We carry around phones that have more computing power than the Apollo spacecraft. Speakers in our home can order us pizza. Cars may soon be able to drive us around while we spend our time on the road doing other things. It is truly a remarkable time to be alive.

One entity that has not kept up with changing technology is the government, but that may be changing. The Social Security Administration now offers an online portal called “my Social Security,” which has significantly improved the agency’s user-friendly-ness and made it much more transparent.

Creating a my Social Security account allows you to do all of the following things online, without visiting a Social Security office or wading through mountains of physical paperwork:

• Report your wages if you work and receive Disability Insurance (DI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits;
• Check your application or appeal status;
• Get your benefit verification letter;
• Check your benefit and payment information and your earnings record;
• Change your address and phone number;
• Start or change direct deposit of your benefit payment;
• Request a replacement Social Security card online;
• Get a replacement Medicare card; and
• Get a replacement SSA-1099 or SSA-1042S for tax season.

The system is a big step up from what used to be available, and hopefully it will continue to improve.

Reporting Wages

As noted above, one of the useful things it allows is the online reporting of wages if you work and receive Disability Insurance (DI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. This is important because your wages have an impact on the benefits you are eligible for, so reporting changes quickly is important.

Representative payees, which are people who act on behalf of DI or SSI recipients who cannot manage their own affairs, can also use my Social Security to report wages. Using their own my Social Security account, representative payees can report wages for any beneficiary they represent who works and receives Social Security Disability Insurance benefits or SSI. Spouses, parents, and sponsors of SSI recipients may also report their wages using their own my Social Security account.

Checking on Appeals

DI or SSI appeals used to be a bit of a mystery. You would file your paperwork, then wait for who knows how long to hear back. Now, with a my Social Security account, you can monitor the status of your appeal while it is at the Social Security Administration. By logging into your account, you can view information on:

• Date of filing;
• Current claim location;
• Scheduled hearing date and time;
• Re-entry numbers for incomplete applications;
• Servicing office location; and
• Claim or appeal decision.

It can be a big relief to know that your appeal is actually being looked at, and didn’t get lost or forgotten.

Sign Up Today

As a law firm that handles all manner of DI and SSI issues, we have found the my Social Security portal to be a valuable resource for our clients. We strongly encourage everyone to sign up for a my Social Security account. Even if you are years from retirement, and not eligible for DI or SSI, it is something you should be taking advantage of.

If you need assistance, or have any questions, please contact our New York City office, and we will be happy to help you.