Social Security myths continued

Given our national retirement program’s handbook of 2,728 rules and countless interpretations, few of us are likely to thoroughly understand Social Security, according to The Christian Science Monitor.

To continue our blog from Wednesday concerning eight Social Security myths, three more myths include the following:

6. If I am divorced, I cannot collect Social security benefits from my ex-spouse. If you do not re-marry, you can collect retirement benefits on your ex-spouse’s record if you were married for at least 10 years.

7. If I am collecting Social Security, I am an obvious target for identity theft scams. Recently, CNN Money reported that identity thieves are targeting seniors by fraudulently rerouting Social Security benefits to their own accounts. Anyone with a Social Security number is at risk for identity theft. Children are even more at risk for getting their Social Security number stolen, according to a Carnegie Mellon University CyLab study. An astounding 10 percent of children surveyed had someone else using their Social Security number.

8. I will be eligible for Medicare as a soon as I collect Social Security. Americans cannot earn Medicare benefits until age 65, but they can collect Social Security as early as 62. Exception: If you collect Social Security Disability, you will get Medicare coverage automatically after two years.

If you or someone you know needs help with disability benefits, contact the disability lawyers at Fleschner, Stark, Tanoos & Newlin.