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ServicesSenator Lieberman's Constituent Service Center offers help in the following areas:
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Social Security
Senator Lieberman's Constituent Service Center regularly receives the following questions regarding social security. If your question is not answered here, please send an email so that his staff may address your concern.
Q: Can Senator Lieberman help me file an application for Social Security benefits? You must contact your local Social Security Administration (SSA) office directly to obtain an application for benefits. To find the Social Security Administration office nearest you, visit the Social Security Office Locator. If you are dissatisfied with a decision made by SSA, Senator Lieberman's office can assist you in understanding your options, determining the reason for the denial, and seeking an appropriate review of your case. This is known as an appeal. However, the Social Security Administration has the sole authority to make decisions regarding disability, retirement, and SSI benefits (and any other program that the SSA administers). If you wish to appeal, you must make your request in writing within 60 days from the date you receive a letter from SSA stating its decision. The SSA will assume that you received the letter five days after the date on the letter. You should contact your local SSA office directly to request an application to file an appeal. You can find the nearest SSA office by going to the Social Security Office locator website. There are four levels of appeals. The appeals are (1) reconsideration, (2) a hearing by an administrative law judge, (3) a review by the Social Security Appeals Council, and (4) a federal court review. A reconsideration is a complete review of your claim by someone who did not take part in the first decision. It is important to present any old evidence, as well as any new evidence that you may have that supports your claim. The more information the person has when reviewing your claim the less likely it is that a mistake will be made. If you disagree with the reconsideration decision, you may then ask for a hearing. The hearing will be conducted by an administrative law judge who had no part in the first decision or the reconsideration. Most people hire an attorney to help them with the administrative law judge hearing process. If you disagree with the hearing decision, you may ask for a review by the Social Security's Appeals Council. The Appeals Council looks at all requests for review, but it may deny a request if it believes the hearing decision was correct. If the Appeals Council decides to review your case, it will either decide your case itself or return it to an administrative law judge for further review. If you disagree with the Appeals Council decision or if the Appeals Council decides not to review your case, you may file a lawsuit in a federal district court. Q: Can Senator Lieberman expedite my application for benefits or my appeal application? Senator Lieberman will assist to expedite an application for benefits or an appeal application ONLY in matters of life and death. You must provide documentation from a licensed physician that your medical condition is such that you are not expected to survive to the date a determination is likely to be made. If you require an application for benefits or an appeal application to be expedited and can demonstrate an instance of life and death, please provide the following information:
If you would like additional information about the appeals process, you may call 24 hours a day, including weekends and holidays, at 800-772-1213. You may also log onto Social Security Administration. Q: Can Senator Lieberman help me find a missing relative? No. However, the Social Security Administration will attempt to forward a letter to a missing person under circumstances involving a matter of great importance, such as death or serious illness in the missing person's immediate family. The circumstances must concern a matter about which the missing person is unaware and would undoubtedly want to be informed. Generally, when a son, daughter, brother, sister, or parent wishes contact, the SSA will write to the missing person, rather than forwarding a letter from the relative. There is no charge for forwarding letters that have a humanitarian purpose. However, a fee of $25.00 is charged when the letter is to inform the missing person of money or property due him or her. The fee is non-refundable. The fee should be paid by check and made payable to the Social Security Administration. A representative from SSA must read the letter to ensure that it contains nothing that could prove embarrassing to the missing person if read by a third party. SSA does not believe it would be proper to open a sealed envelope, therefore, a letter that is sent to the SSA for forwarding should be in a plain, unsealed, unstamped envelope showing only the missing person's name. Nothing of value should be enclosed in the envelop. It is necessary to provide the missing person's social security number or identifying information in order for SSA to locate an address in the SSA records. Usually, SSA will forward the letter in care of the employer who most recently reported earnings for the missing person, as SSA will only have the home address if the person is receiving Social Security benefits. SSA cannot assure that the letter will be delivered nor can SSA guarantee a reply. SSA is also unable to send a second letter. A request to have a letter forwarded by the Social Security Administration to a missing person should be sent to:
Q: Can Senator Lieberman help me estimate my future Social Security benefits? You may access the Retirement Estimator, a new online financial and retirement planning tool from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Click here to find the Retirement Estimator.
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