My Social Security Saga Continues: Month One After Filing

I thought the online system seemed too easy, and I was right

Disclaimer: This story is about my personal experience navigating the Social Security system. Please don’t take anything I say here as advice.

After I made the angst-filled decision of when to file for Social Security, I lost no time in filling out the online Social Security application in July. It was pretty easy, and I naively expected things to go smoothly. But I have a few unusual circumstances, including a lump-sum teacher retirement payout and claiming on an ex-spouse’s record, so there were a few hiccups.

My first indication that there was a snag in the system was that my Medicare card didn’t show up in the mail. (Since I filed at age 64, 11 months, I claimed Medicare and Social Security benefits at the same time.) Hmmm.

Then I got a call from an unknown 205 number from a man who said he was with Social Security. I don’t usually take calls from unknown numbers, but, to be fair, my car’s Bluetooth classifies all callers as unknown. Besides, I was waiting in line at Discount Tire and didn’t have to worry about the call interfering with GPS.

The caller told me that there was a problem with my account — something about my teacher pension. Since teacher pensions and Social Security don’t play nicely together, I’d taken a lump-sum distribution from the Texas teacher retirement system, aka TRS. I’d dutifully reported that information in Social Security’s online portal. Still, I apparently needed to bring in some proof that I wasn’t out to scam the system.

I wonder if Warren Buffet ever got treated that way.

Not being able to access the requested information and being concerned about scams, I told the caller I’d drop by my Social Security office. “Do you know where the nearest one is?” I asked. He got mad and sputtered about how I could ask him where the nearest office was but couldn’t give him the information he requested. At best, that was unprofessional, and at worst it was scammy. “Never mind; I’ll find it myself,” I told him.

Again, I jumped online and found a Social Security office eight miles away. I decided to walk in on a Thursday rather than make an appointment. When I arrived at 8:40, the line was much shorter than I’d expected.

Go to the Social Security office on Thursday mornings 20 minutes before they officially open, y’all.

My first in-person visit to a Social Security office for my own account

A big sign directed us to save our places in line by scanning a QR code. I hadn’t seen a QR code sign at the other Social Security office I’d been to, but that could be because I was with someone else and didn’t have to pay attention to such things.

Although I’m middling tech-savvy, I have a hate relationship with QR codes. When I scanned the code, a message popped up saying I had an outdated browser (what? after all the updates my phone forced on me?), and I couldn’t proceed with saving my spot.

“Don’t worry, Mama, everyone who’s here now will go straight to the window,” the surprisingly pleasant crowd-control officer assured me. (In Texas, a lot of women call other women and even girls Mama.) Sure enough, we did, and I got by without the QR code.

Since I hadn’t made an appointment, I’d expected to wait for a couple of hours. But the woman at Window 18 saw me promptly at 9:09.

I asked the woman about the call I’d gotten. She said, “We don’t do that,” but seemed to contradict herself later on. Anyway, it turned out I needed a document about my lump-sum teacher pension distribution. When I produced a 1099-R, the document I’d used for taxes, the rep said that wasn’t sufficient. Never mind that the Total Distribution box was checked.

Also, I needed a copy of my marriage certificate and divorce decree. I still have the divorce decree, but I thought I was over and done with the marriage license, so I had to figure out how to get a certified copy. (If my ex dies, am I supposed to produce a death certificate since that would increase my benefit? And how would I go about doing that, anyway? Or do they do that automatically since he’s already in the system?)

The Social Security rep wanted to know if I was still working. Uh, yeah. I’d reported my salary on the online application. My full Social Security benefit would be under $1000, which isn’t enough to pay my rent, let alone niceties of life like car insurance.

When I got home, I called Teacher Retirement about the form Social Security wanted. In years past, I’ve spent hours on the phone with TRS, so I braced myself for a long wait. But just like the Social Security office, TRS took me quickly.

Is there a special kind of Thursday magic, or are people finally getting it together post-pandemic?

It turns out there’s a form TRS sends out to satisfy Social Security. At one point, I must have received it but didn’t realize that I needed to keep it. They’ll send it to me in a little over a month.

I procrastinated about tracking down a marriage certificate because I thought it would be harder than it was, but it was no big deal. After calling one wrong number, I was directed to the right number and paid my $12.13. The certified copy of my marriage certificate will arrive next week. Too bad there was no option of paying for expedited service on my teacher pension document so I could get that next week, too.

I’ll lay low for a month or whenever my TRS form arrives and see if the documents I gathered will be enough. I have a feeling Social Security will spring more hoops on me.

So much for thinking Social Security was going to be a walk in the park instead of a marathon.

Interested in my thought process about deciding when to claim Social Security? Read Part 1 of my Social Security saga here: