Social Security

Additional retirement resources available to you:

Contact the Social Security Administation

Social Security

Social Security provides a supplemental benefit for your retirement through taxes both you and Trinity Health pay into the program equally.

Some important features:

• Benefits are based on your age, length of time employed, and how much you earned while working.
• Full Social Security benefits are paid if you begin receiving them at your Social Security normal retirement age.
• You are eligible to begin receiving Social Security benefits as early as age 62. However, your benefit is reduced if you begin receiving payments early.
• If you delay applying for Social Security after you retire, you run the risk of losing some benefits.

Receiving Benefits While Working You can work after you retire, but your Social Security benefits may be affected depending on the income you earn. If you plan to work during retirement, contact your local Social Security office to find out the annual earnings limit. The annual earnings limits apply to all wages earned - whether or not the wages are subject to Social Security and Medicare Part A taxes.

Social Security Benefits For Your Spouse If you are married and your spouse has never paid into - or has not become fully insured under - Social Security, he or she may be entitled to a benefit based on your Social Security benefit.

Calculation of your spouse's benefit is a two-step process. In the first step, a certain percentage of your unreduced benefit is calculated. This percentage is equal to 50 percent while you are alive and 100 percent after your death.

In the second step, the benefit is adjusted for early retirement based on the age of your spouse when benefits begin. If your spouse dies before you, your spouse's benefits will stop while yours will continue unchanged.

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Other Benefits in Retirement

Medicare
At retirement, you also have access to Medicare, the health care component of Social Security. This benefit provides hospital and medical coverage to people age 65 and older who are eligible to retire under Social Security, whether retired or not.

There are two parts to Medicare - Part A (Hospital Insurance) and Part B (Medical Insurance).

Medicare-Part A

• Helps to pay expenses for inpatient hospital and certain follow-up care.
• Coverage is provided at no cost as long as you are eligible under Social Security.
• If you are entitled to Social Security, you will automatically be enrolled in Medicare Part A.
• During the first 60 days of the benefit period, Medicare pays 100 percent of your covered expenses after you pay the deductible. If you are still in the hospital after 60 days, Medicare will pay 100 percent of covered expenses, less a daily coinsurance amount.

Medicare-Part B

• Provides coverage for doctors' services, outpatient hospital services, and other medical services not covered under Part A.
• Voluntary enrollment - you should enroll by the latter of reaching age 65 or when you are no longer covered as an active employee.
• You pay a monthly premium which is typically deducted from your Social Security check.
• Pays for 80 percent of covered expenses after the annual deductible is paid.

Contact Medicare

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