SSA streamlined the retirement application for online filing and while the questions posed seem very straight forward, how they are answered can make the difference on how much return you get on your SSA account.

SSA employees will not provide you with any advice on what your most advantageous month of entitlement or how your retirement severance package or date you pick for your retirement retire can impact your total benefits received for the year. These are just a couple examples of what can impact your total benefits. The employees are there to safe guard the trusts, ensure you meet factors of entitlement, and process your claim, not help you maximize your return.

You are entitled to have an attorney or certified non attorney represent you before the administration. Be sure any attorney you select has experience in SSA law. SSA requires certified non attorney reps to pass a rigorous exam, a background check, verifies credentials, and holds them accountable with ethical standards. All representatives must be approved by the administration.

SSA also controls how representatives are paid. You cannot choose to pay someone directly to represent you, they have to be certified as qualified by SSA and submit requests for fees to be approved by SSA to receive payment. Currently, for disability the maximum a representative can receive is 7200.00 or 25 % of retroactive benefits – whichever is less. This means your disability representative makes more money the longer the decision takes.

Anyone can be paid by a third party such as financial advisors, insurance companies, and social media apps without SSA review of fees. Social media content is now being created posting information in short video sound bites, and being paid by miscellaneous social media applications. Be very wary of any content or advice you hear in these venues. Be sure to source that the creator is actually competent. Be extra wary if they are trying to sell you anything. Typically any “free” brochures or hand outs from any source are free from SSA directly. As with any industry today, fraud and misinformation is rampant and you need to be your own best advocate, know your source and verify the information with a professional you are confident has appropriate credentials or has sourced their SSA information from a competent source.

Maryellen Eckert

SSA Specialist