Milford chronicle., 1957-03-22
Great Rush On AT
5. s. Headquarters
Continued from first page)

amendments to the Social Security
Act became law last August, the
Wilmington district office has add
ed five staff members to help pro-
cess the increase workload.
Due to the increased number of
claimants, however, many may
have to wait longer for interviews
when they come to the Wilmington
office or one of the eight contact
stations maintained in different
parts of the State. Also, he said,
the large number of claimants in
the office slow up the processing
of the claims papers. A new bene
ficiary must sometimes wait long
er before he receives his first
monthly insurance benefit check.
IF you have made a claim for
payments but have not yet received
your first check, please be patient, -
MilbOuer urges. He assures those
who have recently filed claims that
the delay will not result in any
loss of benefits The date an appli-
cation is filed, not the date of the
final award, is used in figuring the
monthly benefit amount. Further
more, he pointed out, benefits can
be paid for a period of as much as
year before the time a claim for
benefits is made when people are
entitled to back payments. Benefit
checks for future months will not
be affected by the workload and
will reach benefciaries On time
While ordinary a wage Garner
need not submit proof of past earn
ings, in a claim for old-age bene-
fits, self-employed person will
need to bring along copies of his
income tax returns for 1855 and
1856. Moreover, in claims filed By
a widow, widower, child, or sur
viving dependent parents, certain
proofs are usually required. 'We
don't urge people to go to any great
trouble or expense to obtain proofs,
but the handling of claim can be
speeded and return visits to our
office avoided if a marriage certifi-
cate or birth or baptismal certi-
ficate is brought along" Milbouer
declared.
In case of doubt, a telephone
call to the social security Office.
may save time and delay in getting
all necessary papers and in ar.
ranging a time to come to the off
ice.
Commenting on the unprecedent-
ed number of claims now on hand,
Milbouer stated that the situation
is temporary. 1t is due largely to
the recent changes in the social
security law.
In the area served by the Will
mington social security office
major reason for the increase in
ployed farmers are now qualifying
for old-age benefits. Farm opera
tors were brought under social Sc
curity at the beginning of 1855.
About 400 in this area who have
reached retirement age have filed
benefit claims since the first of the
year, he said.
Women can now elect to claim
benefits at age 81. In the country
as a whole, more than 100000 wo-
men between the ages of So and 65
have filed claims since this prOvi-
sion first became effective last
November.
While disability insurance bene-.
fits to persons who have reached
age so first became payable for the.
month of July 1857, many disabled
people are now filing claims. Other
disabled people who are still under
age so are calling to have their So
cial security work records frozen.
This action will protect them and
their families for future benefit
payments even though the disabled
worker is not yet eligible for
monthly disability payments for
himself. AS many people are still
unfamiliar with the disability pro-
visions in the social security law,
Milbouer advises them to ask for a
copy of IF You Are Disabled, a
new booklet which explains the re-
quirements for the disability freeze
and disability benefits.