YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY
By DAVID BROWN

Will you be applying this year for the extra assistance available to help pay premiums, deductibles and co-pays under the Medicare Prescription Drug Program? If you are a Medicare beneficiary with limited income and resources, you should consider it - you may be able to get extra help paying for prescription drugs.

Mr. Brown is District Manager of the Social Security Administration's Downtown New York Office.

If your annual income is below $14,700 for an individual ($19,800 for a married couple living together), and your resources are $11,710 for an individual ($23,410 for a married couple living together), you may qualify for extra help with your monthly premiums and deductibles. These resource limits can be slightly higher (an additional $1,500 per person) if you will use some of your money for burial expenses. Keep in mind that a slightly higher income limit will be determined in early 2007.

If you plan to apply for the extra help, the easiest and most convenient way is to go on-line. Just visit www.socialsecurity.gov/prescriptionhelp/ and select the "Apply for Help" link. You also can apply over the phone by calling us at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). Or, if you prefer to complete the paper application yourself, you can call the same number to request one to be mailed to you, or stop by your local Social Security office to pick one up. If you already received an application in the mail more than a few months ago, you should request a new form.

It is important to make sure you correctly complete the application. If there are any mistakes in the application it could cause delays while we contact you to get an answer.

The handy "tips" below can help make sure that you complete the application correctly and get a response as quickly as possible.

- You must include your Social Security number or Railroad Retirement Board number on the application. And please be sure that you have written these numbers correctly.

- Many questions on the application ask you to mark an "X" in a Yes or No box. Please remember that you cannot mark both Yes and No.

- Because computers will scan your application when you send it back to Social Security, it is important to use a pen with black ink, or a #2 pencil. Pens with blue or red ink, or pencils with lead other than #2, will not be read by the computer.

- Remember to send the entire application package back to us - not just the page that you signed.

- Do not send us anything except your application. We do not need to see doctor bills, prescription lists, IRS forms or other documents.

You can find more information about the extra help online at www.socialsecurity.gov, and more information about the Medicare Prescription Drug Program at www.medicare.gov. If you do not have access to the Internet you can call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 and ask for more information.