The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1951-03-08
information On
Social Security
(F'irst of three articles)
BY SIDNEY MARGOLIUS
For "a hor Press Assncia

For Labor Press Association
The new Social Security law
which went into effect this year
gives you some valuable new bene-
fits-if you know how to collect
them.
Unfortunately, many wage earn
ers and their families don't under
stand their full rights and thus
sometimes lose valuable payments.
Many older men, for example, are
mt aware they can collect their
retirement pensions between jobs,
or even while drawing unemploy-
ment insurance. But many widows
also lose payments because they do
not know that Social Security pro-
vides benefits to the family on
death of its breadwinner, as well
as old-age pensions.
Now that these benefits are big
ger-largely through the efforts Of
Americas unions-it's worth MAX
ing sure you get every cent coming
to you or your family.
What Older Workers Should Know
Every worker 65 or over who's
still on the job should know that
he can collect a retirement pension
between jobs. You can go on and
off the pension rolls as often as
necessary. You're entitled TO that
pension no matter how much out
side income you have, as from un-
employment insurance, your own
savings or private pension plans.
You can also earn any amount in
jobs still not covered by Social
Security, such as temporary farm
labor.
The only thing you may not do
and still collect a pension-is to
earn more than $50 a month in en-
ployment covered by Social Secur-
ity or more than $500 a year in
self-employment, unless you're Is
or older, in which case there are no
limits. Among some Of the jobs not
covered by Social Security, in which
you can earn any amount without
affecting your pension, are tempor-
airy farm labor, temporary or cas-
ual employment in Government
establishments and domestic work
as long as you don't work "a days
in the same calendar quarter for
the same employer.
Wage-earners So or older some
times also lose Social Security pay
ments because they fail to apply
for them when they become i'll.
Anyone eligible for pension
should apply Immediately if forced
to stop working by anything more
than slight illness. You can draw
your pension even for month or
two pending your possible return to
work. Even if you're getting sick
pay from your employer, check
with your local Social Security Of
flee because some types of sick pay
don't bar you from Social Security
payments, too.
Sometimes a man doesn't bother
putting in for his pension because
he figures he'll return to work
when he feels better. But when you
get older, illnesses sometimes lin
ger on. Frequently man who had
been planning to go back eventual
ly finds he can't. Then he applies
for his Social Security payments.
But if he waited very long, he'll
find he can collect only six months
back payments, and even that lib
eralized regulation goes into effect
only after March. Heretofore a per-
son who delayed applying for a
pension for which he or she was
qualified, could collect only three
months Of back payments, and in|
the past many people have lost
badly-needed sums because of that
limit on retrOactivity.
Perhaps the most important fact
to understand about your Social
Security benefits is that you never
start collecting them automatical-
ly. In all cases you must apply for
them.
Another reason why people some
times fail to collect benefits is be-
cause they don't realize that theyl
have to put in a certain amount of
time in covered employment toI
qualify for an old age pension or
insurance for the family. |
This writer frequently gets letters
from widows complaining that the
Social Security administration had
refused them survivors insurance.