Q: Mrs. K. of Ooltewah asks: “A friend of mine tells me that the Chattanooga Social Security office has a new telephone number. Does this mean I will be able to talk to someone in the office? In the past all I have gotten is a busy signal when I called so I would go to the office to get my questions answered.”
A: Mrs. K. you will be pleased to know the Chattanooga Social Security office did install a new telephone system that allows the office to take more phone calls at one time. The new phone system also came with a toll-free telephone number 1-866-964-0029, which allows customers living in and outside Hamilton County to be able to call the office without cost. Of course, in addition to the telephone, our Web site www.socialse curity.gov contains a wealth of information and features and is available 24 hours a day.
Q: “My brother had an accident at work last year and is now receiving Social Security disability benefits for himself, his wife, and daughter. Before his accident, he helped support another daughter he had by a woman he never married. Is the second child entitled to some benefits as well?”
A: Even though your brother wasn’t married to the second child’s mother, the child may qualify for Social Security benefits. Someone should file an application on the child’s behalf. If she is found to be eligible, both children would receive equal benefits. Learn more by reading our online publication, Disability Benefits, at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10029.html.
Q: “I have an appointment to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). What kind of information will I need to take with me?”
A: To help make the application process go quickly and smoothly, you should bring:
n Your Social Security number;
n Your birth certificate or other proof of your age;
n Information about the home where you live, such as your mortgage or your lease and landlord’s name;
n Payroll slips, bank books, insurance policies, burial fund records and other information about your income and the things you own;
n Proof of U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizen status; and
n If you are applying for SSI because you are disabled or blind, the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of doctors, hospitals, and clinics that you have been to.
Learn more by reading our publication, You May Be Able To Get Supplemental Security Income (SSI), at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/11069.html.
Get answers to your Social Security questions each Thursday from the Social Security District Director Martin Coffey. Submit questions by writing to Business Editor John Vass Jr., Chattanooga Times Free Press, P.O. Box 1447, Chattanooga, TN 37401-1447, or by e-mailing him at jvass@timesfreepress.com.
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