YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY

By DAVID BROWN

So, you think you might qualify for benefits but aren't sure whom to ask, where to start, or how to begin. Should you be applying for Social Security or Supplemental Security Income? Medicare or Medicaid? What's the difference? For someone not familiar with such benefits, it can all seem confusing.

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

That's why we'd like to show you the best way to get the process started.

Just visit Social Security's Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (BEST) at www.govbenefits.gov. BEST will help you determine whether you may be eligible for different types of benefits, including:

- Social Security Disability; - Social Security Retirement; - Social Security Survivors; - Medicare; - Special Veterans Benefits; and - Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

BEST also links users to an additional Web site that can help you determine whether you may qualify for the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan through Medicare and for extra help with your prescription drug costs through Social Security.

At the BEST Web site, you'll be asked some basic questions about your situation. It will take about five to 10 minutes to complete the questions. No one will see the answers you give and the session will not be recorded. It is a confidential way for you to plug in your situation and get quick answers regarding the benefits you may be eligible to apply for.

Why not get started now? Just visit www.govbenefits.gov and answer a few simple questions to find out whether you might be eligible for benefits. You can also visit www.socialsecurity.gov for additional information about Social Security.