By guest columnist, Don Francisco
I have good news to share with the millions of Americans who prefer to conduct business in Spanish. You can now apply online for Social Security retirement and Medicare benefits totally in Spanish. Go to www.segurosocial.gov and you will be able to take advantage of other online services offered in our language.
For years, Social Security has been at the forefront of providing online services for Americans, offering a wealth of information in Spanish.
I want to tell you about the expanded suite of services offered in our language and why you should visit www.segurosocial.gov.
Let’s say that you are ready to apply for Social Security retirement benefits. What would you think if I told you that you could do it online in only 15 minutes. Once you complete the online application and “sign” it with the click of a key, your application is complete. In most cases there are no documents to submit or additional paperwork to fill out. It’s the easiest way to do this transaction, and now it’s available in Spanish.
You can also go to www.segurosocial.gov to apply for Medicare. That also is easy and you can complete the application online in about10 minutes.
If you are already receiving Medicare and are having trouble with the high cost of drugs that have been prescribed, you might qualify for Extra Help from Social Security. The Extra Help can save you as much as $4,000 each year. You can learn all about it and you can do the application online for this Extra Help at www.segurosocial.gov too.
If you are not ready to retire but want to get an immediate, personalized estimate of your Social Security benefit, try the Retirement Estimator. Using the actual wages posted in your Social Security record, the Estimator gives you a good picture of what to expect in retirement.
You can type in different situations and put in different amounts of wages to get the estimates that can help you plan your life.
There are many things you can do at www.segurosocial.gov. There is a lot of information in this site, and you can conduct a lot of Social Security business online from the convenience and comfort of your home or office computer. Most importantly, you can conduct it in our language. Need help getting started on the computer? Ask your children or grandchildren to help you.
Visit www.segurosocial.gov today. It’s so easy!
Coolaboration by Mayra Salazar, Public Affairs Specialist. Social Security Administration.
