job. Is this fair?
A. The law says that if the
State Vocational
Rehabilitation Agency finds
suitable employment - with
benefits in addition to my
military retirement?
Q. What helpful hints can
you give to people like us who
are thinking about retiring and
filing for Social Security?
A. First - INQUIRE
BEFORE YOU RETIRE. Get
the social security facts you'll
need in making your
retirement decision as well as
in filing your application for
benefits later.
Contact the Social Security
office at leaat thiee month*
before you retire, if you're 62
or over. Abo get in touch with
our office three month* before
you're 62 if you're already
"retired", or three months
before age 60 if you're a
widow. By all means contact
the Social Security office
before you're 65 to file for
your Medicare, even if you're
still working.
Youll need to have certain
evidence or proofs to complete
your claim. In the absence of
an original birth certificate or
baptismal certificate, other old
records or documents such as a
census record, family Bible
record, or old insurance policy
may be acceptable as evidence
of your age. Also a marriage
certificate and birth certificates
of your children may be
needed. The social security
employee will tell you if any
additional evidence is required.
Have your social security
card (and also the cards, or
verified correct numbers, of
your wife or children for
whom applications are filed),
and the correct dates of birth,
marriage, death, etc.
save $10?? on
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Attend Open House
Cherokee County was represented at
the Western Carolina University Mental
Health-Mental Retardation Center open
house in Cullowhee by Miss Martha
Parks, left, Cherokee County Social
Service Department official from
Murphy. With her, representing Clay
\
County, was Mrs. Esther Hyatt of the
Clay County Department of Social
Services. At extreme left is Dr. William
Center, director of the Mental Health
Clinic, and at right is Dr. Stanley Nale,
coordinator of all WCU clinics.
Sharon Jewell Whitmore,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Jewell Whitmore of Blairsville,
Ga., has been named
valedictorian of the Senior
class of Union County High
School. She is also president of
F.H.A., Projects chairman of
student Council, chosen Who's
Who in American Teenagers,
one of eight chosen for
National High School award of
Excellence, and active in
church activities.
Mountain
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WASHINGTON
Ourcountry, which wiU soon
celebrate the 200th anniversary
?/ ? its independence, is
challenged by many problems
at home and abroad.
'Hie principal issue now
confronting us is how we can
achieve peace and stability at
home and abroad in a perilous
world This issue goes far
beyond our decisions on how
we can honorably extricate
ourselves from the
commitment we have made in
defense of the South
Vietnamese people. It runs the
whole gamut of preserving
peace in a troubled world.
At home, this involves many
decisions in respect to
legislation before the Congress
We are troubled by inflation
and government spending. We
turoub'ed .by an economy
wluch creates-,rising prices and
rang unemployment. We are
plagued by pollution, by our
educational processes, and by a
myriad of problems including
housing, welfare
transportation, and space
exploration.
We find that many of our
governmental processes are
under attack because they do
not operate as many think they
should. There is much concern
about how the military draft
chooses inductees. In response
to this concern, a Presidential
Commission headed by former
Defense Secretary Thomas S.
Gates has recommended that
we abolish the draft except for
emergency situations and
institute a voluntary army
when the existing draft law
expires on June 30, 1971. The
Resident has since indicated
that he feels that the draft will
have to be extended beyond
June 30, 1971, but has
endorsed the Gates
Commission recommendation
that we institute a voluntary
anny at a later date.
The voluntary army concept
is one which the Congress will
be considering along with other
arart reform proposals in the
months ahead.
My own feeling is that we
should proceed with any
transition from the draft to an
all-voluntary army concept
?*h the utmost caution,
because otherwise we may
SENATOR
SAMERVIN
* SAYS ?
jeopardize our ability to defend
our nation when we most need
an effective military force.
The proposed welfare
reform bill to provide a
guaranteed standard of living
for low-income citizens has
been the subject of many
"second thoughts" after the
House passed this measure in
mid-April. After several days of
hearings, the Senate Finance
Committee expressed
dissatisfaction with the bill and
recessed hearings until the
Administration reviews and
redrafts this measure.
Another major issue before
this Congress is that of
environmental pollution. As a
conservationist who has
supported the major laws
enacted by Congress on this
subject, I am pleased to find
that the nation is expressing
some of the same concerns
which I have voiced for many
years about the quality of our
environment. Again at this
session, I have cosponsored the
seven Administration bills
which seek to implement
existing laws dealing with
pollution.
Two transportation bills are
presently well along in their
consideration by the Congress.
Last week, the Senate passed a
measure to establish a new
National Railroad Passenger
Corporation, and that bill now
goes to the House. The Airport
and Airways bill to improve air
transportation facilities is
presently in a Senate-House
conference, with its fate
expected to be resolved soon.
Three Congressional
committees have been holding
hearings on health care costs
and programs. The Senate
Anti-Trust and Monopoly
Subcommittee has been
reviewing the high cost of
medical care while the Senate
Finance Committee has been
conducting an intensive
investigation into the
administration of the medicare
and medicaid programs. A
House Government Operations
Subcommittee has been
holding hearings on the
administration of the medicare
hospital insurance program.
This is the nature of our
problems at home and abroad.
FORD BRUCE WEST, son of
Mrs. Evelyn Ford West of
Marble, has graduated from
Western Carolina University at
Cullowhee with a B.S. in
biology.
Hayesville Beautification Project
Members of the Future Farmers of
America chapter at Hayesville High
School are shown at work seeding a
park area at the school, part of a
beautification program which started
last month. (Staff Photo)
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