Herald and news., November 23, 1958, Page 49, Image 49

BOBB , " 'T- I Hn II in li t" - t "IT- 1
r
average p
monthly
salary I
retired
worker at 65
retired worker
and wife at 65
woman worker
retired at 62
n
t J wi
' chi
widow at 62
widow or j; ;
idower with j widow with
Id or parent '. ) two children
$50
$30.00
new
$33.00
old new
$45.00 $49.50
old new
old
new
$24.00 $26.40 ; i $30.00 $33.00
old new i old new
$45.00 $49.60 t; $50.20 $53.10
100
55.00 59.00
82.50 88.50
44.00
47.20 I'; 41.30 44.30 82.60 88.50 ; 82.60 88.50
150
200
68.50 73.00 102.50 109.50 J 54.80 58.40 f , 51.40 54.80 102.80 109.60 1 120.00 120.00
v 78.50 84.00 5 117.80 126.00 Vj 62.80 67.20 58.90 63.00 I 117.80 126.00 ' . 157.10 161.60
250
88.50 95.00 J 132.80 142.50 Kjj 70.80 76.00 M 66.40 71.30 132.80 142.60 it 177.20 190.10
300
98.50 105.00
147.80 157.50
78.80 84.00 I 73.90 78.80 I 147.80 157.60 I. 197.10 210.20
350 I ...j 108.50 116.00 ' : 162.80 174.00 86.80 92.80 81.40 87.00 J, 162.80 174.00 ;.'; 200.00 232.00
400
108.50 127.00
162.80 190.50 I 86.80 101.60 j- 81.40 95.30 j; j 162.80 190.60 9 '; 200.00 254.00
whose wife had also been employed. She died sud
denly, leaving him with a small daughter who had
to be cared for while the father was at work. For
five years he struggled along, strapped by the cost
of his daughter's care, plus their normal living
expenses. Then, one day, while rummaging through
some old papers, he found his wife's Social Security
card and noticed it said to notify the agency if any
worker in the family died. He did and found that
he was entitled to $73 a month to help with the care
of his daughter until she was 18 years old.
Social Security officials estimate that there are
many thousands of Americans like this worker
who are unaware of benefits to which they are en
titled. A majority of them fall into one of the
following groups:
Widows and retired women workers over 62
who haven't taken advantage of the lowering of the
eligibility age for women from 65 to 62 in 1956;
Self-employed workers. About one-fifth of the
eligibles in this group are not filing the necessary
returns to bring them under the program, even
though this action is required by law;
Farmers. Only about two-thirds of the farm
people eligible for coverage are contributing as
required to Social Security;
Clergymen. More than half of the nation's
clergymen are not taking advantage of the Social
Security coverage optional for them Which was
granted in 1954;
Permanently disabled workers. This group,
which is probably the neediest of all, also has the
largest number of workers entitled to benefits who
have not applied for them. In 1956, Congress added
disability insurance to the Social Security program,
and provided that a permanently disabled worker
could collect his full retirement benefits at the age
of 50, providing he requested that the wage record
of his earning years be "frozen" after the disability
took place. Although the figure is being reduced
steadily, an estimated 25 percent of the nation's dis
abled workers have not requested the "freeze" and
aren't collecting Social Security benefits due them.
In addition, there are hundreds of thousands of
workers over 65 who are entitled to some benefits,
even though they are working full time. These
people should investigate to find out under what
circumstances they may be able to collect a portion
of their old-age benefits. There are also thousands
of American workers over 72 years of age who are
still employed and haven't applied for Social Secur
ity. Citizens 72 or over can collect their full Social
Security checks regardless of the amount (hey are
earning jrom their employment.
oveknment officials are going all out to publicize
the changes in the Social Security program
so that every eligible citizen may claim his full
benefits. The agency has enlisted the aid of hun
dreds of thousands of funeral directors, clergymen,
doctors, hospital staff members, and union and com
pany personnel officials to make sure that everyone
is informed of his Social Security rights when a
family emergency or retirement comes along.
Yet many potential beneficiaries still are in the
dark, and the Social Security agency, which has
almost 100 million files in its records, can't afford
to look up these people individually. So it's up to
you to keep posted on what you can expect from
Social Security and to apply for it when the proper
time comes.
For example, you should know that if your 65th
birthday falls in 1971 or later, you will need to have
worked at least 10 years under Social Security in
order to become eligible for benefits. If you reach
65 before 1971, the number of years you must have
contributed to the program ranges from four years
in 1959 to nine a decade later.
You should be aware that all Social Security
benefits are tax-free; that funeral expenses up to
$255 can be collected for a worker covered by the
program, but the money must be applied for within
two years after the death of the worker. And you
should know that Social Security never arrives
automatically the first time; it must be applied for.
(Increases in payments for present beneficiaries,
however, will be automatic.)
A safe maxim to follow in your Social Security
program is; "When in doubt, ask." There are more
than 500 Social Security branch offices in cities
throughout the United States, plus some 3,000 addi
tional contact points in smaller towns and rural
areas. If you have a question about Social Security,
look in your local telephone book for the Social
Security office, listed under: "United States Govern
ment, Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare." If
you can find no listing in your town or neighboring
communities, inquire at your local post office.
Under the new Social Security law, a retired
couple where the breadwinner earned the maxi
mum average income of $4,800 or more will be
immediately entitled to a monthly income of $174
from Social Security alone. (Although the maximum
benefit under such circumstances is listed as $190.50,
it will be impossible to attain this figure for many
years because the earlier taxes, based on income
maximums of $3,600 and $4,200, must be included
in present computations.)
Other benefits from the Social Security program
are commensurate with these increased old-age
payments. You have made the program possible by
your contributions. You owe it to yourself and your
family to find out where, how, and when you can
expect a return on this investment.
family Wrrkly, Novrmbrr . I9M