Our office receives numerous questions concerning the Social Security, Supplemental Security Income and Medicare programs. Following is a sampling of the questions.

Q.: I plan to take early retirement at age 62. Can I also have my Medicare coverage begin then?

A.: No. Medicare benefits based on retirement do not begin until you are 65. If you retire at an earlier age, you might be able to continue to have medical insurance coverage through your employer, or you may decide to purchase it from a private insurance company until you reach age 65. For more information, visit the Social Security Web site at www.socialsecurity.gov or call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) and ask for the publication "Medicare." Q.: I have been receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits for just over three years. This summer my grandmother invited me to visit her for three weeks in Mexico. If I go, will my SSI payments be stopped?

A.: SSI benefit payments usually are suspended if a person leaves the country for a full calendar month, or for 30 consecutive days. Since you would be out of the country for only three weeks, your SSI should not be affected. However, you do need to let Social Security know when you leave and return. And if you don't have direct deposit, now is a good time to consider it. With direct deposit, your payments will arrive in your bank account no matter where you are. For more information about the SSI program, visit

Advertisement
www.socialsecurity.gov or call 1-800-772-1213 and ask for the pamphlet, "What You Need to Know When You Get SSI."

Q.: I am 50 years old and have always planned to retire at age 65. My brother-in-law says that retiring at 65 is no longer possible and that I will have to work another year or more in order to get Social Security benefits. Is this true? A.: No. You can get Social Security retirement benefits as early as age 62, but if you retire before your full retirement age, your benefits will be permanently reduced, based on your age. The full retirement age for people born in 1956, for example, is 66 years and 4 months. You can find out how retirement between age 62 and your full retirement age would affect your monthly benefit payments by visiting www.socialsecurity.gov/planners, or call 1-800-772-1213 and ask for the publication "Retirement Benefits."

Turning 62? — If you will be 62 by December and have not filed a Social Security application, we can provide you with information that will be helpful in determining when to file an application. Mail us:

lYour name.

l Social Security number.

l 2005 earnings.

l Estimated 2006 earnings.

lComplete mailing address.

lTelephone number (both home and work).

lDate of birth. lIf you plan to retire in 2006, month in which you would.

lSpouse's Social Security number.

lSpouse's date of birth.

lIf spouse is deceased, give date of death.

Send it to: Your Social Security, Social Security Administration, 3885 Main St., 3rd Floor, Bridgeport CT 06606. Attn: A. Renzoni.

Anthony Renzoni is district manager of the Bridgeport office of the Social Security Administration. His column appears every Monday.