Q: “How do you replace a damaged Social Security card?”
A: While you can replace your Social Security card for free if it is lost or stolen, you may not have to do so. Knowing your Social Security number is what is most important.
You may need a new card if you are starting a new job and your employer asks to see the card. For more information about getting a replacement card, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/ssnumber.
Q: “I was told Social Security will pay supplemental security income benefits to children who were born prematurely. Is this true?”
A: SSI is for people with low income and resources and in most cases the income and resources of the parent(s) would be considered for a child. For children who meet the income and resource requirements, Social Security does provide SSI disability benefits to certain low-birth weight infants, whether or not they are premature.
Children who weigh less than about 2 pounds, 10 ounces at birth can qualify for SSI on the basis of low birth weight. Children who weigh about 4 pounds 6 ounces at birth and who are considered small for their gestational age also may qualify.
Even if children who were born prematurely do not fall into one of the low-birth weight categories, they still may qualify for SSI if the evidence in their record shows that they meet the definition of disability for children for another reason. Go to www.socialsecurity.gov/applyford isability/child.htm for more information.
Q: “I receive my supplemental security income payments on the first of the month. What happens when the first of the month falls on a Saturday?”
A: If you receive an SSI payment on the first of the month, and the first of the month falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, your payment should arrive on the previous banking day. For more information, visit our schedule of Social Security benefit payments at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/calendar.htm. Keep the reference handy. And remember, if you have direct deposit, you’ll never have to wait for your payment to arrive in your mailbox; it will be directly deposited into your account.
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, Chat tanooga, TN 37401-1447, or by e-mailing him at jvass@timesfreepress.com.