Members of the VFW and other US military Veterans worldwide are supported by many programs offered and administrated by the Social Security Administration (SSA). This page has been created to serve as a content folder for information regarding programs, webinars, and other information we receive from the SSA. The information presented here is obtained directly from the SSA and provided as received. The VFW takes no responsibility for any content published by, or meetings offered by the SSA. You need not be a VFW member to follow this page and have access to what is offered by the SSA here. Any questions or concerns regarding the offerings here should be addressed to the SSA at the POC listed for the information or event. Please feel free to share this page with fellow Veterans and Veteran families that may find this information useful as we all navigate through the SSA system and offerings by them unique to the Veteran community. Content will be added as received. Events will remain listed until complete. For further support from the SSA specifically for Veterans, please visit their website at https://www.ssa.gov/people/veterans/  

Please review and share the attached Social Security articles within your organizations and in our communities. Click the blue links to open the documents.

Your continued partnership is immeasurably valuable, in getting our information to the public.

Social Security Administration Launches Redesigned Website at SSA.gov

Starting December 7th, 2022, visitors to SSA.gov will experience a fresh homepage and a new design to help them find what they need more easily. For further information, click here.

Social Security and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2023.

“Approximately 70 million Americans who receive monthly Social Security and/or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will see a 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2023. The COLA takes effect with SSI payments paid on December 30, 2022, and Social Security benefits paid in January 2023. 

Many beneficiaries may want to find out exactly what their new benefit amount will be. The fastest way is through their my Social Security account. In early December, customers can log in to their my Social Security account and check the Message Center. For beneficiaries who do not have a my Social Security account, they will need to create their account by November 15 to see their notice online. Beneficiaries can also opt to receive a text or email alert when there is a new message from us – such as their COLA notice – rather than receiving a letter in the mail. 

Premiums for Medicare Part B will decrease in 2023. For beneficiaries who choose to deduct their Medicare premium from their monthly Social Security benefit, they will also see the new amount reflected in their January payment. For more information about Medicare changes, please refer to www.medicare.gov.

The Social Security Act ties the annual COLA to the increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W), as determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

You can learn more about the new COLA at www.ssa.gov/cola.”

Kilolo Kijakazi, Ph.D., M.S.W.

Acting Commissioner

MONTHLY SSA NEWSLETTERS

Important Updates from SSA in PDF format

Upcoming Webinars

Virtual FREE and Open to the Public Nov. 30, 2022- Dec.14, 2022

Something for Everyone-Mark Your Calendars!

Feel Free to Share Far and Wide

Your continued partnership is immeasurably valuable, in getting our information to our communities.  

**To Request A Speaker for your organization you can email me directly or use SSA events link.

Feel free to review SSA’s calendar of webinars regularly https://www.ssa.gov/phila/community.htm.

New Start Dates for Medicare Part B Coverage Start Coming in 2023

Dear Colleague,

Starting January 1, 2023, the start dates for Medicare Part B coverage will change.  Coverage will start the first day of the month after a person signs up, if they sign up during the last three months of their Initial Enrollment Period (IEP) or during the General Enrollment Period (GEP).

Before this change, if your clients signed up during the last three months of their IEP, their Medicare Part B coverage started two to three months after they enrolled.  If your client doesn’t sign up for Medicare Part B during their IEP, they have another chance every year during GEP which runs from January 1 through March 31.

What is not changing:

If your client is eligible at age 65 for Medicare, their IEP will still:

• begin three months before their 65^th birthday.
• include the month of their 65^th birthday.
• end three months after their 65^th birthday.

If your client is automatically enrolled in Medicare Part B, or if they sign up during the first three months of their IEP, their coverage will start the month they’re first eligible.  If your client signs up the month that they turn 65, their coverage will start the first day of the following month.  This will not change with the new rule.

You and your clients can learn more about these updates on our Medicare webpage at www.ssa.gov/medicare and our Medicare publication at www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10043.pdf.

Please share this important information with your clients.  Thank you for your continued support.

Sincerely,

Lizna Odhwani
Public Affairs Specialist

Social Security Administration

**To Request A Speaker for your organization you can email me directly or use SSA events link.

Feel free to review SSA’s calendar of webinars regularly https://www.ssa.gov/phila/community.htm.

3.    Social Security 101: Everything You Wanted to Know
MS Teams virtual seminar
Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022 from 10 a.m.-12 noon
Hosted by Hampton Roads Workforce Council/Virginia Career Works-Hampton Center

Liz Odhwani- Public Affairs Specialist will provide an overview of Social Security programs and benefits.
The virtual presentation will include information about working while disabled and how Social Security can help.
Free and open to the public.
To receive the MS Teams link, email Joshua Sheffield at  jsheffield@theworkforcecouncil.org

4. Scam Awareness: A Workshop from the Social Security Administration –

Join us online on Microsoft Teams, register using Eventbrite link.

Online

Pre-Registration Scam Awareness: A Workshop from the Social Security Administration Tickets, Wed, Dec 14, 2022 at 1:00 PM | Eventbrite

Wednesday, December 14, 2022 1:00pm to 2:00pm

 Scammers are using technology and trickery to scam people out of their money. 1 in 5 people lost money in imposter scams in 2020, totaling $1,190 million.

How can you recognize when you're being scammed and prevent financial loss?

Liz Odhwani, Public Affairs Specialists with the Social Security Administration, will present information to help you avoid scams during the holiday season and year-round.

How can you recognize when you're being scammed and prevent financial loss?

What are some red flags of a scam?

How will legitimate organizations contact you, and what information might they ask for?

If you've fallen victim to a scam, what do you do next?

Get answers to all these questions and more.

I hope you find these webinars beneficial.

Best,

Liz

The Social Security Administration continues our outreach efforts to the community throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Feel free to contact me to learn more what we can offer to your group or organization.

 Lizna Odhwani

Public Affairs Specialist

Social Security Administration

Email: Lizna.Odhwani@ssa.gov

Join the millions and discover your benefits!
Open a my Social Security account.

Good morning,

The U.S. Social Security Administration would like to remind community partners that we are available for virtual community outreach and education. To request an outreach event or training on any of our programs or related to a specific topic, please contact me directly at Lizna.Odhwani@ssa.gov. We offer webinars for associates within your organization or open them up to the public, based on your organization’s preference and role in the community.

We also have local office updates that we would like to share:

Attached Columns and Features in our September 2022 edition:

• YOU CAN APPLY FOR MEDICARE ONLINE www.ssa.gov/benefits/medicare
• ACCESS YOUR EARNINGS HISTORY WITH “MY SOCIAL SECURITY”- www.ssa.gov/myaccount
• SOCIAL SECURITY ONLINE LEARNING TOOLS www.ssa.gov/onlineservices and www.ssa.gov/thirdparty/educators.html
• TOP FIVE FRAUD AND SCAM PREVENTION TOOLS www.ssa.gov/scam and https://oig.ssa.gov/report  
• THREE SOCIAL SECURITY ONLINE MUSTS www.ssa.gov/myaccount, www.ssa.gov/onlineservices, (https://blog.ssa.gov, www.ssa.gov/socialmedia English and Spanish)

**To Request A Speaker for your organization you can email me directly or use the SSA events link.

To review SSA’s calendar of webinars regularly https://www.ssa.gov/phila/community.htm.

• Local Social Security offices are offering more in-person appointments and have resumed in-person service for people without an appointment Monday-Friday 9am to 4pm .
• As we expand in-person service, we expect our offices to be very busy. We strongly encourage you to continue to go online at www.ssa.gov/onlineservices , call us for help www.ssa.gov/locator , and schedule appointments in advance.
• Learn more at https://www.ssa.gov/coronavirus/gethelp/
• Attached you will find an August 2022 helpful Newsletter by clicking here

The Social Security Administration continues our outreach efforts to the community throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. Feel free to contact me to learn more what we can offer to your group or organization.

Lizna Odhwani

Public Affairs Specialist

Social Security Administration

Email: Lizna.Odhwani@ssa.gov

Join the millions and discover your benefits!
Open a my Social Security account.

Other Events

 Other events received from the SSA will be posted here as they become available. Please check back often.

MCT Show Registration: Mustang Club of Tidewater Fall All Makes and Models Car & Truck Show Sept 30, 2023 (google.com)