Filing for retirement Social Security

[oldfella1962]

I did it online. An online account makes dealing with them much less painful. I also waited until full retirement age. I'm not letting them keep a dime I can get my hands on. I also signed up for Medicare at 65. My military ID expired on my 65th birthday. To access to my other benefits and renew my ID required proof of Medicare enrollment.

Interesting! I just checked my military ID and sure enough, it expires when I am 65. I had no idea that I have to be on Medicare to have an active military ID card. So Tricare ends at 65, or will I have both Medicare AND Tricare? Also my military dependent wife will need Medicare too? So many questions -glad I started this thread - thanks everyone for all this info.

 

[Crakajak]

I received this in the mail.I don,t have military benefits.I blocked the agents contact info.It can be confusing.
If any needs it Pm me.

 

[Milkman]

Yes but that is the odd duck who does so. Most people are not aware of the lifetime penalty if you don't sign up for Medicare when you become eligible.

Agreed on many being unaware of the penalty.
Some people who stop working at 62 and start SS benefits are unaware that they don’t qualify for Medicare.

 

[Ruger#3]

Interesting! I just checked my military ID and sure enough, it expires when I am 65. I had no idea that I have to be on Medicare to have an active military ID card. So Tricare ends at 65, or will I have both Medicare AND Tricare? Also my military dependent wife will need Medicare too? So many questions -glad I started this thread - thanks everyone for all this info.

You will have Medicare and shift from Tricare Standard to Tricare for Life. Medicare will be your primary. Your wife will only need Medicare if 65>. She can stay on Tricare standard if <65.

 

[K80Shooter]

Also you state that you are disabled, you might be better off applying for disability unless you have reached your full retirement age.

Also depending on when you became disabled you might could get some back pay. Also your disability might be more $ than you can get filing for SS.

 

[oldfella1962]

You will have Medicare and shift from Tricare Standard to Tricare for Life. Medicare will be your primary. Your wife will only need Medicare if 65>. She can stay on Tricare standard if <65.

I'm on Tricare Prime not Standard, but I guess that would also shift to Tricare for Life. Thanks for the info!

 

[RGRJN]

Medicare and Tri Care for Life actually talk to each other.....I know imagine that. I signed up for Medicare this year in Oct, I talked to the Tricare for life folks and they told me that it would switch automatically, to include keeping my wife on Tricare prime and reducing her to the single amount for Tricare. Surprise surprise, it actually happened. There is one catch though. Medicare part A is free , Part B will cost you and you have to have Part B to keep Tricare for life, which is free. I did all this online to include Social Security at the same time. Pretty painless.

 

[Glenn2399]

Wow now this really complicates things since I have Tricare (for life - I think - sort of). I wish I had a Tricare representative and a SS representative in the same room with me so everybody would be on the same sheet of music. I might call Tricare first and tell them my SS/Medicare situation before I head down to the SS office.

You do not have Tricare for life until 65. It goes hand in hand with medicare. You are paying for Tricare (and for your wife, if married). At 65 you pay for Medicare and Tricare for life is no cost. No one has ever reported my VA disability to anyone. I filed for Social Security on line at 64. No problems. Medicare Part 'A" was automatic at 65. You are given the option to refuse Part "B" but you do not want to.

 

[oldfella1962]

Medicare and Tri Care for Life actually talk to each other.....I know imagine that. I signed up for Medicare this year in Oct, I talked to the Tricare for life folks and they told me that it would switch automatically, to include keeping my wife on Tricare prime and reducing her to the single amount for Tricare. Surprise surprise, it actually happened. There is one catch though. Medicare part A is free , Part B will cost you and you have to have Part B to keep Tricare for life, which is free. I did all this online to include Social Security at the same time. Pretty painless.

Medicare and Tricare communicating is good! But I probably won't try any of this online because I don't have a scanner that connects to the internet or a way to sign things digitally or a smart phone. Luckily these days getting Tricare to answer their phone is a lot easier than it used to be, so they can help me out with a lot of it.

