News & Information

CCH® UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE — 06/15/12

SSA expands online options for claimants, businesses, and attorneys

The number of online services that the Social Security Administration has made available to the public has significantly increased in recent years. Claimants, businesses, and attorneys have all benefitted from the increased reliance on the Internet as a means of communication with the agency. A summary of the available services follows.

Claimants’ services

The following services are available for claimants:

• Apply for retirement, disability (including the Adult Disability Report), and spousal benefits;
• Apply for extra help with Medicare prescription drug costs;
• Apply for Medicare benefits;
• Check application status;
• Use a screening tool to determine what benefits you may be eligible to receive;
• Use a screening tool to determine if you can get extra help with Medicare prescription drug costs;
• Appeal a recent decision on a disability claim;
• Determine your full retirement age;
• Use a Retirement Estimator for a retirement estimate based on real time access to your earnings record;
• Obtain a Social Security Statement (through creation of a “My Social Security” account) that provides: estimates of the retirement and disability benefits you may receive; estimates of benefits your family may get when you receive Social Security benefits or die; a list of your lifetime earnings according to the SSA’s records; the estimated Social Security and Medicare taxes you have paid; information about qualifying and signing up for Medicare; items to consider if you are age 55 and older and thinking of retiring; and general information about Social Security for everyone;
• For recipients of Social Security benefits: change an address or phone number; get a replacement Medicaid card; request a proof of income letter that verifies Social Security benefit information; replace the lost, damaged, or missing tax summary of your Social Security benefits for 2011; select or change the way you receive information from Social Security if you are blind or visually impaired;
• Get a password; and
• Block electronic and automated telephone access to personal information.

Most of these services are available from 5:00 a.m. ET to 1:00 a.m. ET on weekdays; from 5:00 a.m. ET to 11:00 p.m. ET on Saturdays; and from 8:00 a.m. ET to 10:00 p.m. ET on Sundays. Saturday hours are in effect for New Years Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Businesses, payees, and third parties’ services

Businesses are able to use Business Services Online to report wages and use other online services in order to view file/wage report status, errors, and error notices submitted by or for a company. Businesses also can use the Social Security Number Verification Service to complete an online form or submit specifically formatted files to request verification of names and SSNs of employees. Representative payees also may use the Internet Representative Payee Accounting Service to file their Representative Payee Report electronically. This includes the following:

• Form SSA-623, for an individual representative payee;
• Form SSA-6230, for parents, stepparents, and grandparents with minor children in custody; and
• Form SSA-6234, for representative payee organizations.

The service also allows submission and printing of the appropriate representative payee accounting forms and allows downloading submitted forms for up to 30 days after submission.

In addition to the hours of operation mentioned above, these business services are also available until 11:30 p.m. ET on Sundays.

Electronic Records Express

Attorneys, schools, and medical providers can use the free Electronic Records Express (ERE) to submit health or school records related to disability claims. ERE is an initiative by the SSA and state Disability Determination Services (DDS) to offer electronic options for such records. When an individual or entity receives a request for health or school records or other information about a person who has applied for Social Security disability benefits, the individual or entity can choose the method of sending the information that works best: online to the SSA’s secure website or by fax to a state DDS or to the SSA. The records are automatically associated with the applicant’s unique disability claim folder.

In addition to ERE options, high volume operations can use Secure Bulk File Transfer. This option requires commercial software and is not free of charge. It allows the transfer of records in an automated machine-to-machine mode, with workflow management, monitoring, and reporting features.

This service is available all day Monday (except from 1:30 a.m. ET to 3:30 a.m. ET), and Tuesday through Sunday (except from 1:30 a.m. ET to 2:30 a.m. ET) The hours of operation do not change on holidays.

To use ERE, call the Social Security Electronic Records Express Help Desk at 1-866-691-3061 or send an email to electronic-records-express@ssa.gov for additional information.