The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1939-05-26

@. I saw in the paper not long
ago that the average old-age insur-
ance payment is now about $40. !
am SO years old and my wife lie
So. We get a little Old-age assist
ance money every month; but both
of our checks added together is
much less than $40. We would like
to know why we get less than "the
average payment" and tf there is
anything that we can do about itI
A. You evidently received the
wrong idea in reading the article
in the paper about old-age insur-
ance payments.
Old-Age Insurance is one thing
and Old-Age Assistance is something
else Old-Age Insurance is sort of
financial protection for wage earn
ers. Old-Age Assistance Is form of
relief, for aged persons VIII, cannot
earn their own living. Both types Of
payment are made to persons over
IS; but old-age assistance goes to
the needy aged, only; while old-age
insurance is paid to anyone who Is
entitled to the benefits, regardless
of need. The old-age insurance bene-
fits that are payable, now, are for
insured workers who reach the age
of IS, or to the relatives of insured
workers, who die before receiving
benefits to which they are entitled.
The old-age insurance benefit now,
being paid, is paid in a lump sum,
with one check. When regular
monthly payments of old-age insur-
ance begin, workers who are entitl-
ed to old-age insurance will receive
check every month, the amount Of
the payment depending upon the
amount of wages the worker was
paid during the time that he work.
ed in jobs that are covered by old
age insurance provisions.
@. I worked in canning plant,
after school closed last summer, and
l expect to work in another canning
factory this summer, when the peach
season opens. Last year my boss
took fifteen cents out of my wages
every week; but I did not know then
why he deducted that sum from my
pay. A few days ago somebody ex-
planned to me that it was one per-
cent of my wages which the boss
took out for my old-age insurance
and that he sent the money to the
Government, along with his own one
percent tax on my wages. was
told that should get social secur-
ity account number and then ask
the Government to give me credit
for the wages / earned last summer
when I did not have a social secur-
ity account number. Please tell me
where to go and what to do in
order to get this business straight
ened out.
A. Go to the field office Of the
Social Security Board and tell the
manager, or one of his assistants,
that you want social security ac-
count number. The Baltimore Office
is located at 100 Hopkins Place.
Tell the manager the name and adj
dress of your former employer, and
tell him the amount of the wages
you received during the time you
worked in the plant. The manager
will give you a social security ac-
count number. Then an account will
be set up for you by the Social Sec
urity Board, where your name. ac-
count number, and wages will be
properly recorded. The law requires
that your employer or your employ
ers report to the Government, every
three months, the wages paid you
during the quarter. Year after year.
as long as you work in job that
is covered by the Social Security Act,
your wages will be credited on your
own social security wage record. In
that way, the Government will know
how much your old-age insurance
payments will be, when your bene-
fits become payable.