Talk of The Villages Florida - View Single Post - Social Security
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Old 04-30-2023, 06:55 AM
ThirdOfFive ThirdOfFive is offline
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Try the SS office first. Good advice re the phone, but your call doesn't route to the local office, but instead to a regional center. wait times can be long and the customer "service" people can be rude. I'd make an appointment at your local office and try your luck there.

Be aware though...the first answer you get may not be the correct one. I had an experience once on behalf of a client, where I met with the agent regarding the issue. The answer I got didn't seem right so I made another appointment to speak with another agent. Sure enough, HER answer contradicted the first one. Well, I figured that I'd go with the majority so I popped the question to yet a THIRD agent, figuring that one or the other answer would be verified and I'd go with that. Nope. I got a THIRD answer that pretty much negated the other two. Pretty frustrating.

Fortunately Minnesota (where I hail from) has a service called Senior LinkAge Line. It is staffed with knowledgeable people who can pretty much answer any question relating to retirees and benefits. It is supposed to be for Seniors only but people who have Vulnerable Adults on their caseload learn to access it pretty quick. Most of the agents know this and are pretty accommodating as long as it isn't abused. I don't know if Florida has such a thing, but a few clicks led me to something that looks similar: Florida Retiree Services (1-866-446-9377) may be a possibility. Another one is that you can contact the Florida Division of Retirement directly through either 844-377-1888, or local 850-907-6500. The numbers come from a .gov website so it is a pretty safe bet that it is an actual service and not someone trying to sell you something.