Sidenote the latest government/Tricare "success story" is Express Scripts home medicine delivery. I was forced to start using it because certain (mostly newer) medications have an exclusive contract with Express Scripts and cannot ship to drug stores. But once I started using it, I must say everybody on their staff is top-notch. Doctors like using it too so that is a plus.

 

[Glenn2399]

How far are you from a Military Installation or VA Clinic? Meds at no cost at those places. Also, Publix Pharmacies accept Tricare. The few mods I get there are cheaper than Express Scripts.

 

[hipster dufus]

In my case, Csrs, i will get medicare A and decline B. I will b 65 nxt month and made an appt on the phone to sign up for A. I was told not to go to the ss office. I will carry fehb/pshb till death

 

[bilgerat]

I signed up on line . Never went to their office . I also signed up on my 62nd birthday . Wasn’t sure if SS would even be around by the time I turned 65 .

 

[Ruger#3]

This whole topic takes a bit of attention and some thought.

Getting a login to SS is smart. You’ll need statements for taxes. Easy to download them there.

I get my Medicare through Humana and it’s about 120 per month for three people. There’s many plans with different options. Mine has an OTC pharmacy benefit of $1,000 per year. That alone nearly pays for the premiums. You’ll get a catalog of plans available in your area annually.

My heath status requires many drugs. There is no comparing Express Scripts to a commercial pharmacy. I’d be in the poor house without it. One injection I take bi-weekly is $1600 retail, $80 per injection with insurance at Walgreens. I get a two month supply from Express Scripts for $39.

Your annual eye and dental registration will be done through Benefeds. Once you get it setup it will rollover and continue coverage without effort. These days a signature is applied with a click, no scanner required.

 

[fflintlock]

Following this as I'm about to do the same.

 

[PCNative]

Do it online, call them if something is not clear. It's pretty easy to actually talk to a person on the phone. I started drawing my SS at 62, it's a reduction but if you do the math, the number of years it takes to make up the money you miss out on if you wait is surprising. You will need an online account.

 

[MudDucker]

Yes but as I explained I cannot wait until my full retirement age for various reasons. If I ever did create an online account, I have long forgotten any passwords or whatever. But since I don't want to play "phone menu tag" and I have hearing loss, I can just go down to my local office since they are only 20 minutes away.

Have you applied for SSI? That is available until you reach normal retirement if you qualify.

Having read down, I don't know if you can get both military disability and SSI, but I would ask.

 

[Oldstick]

Like others have said do it online easily by creating an SS login.gov account. The online application may also lead you into the area for the disability application, depending on how you answer the basic questions.

However, the disability area is a lot more complicated than just applying for your standard SS retirement benefits. You have to have all your info, medical history, medical contacts, etc ready to type in. They will most likely make you wait for them to contact you requesting any additional info they need for a disability claim.

I don't think you have to worry about anything with Medicare until around your 65th birthday.

 

[oldfella1962]

How far are you from a Military Installation or VA Clinic? Meds at no cost at those places. Also, Publix Pharmacies accept Tricare. The few mods I get there are cheaper than Express Scripts.

Many of our doctors are "off post" because the Fort Gordon (now Fort Eisenhower) hospital farms out a lot of their specialty doctors. I never even researched how an off-post doctor prescribes meds through the on-post Army pharmacy. I'll look into it though! But Tricare covers the cost of the off-post meds except for a small co-payment on my part.

 

[Ruger#3]

Many of our doctors are "off post" because the Fort Gordon (now Fort Eisenhower) hospital farms out a lot of their specialty doctors. I never even researched how an off-post doctor prescribes meds through the on-post Army pharmacy. I'll look into it though! But Tricare covers the cost of the off-post meds except for a small co-payment on my part.

You just tell them to send the script to Express Scripts. If I need a new drug quickly I’ll get the initial drug filled local and all refills through Express Scripts.

 

[gobbleinwoods]

I went to the SS office long before I retired and talked and created a plan that then would go into effect at a certain point in time. Thus avoiding any penalty that would have occurred for not signing up in the required number of days.

Oh and the plan could have been changed if I had wanted or needed to.